The Case of the Vanishing Fishhook

Hank the Cowdog #31

by John R. Erickson, Gerald L. Holmes (Illustrator)

For starters, he's the star of the hilarious, best-selling series that USA Today calls "the best family entertainment in years." He's also a tough-talking, big-hearted, West Texan cowdog whose position as Head of Ranch Security consistently lands him in all kinds of amusing trouble. Even after an exhausting morning defending the ranch, Hank still has energy left for a fishing trip. But what starts as a routine expedition turns into a first-class crisis when Hank reels in more than he bargained for. A fishhook finds its way into Hank's stomach, which is just about the worst news a dog can hear. Is there hope for Hank, or is it curtains for everyone's favorite cowdog?

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Animals, Young Adult, Mystery, 20th Century, Adventure

144 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

John R. Erickson, a former cowboy and ranch manager, is gifted with a storyteller's knack for spinning a yarn. Through the eyes of Hank the Cowdog, a smelly, smart-aleck Head of Ranch Security, Erickson gives readers a glimpse of daily life on a ranch in the West Texas Panhandle. This series of books and tapes is in school libraries across the country, has sold more than 7.6 million copies, is a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and is the winner of the 1993 Audie for Outstanding Children's Series from the Audio Publisher's Association. Publishers Weekly calls Hank a "grassroots publishing phenomena," and USA Today says this is "the best family entertainment in years."

Hank the Cowdog made his debut in the pages of The Cattleman, a magazine for adults, and when Erickson started getting "Dear Hank" letters, he knew he was onto something. So in 1983, he self-published 2,000 copies of The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog, and they sold out in 6 weeks.

When teachers began inviting Erickson to their schools, Hank found his most eager fans. Teachers, librarians, and students alike love Hank. According to some Texas Library Association surveys, the Hank the Cowdog books are the most popular selections in many libraries' children's sections. The lively characters make excellent material for reading and writing lessons, and turn even the most reluctant readers into avid Hank-fans.

Erickson was born in Midland, Texas, but by the age of 3, he had moved with his family to Perryton, Texas, where he and his wife live today on their working cattle ranch. They have 3 grown children and 4 grandchildren. His advice to young writers is, "Write about something you know. Try to leave your readers better off than they were before."

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not think I've marked all of these that we've read, but we do love good ol' Hank and Drover. We've read well over 30 of these. I would have named our little hound, Drover, if he hadn't already had a name when we adopted him. These are formula books.. but they are fun reads. Erickson really gets in the mind of dogs and if you own dogs you can recognize your dog in Hank and Drover. I recommend any of these as read-alouds and there are a BUNCH of them in the series.

[Norman Styers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Hank stories are animal-centric, but this one was mostly about the humans on his ranch, with just a couple of animal characters thrown in (Drover, and briefly Pete). A series of funny vignettes.

[Chris B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved these books as a kid! This is my first in probably.. 25 years lol - I’m so glad to now read them to my kid!! Our first of many 🐕

[SSM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh hank! Swallowed a fishhook!!

[Merceda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hank shouldn't eat the liver that Albert was using for fish bait. Of course, he did, and he swallowed the hook. Then Slim fed him tons of dish soap to try and get him to puke the liver and fish hook back out. And Hank wasn't puking, even after Slim grabbed him up and swung him around and around and around. But then Slim puked. Finally, Hank puked up the liver and fish hook, and all was much better. But Sally Mae told Albert never ever go fishing again!

[Kristin Arens · Rating 1 out of 5]

Because I had no other crime and mystery books in my house, I had to read Hank the Cowdog. I hadn't ever read on of these books before, and now that I have, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have liked them when I was little either. It was written for children, though, so that could also be why I didn't enjoy it at all. I felt that there was a lot of unnecessary comments that didn't really add to the book itself, and the mystery part of it was very short-lived.

[Darryl Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read pretty much this entire series years ago after I descovered them in my elementary school libary. The plot, and characters are great. Plus these books are extremly funny. I loved this series then and I still love it.

[Brianna Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was probably my favorite of the Hank the Cowdog books that I've read, though "Tuerto, the One-Eyed Killer Stud Horse is a close second. I laughed so hard at their efforts to rid poor Hank of that fish hook. Hank is troublesome yet lovable.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a particularly big fan of Hank the Cowdog. This one is about average as they go. Hank always seems to get himself into trouble.

If you enjoy Hank, Slim, Pete, and the other human characters, you will enjoy this book as well.

[TransparentFilter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we reread this series I have to say, this one was really good.

[Katlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

FUNNY. GOOD FOR YOUNGER KIDS.