Horrible Harry at Halloween

Horrible Harry #12

by Suzy Kline, Frank Remkiewicz (Illustrations)

Horrible Harry and his classmates all love Halloween. Everyone wears a costume to school-even Miss Mackle. Every Halloween Harry shocks his classmates with his scary costume. In kindergarten he was a bloody Count Dracula, in first grade he was the Loch Ness Monster, and in second grade he was a slithering snake. So everyone in Room 3B can't wait to see what Harry is going to be this year-and they're in for a really big surprise!

"Fans will welcome the characters . . . #and the# classroom, where learning is as much fun as the tricks and treats!" ( Booklist )

Genres: Childrens, Halloween, Chapter Books, Fiction, School, Holiday, Contemporary

64 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2000

About the author

Suzy Kline, nee Weaver, was an elementary school teacher for 25 years and most of her books are based on the experiences she had while teaching. Suzy and Rufus got married and had two daughters named Jennifer and Emily. Now, more than 24 years after writing her first book, Suzy has traveled all over the United States helping children learn how to enjoy reading and writing.

Reviews

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another revisit for me. I'm happy to say I still have my exact copy that I originally ordered from the Scholastic book orders in third grade, so rereading this felt extra special. What can I say, it's a Horrible Harry book for third and fourth graders. Just a cute little Halloween story that reminded me of the excitement I felt for my school Halloween parties.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Horrible Harry series by Suzy Kline and Frank Remkiewicz. We've read several of these stories (mostly out of order) and we found them to be funny, short, and entertaining. So we decided to start reading the series from the beginning.

This Halloween-themed story shows Harry's more creative side, as he comes to school in a costume that is neither horrible nor scary. I like that the teacher uses the children's costumes to teach a lesson on classification and making a table of the different types of costumes. She also has the children estimate the number of seeds in different size pumpkins, which remined us of the story How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?. Also, a few different water experiments were depicted, which our girls loved. We enjoyed reading this story and I expect we'll be visiting with Horrible Harry again very soon.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book because I remember reading other Horrible Harry stories in grade school, but don't remember what they were about. I liked the book, it would be excellent to have in a second grade room for reading. The book was peppered with vocabulary terms and little facts that are a good side effect- reading for enjoyment and learning at the same time. It was kind of old fashioned, women and mens' roles were very traditional and defined and celebrating Halloween in school just doesn't happen anymore.

[Theo kids · Rating 3 out of 5]

For all the horrible Harry books: Harry and his pal Doug are believable, clever and fun to read! Doug is sometimes Harry's conscience, and sometimes his cohort, but always, always his friend. I enjoy reading about their escapades and the lessons they learn along the way. Give them a try!

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What will Horrible Harry be for Halloween?

I liked this one as I got a better look at the other kids in the class for a change. It's nice to get to know everyone else. And I enjoyed the costumes and waiting to see what Harry would come up with. It's certainly surprising!

[Eadie Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute Halloween book you can read to your children. I listened to the audio and it was very enjoyable. Here's a description of the book:
Horrible Harry and his classmates all love Halloween. Everyone wears a costume to school-even Miss Mackle. Every Halloween Harry shocks his classmates with his scary costume. In kindergarten he was a bloody Count Dracula, in first grade he was the Loch Ness Monster, and in second grade he was a slithering snake. So everyone in Room 3B can't wait to see what Harry is going to be this year-and they're in for a really big surprise! I would recommend this book to those who love Halloween stories.

[Emily Lorié]

A fun pre-Halloween read aloud with my kiddos. 🎃

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this might be good to read to my sixth graders on Halloween, but nope. Boring as heck and pretty gross actually. No thanks.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horrible Harry books are often hit or miss with me, but I thought that this one was a very cute edition to my Halloween book collection. It even included lots of classroom holiday ideas. For a children's holiday story book, it is most definitely a good one, and certainly one of the best Horrible Harry Books I have read so far.

*** 3 STARS ***

[Mustang · Rating 3 out of 5]

i did not think that harry was going to be that!

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review taken from Booklist.

Horrible Harry and his classmates all love Halloween. Everyone wears a costume to school-even Miss Mackle. Every Halloween Harry shocks his classmates with his scary costume. In kindergarten he was a bloody Count Dracula, in first grade he was the Loch Ness Monster, and in second grade he was a slithering snake. So everyone in Room 3B can't wait to see what Harry is going to be this year-and they're in for a really big surprise!

I think a fun activity would be to have the students dress up in costumes around halloween time and read this book. I may also have the students paint their costume or dream costume.

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Halloween.

I also really love Halloween themed books. I think that's why I keep reading Goosebumps books and Bailey School Kids books to my kids. I hope they're going to love them as much as I do.

I expected Harry to have a spooky costume for Halloween; I liked the fact that it wasn't scary, it was well thought out. It makes sense too, Harry has a thing with detectives and such, so I think it was a pretty good idea for a costume.

Plus, there was a mystery to solve and having the second-best detective around is quite handy.

[Dope Ghost Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

You see, this children's book is a banger on many levels, the problem is and why it's dropped a star simply has to do with the plot being limited to the classroom and at school. I mean, that's kind of the point for the Horrible Harry books anyway hence the composition notebook artwork on the covers. But there are some severely lacking Halloween activities like trick-or-treating and scares all thanks to it being set at an elementary school. Still nostalgic.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

What will Harry be for Halloween? Read to 1st and 2nd grades. Beginning reader, chapter book. Good vocabulary and defined characters. Harry is usually something scary for Halloween. But this year he comes as a detective and helps solve a mystery. The kids I was reading to did not get the humor of him acting like Joe Friday from Dragnet but older adults would.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am revisiting childhood favorites for the holidays this year and this was one I was excited for, only because I wasn’t aloud to read this growing up. My mom said that “Harry was too obnoxious” and I’m kind of sad that I now agree with her. It was a fun, spooky, quick read for me now, but I wouldn’t encourage kids to read it with how frustrating Harry is 😅

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

What will Harry be for Halloween this year? In the past, it has always been something shocking and all the students are anxious to see what he chooses this year. But his choice surprises everyone, including the teacher.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Halloween Harry plays tricks on his classmates and dresses up as something scary or gross or both. He's been Count Dracula, a slimy snake and even the Loch Ness Monster. Everyone in Room 3B is waiting to see what Harry will be this year--and they're all in for a really big surprise!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like this series, and have decided to read a bunch of 'em, since my library has them and they are short. I'm reserving the fourth star for the most special ones, but even the three star ones are worthwhile.

I really liked the costume ideas.

[Joy Keil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of a large series of fun stories following the antics of Doug, Harry and their friends through 2nd and 3rd grades. Excellent to listen to (available on Hoopla), and usually around 30-45 min, these are enjoyable for kids and adults alike. I highly recommend for your next car ride!

[James Greening · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is a great children's book! I love the illustrations, but what made this story stand out is the actual story itself. Covering just a few simple chapters, this story builds suspense, has great characters, and took me directly back to my elementary years. Bravo, Ms. Kline!

[Jc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harry loves Halloween so much. What fun and excitement will he and his classmates get into this year?

[Carolyn Stow]

A cute little book for children.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to my daughter. It had short chapters, cute book. Not the best but I've read a lot worse - from the book fair.

[Trevor Ames · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was going to be way, way worse than this. Surprised me in a good way.

[Savani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointed that it wasn’t spooky seeing as it was a halloween book. Did see a different side of Harry though.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

do not understand what Harry did to deserve being called horrible

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute children's book about Halloween I highly recommend teachers sharing it in their classroom

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun holiday story, and of course Harry has to subvert expectations.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read aloud with my boys

[Pooja Banga · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horrible Harry and his classmates all love Halloween. Everyone wears a costume to school-even Miss Mackle. Every Halloween Harry shocks his classmates with his scary costume. In kindergarten he was a bloody Count Dracula, in first grade he was the Loch Ness Monster, and in second grade he was a slithering snake. So everyone in Room 3B can't wait to see what Harry is going to be this year-and they're in for a really big surprise!

"Fans will welcome the characters . . . #and the# classroom, where learning is as much fun as the tricks and treats!" (Booklist)