Kline, Suzy. Horrible Harry and the Scarlet Scissors. New York: New York, Penguin Young Readers Group, 2012
Characters: Harry, Doug, Mary
Setting: South School Elementary, snow region
Theme: Friendship, art, different point of views
Genre: Children’s humorous realistic fiction
Golden Quote: “There is still something missing”
Summary: This chapter book is about three friends in a fifth grade class being introduced to art and an art teacher. The story is told through Doug’s perspective since he enjoys writing stories about his friend. Harry is a care free fifth grader whom most classmates see him as eccentric and boarder line annoying. Mary is a very competitive girl who knows exactly what she wants. The new art teacher, Mrs. Matalata is attempting to introduce the fifth graders to art and tells them that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” To promote the new art program at South School Elementary, the local news station has decided to host an art competition where one poster will be featured on their news program. The accounts in this book discuss how the students come to a decision on what they would like to draw and it also describes the struggles the students went through to complete their poster. At the end of the competition Harry is determined to be the winner and Mary throws a tantrum. She is so upset that she takes a pair of scarlet colored scissors and stabs two holes in Harry’s poster. In the end, Harry forgives her and the two end up becoming good friends.
Audience: 3rd to 4th Grade
Curriculum: Art, friendship, forgiveness
Personal Response: The story is written in a way that the reader feels as though these events could take place in their own school. As a result of this, the book can provide a very engaging environment for the young readers. The story is very moralistic, hitting a few key concepts: friendship, art, forgiveness and having a positive outlook. Harry is a very care free and optimistic individual, while Mary is an uptight know-it-all. However, when Mary pokes holes in Harry’s work due to her jealousy, Harry simply uses those holes to incorporate it into his poster. Mary expresses how sorry she is for her shameful action, but Harry understands that she did it in the heat of the moment, and as Mary grows, she will be able to control those outbursts better. This is a perfect book to show kids that even though someone could ruin something you have worked very hard on, if you keep an optimistic view, you could turn that to work toward your own benefit. I especially like that the author shows that two people who did not like one another and have gone through some rough and hurtful experiences can still be friends.