Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me!

Hank Zipzer #13

by Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver, Jesse Joshua Watson (Illustrations)

One afternoon, Hank overhears his mom and Frankie's mom talking about having a baby. Having a baby!? It must be Frankie's mom that they're talking about! Frankie will go crazy when he hears about this! Hank worries about how to break the news to his best friend, until he finds out that it's his own mother who is pregnant! How could she do this to him? One annoying sibling is enough. Hank definitely did not order this baby!

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Family, Juvenile

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 3, 2014

About the author

Henry Winkler is instantly recognizable and admired by audiences of all ages for his role as the Fonz on the long-running series, Happy Days. In addition, he is an award-winning producer and director of family and children's programming. He is also the author of the critically-acclaimed Hank Zipzer series, which follows the everyday adventures of a bright boy with learning challenges.

Mr. Winkler has also continued his acting career on the big screen, including a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Nightshift, a starring role in the box-office hit Scream, and co-starring roles in The Water Boy, and Holes. On television, he has guest-starred on ABC's The Practice and NBC's Law & Order: SVU. He recently starred on Broadway for nine months in Neil Simon's play The Dinner Party.

Mr. Winkler is deeply committed to children's welfare and works with numerous children's groups. He is involved with The MacLaren Children's Center (a facility for abused children), The National Committee for Arts for the Handicapped, The Special Olympics, and The Los Angeles Music Center's Very Special Arts Festival, as well as numerous teenage alcohol and drug abuse programs. He is a founding member of the Children's Action Network, a non-profit organization that sponsors informational briefings for writers, producers and directors on children's issues and serves as a clearing-house for the entertainment industry on children's issues.

Reviews

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I love this series, some of the inconsistencies in the story line are starting to get to me. I have documented in other reviews inconsistencies regarding Hank's statements of his best mark in school. This time it is something different. In this one the principal of PS87 is talking outside the school to Hank's grandfather about peer tutoring and how it might be good for Hank with his learning difficulties. However in book 11, The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Went Down Hank goes through peer tutoring to improve his marks so he can be in the school play. These are great books especially for children with learning disabilities. Yet these story line inconsistencies are starting to detract from the strength of individual books.

In this one Hank learns that his parents are having another baby. All he can see is how this is going to ruin his life, starting with his birthday party that very weekend. Hank makes two major decisions in this book. First he decides that looking after a pet might help him learn how to help with a baby, so his Grandfather papa Pete buys him a Mexican red-knee tarantula named Rosa. He soon finds out a tarantula can cause all kinds of difficulties especially in a pizza parlour. He also decides to throw himself a birthday party, but neither of his best friends can come because they made commitments to go with Hank's mom to look at baby carriages.

This is another fun light adventure in the Hank Zipzer series.

[Lauren Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read a part of this series from Henry Winkler from what I have been hearing in class. This book was entertaining and humorous with Hank dealing with his parents having another baby. This is not easy for kids to handle, I myself know this feeling. It's hard to accept change and to make room for more family. After Hank is hit with this news, he flips and acts out in his unusual ways. For instance, getting a pet tarantula, and treating his friends rudely. However, these things that Hank does ends up teaching him a lesson about what a new baby in the family could bring.

Hank once again is a young boy who has to cope that his family is going to be getting bigger. This could also mean that his parents are possibly going to be giving him less attention. What any kid does not want is what Hank is about to encounter. This book would be perfect for kids who are going through this experience and they would understand more what things they can learn from it.

I gave this book a two out of five stars because for me the story was just okay. However, I do believe this book would be great for struggling readers because it is at a basic level of understanding and the story is hilarious itself. This would help ease the pain of reading for those who struggle.

[Duane · Rating 4 out of 5]

For reluctant readers, the Zipzer series is a great choice and this volume is just as entertaining as the rest. Hank finds himself learning that he's going to be a big brother and he's not dealing with it well. You'll laugh as Hank tries to figure out if having a younger sib is really as bad as it sounds or is this a new adventure in his life? A great book for young readers of any level.

[Marblesaurus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm... Until the very end of the book, I couldn't tell where the story was leading me to. Well, it was a nice surprise, but a little bit too long dragged. So, I decreased the number of stars by one. Usually I cannot resist giving five stars to this series.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book it was funny but there was no baby only in the boys dream.

[Gabbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok

[miketif celey]

he finds his mother is pregnant and he gets really mad because he have to share rooms with the baby

[Tori]

I read this

[Yasuko · Rating 2 out of 5]

2012.1.8 25310words

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed. Hank keeps telling himself that he is worthless and I just couldn't

[Debra Hahn]

a new kid in the family

Sometimes it’s hard when a new baby comes into a family. There is
one sure fact ,there’s always room for one more! Room and love.
A wonderful book on how one older brother to be thought up of a way to prepare him for it. Crazy things happen, no time to rest because of all the Zaniest twists and turns. Find out by reading your copy. I bet you won’t regret it.
Debra H.

[Anna Salvesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books!

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

cool and fun to read

It was entertaining and I like how hank kind of kept a good attitude and then he found out that he was going to have a baby brother

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as funny as the other Hank Zipzer books but a cute and unique storyline that has a cliffhanger of sorts, but I'm sure it will be resolved in the next few books. I love this series so much

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was, again, pleasantly engaged with yet another cute installment in the Hank Zipzer chronicles. In this book, Hank learns of the ways in which he can entertain himself in the world while learning to adapt with having yet another major change coming in his life. Hank is disappointed when it seems as if all his friends and family have lost interest in his upcoming birthday, a scenario that most, if not all of us, can relate to at some point as a child (mine was always getting commandeered by Christmas). However, Hank takes it upon himself to make the most of his adjustment into not only his upcoming major family changes, but also attempting to skate around his own internal disappointment, by engineering his own birthday celebration with his new pal, his pet tarantula. Of course, both his naïveté and learning challenges/attentional issues come into play again, as is the theme in all Zipzer books, that cause problems for him that are also, subsequently, opportunities for learning more about himself. I like that, in the end, his family and friends come to show him that he has a unique value in their lives that cannot be replaced, a reference to how his unique abilities and differences also make him hold equal importance in families with children struggling to understand their own differences in learning, adapting, and understanding the world. Wrapped up in the silliness of the circumstances created by Hank is the desire for him to feel loved and held by those he cares about. I believe this message is communicated well in this story, and find a nice conclusion in that things can, and often do, end up well for him. However, I gave 3 stars because I wasn't as pulled in by this story; there were more elements of the unbelievable here, such as a pizza parlor owner taking pity on him and allowing for a child to 1) eat alone in a busy New York restaurant and 2) have his pet tarantula with him. Also, why didn't his grandpa check with his parents as to whether he could have a pet tarantula in the first place before buying it for him? More of the adult decisions in this story irked me than anything else, although this is pretty typical of kiddos experiencing their own lives in adults with poor decision making skills or having major oversight. But hey, they are human, too. I am looking forward to Book 14 in this series and continuing on my way through the Hank Zipzer saga.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was really fun i liked the name ashweena.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great series.