Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise

Horrible Harry #5

by Suzy Kline

Horrible Harry and the other second graders prepare for Christmas as the school principal, Mr. Cardini, plays the part of Mother Goose in their Christmas skit, and Harry tries to find a gift for their teacher, Miss Mackle

Genres: Christmas, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Humor, Middle Grade, Contemporary

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

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

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horrible Harry and his classmates in room 2b are shocked when Miss Mackle's reading chair breaks, and she falls to the floor. Doug tells the rest of the adventure, how Mr. Cardini, the school principal, fills in while Miss Mackie heals at the hospital. Harry takes Miss Mackle a gift to the hospitial, but the girls in the class try to stop him until they see the present. The class sings carols outside of Miss Mackle's hospital window.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun Christmas installment, and of course Harry isn't as "horrible" as everyone thinks he is.

[Tobias Stallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like horrible Harry because he is so nice and fixed somthing for his teacher

[Lara]

Jason says, "I like how the teacher got a big Christmas surprise."

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep trying these, thinking I'll like the aesthetic but when they're not super boring, they're very problematic. This one is very problematic.

[Andrew J · Rating 5 out of 5]

ated. Miss Markle has a comical, though most unfortunate, accident involving a wooden rocker in her room while she's trying to read her second-grade class, "The Night Before Christmas." Krikkity krikk goes the chair before it suddenly breaks, sending her flying backward. Momentarily shaken, she eventually gets up and limps to her desk. The following morning, she is in the emergency room which unfortunately is on such short notice that Principal Cardini has to step in as her substitute. 'Horrible sounds' is the first story, but really is part of the theme throughout the 55 pages. When 'Mr. Cardini takes over,' the reader sees that Miss Markle's unfortunate (comical) accident had horrible timing: they are supposed to do several skits with Miss Markle portraying Mother Goose. Eventually, 'Harry stays after school' because he chased after fellow student Song Lee while trying to practice their kiss. In detention, he learns he was only supposed to pantomime the kiss. Thankfully, Song Lee's parents were not childish and did not phone the police or file a lawsuit over this innocent and amusing little indiscretion. Finally, 'The Horrible Christmas gift' needs to be delivered to Miss Markle at the hospital.

I really thought this was the cutest one so far and it's the best in the series so far. 5 stars.

[paige turner ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise is a cute little Christmas story about how their teacher has to spend her holidays in the hospital because her reading chair broke while she was reading the class The Night Before Christmas.

It's cute; Harry shows that he has some genuine feelings for his teacher. The present he gives her is thoughtful and adorable. I wish we were able to see her reaction to it.

Mary, as usual, is annoying and tries to ruin everything, but she finally sees Harry's present and decides that it's not that bad after all.

The book was kind of all over the place. I feel like a lot of the things in the story didn't add to it in a good way, it just made it a little awkward, and I think the lack of context hurt the story more. It could have been an adorable story about Christmas and all the cute little lessons that you usually get from a Christmas story, but they weren't there.

So it was just okay.

[Pooja Banga · Rating 3 out of 5]

One thing that I have loved in this series is character of Harry ..He is very funny ..No one can be seriously sad around him ..
Writing style is good ..Suzy Kline has written it in a perfect way keeping in mind children ..
She has also tried to inculcate as many
pictures as she could ..It is good to see that it is loved and appreciated by all especially children ..
Storyline-It's Christmastime, but with Miss Mackle in the hospital, no one feels much like celebrating. Maybe Harry can think of a way to cheer up Miss Mackle and put the holiday spirit back in Room 2B.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent book, but we haven't read others in the horrible harry series so I don't know why he's considered horrible because he seemed pretty sweet in this book. The book follows his class as their teacher falls out of her chair and ends up tearing a ligament in her knee, thus taking her out of school during the holidays. The principal is their sub and they are just worried about their teacher.

[Maggie Panning · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was fine and we had a few laughs, but the title is super misleading (Harry isn't horrible at all). I definitely have zero desire to read any of the other books in this series. If this is all you have available, read it, it is cute enough, but there are a lot of kids' books out there that are way, way better.

[McKenzie Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very easy read. There are only four chapters, each of which are pretty short.
This book was okay. It is the first Horrible Harry book I have read.
It was cute and the writing was simple. I did like the ending, but overall it wasn't a very interesting read for me.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick little holiday audiobook. 30 minutes. Wonderful ending.
I don’t typically like “horrible Harry” kind of books because I hate name calling of any kind. The story had some redemptive qualities.

[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.

Such good kids. Very heartwarming story; great for the winter holiday season.

[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!

[margeaux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has not aged well. The whole “kissed the girls and made them cry” bit made me so uncomfortable. Literally recycling this book instead of donating it, because it does not need to be read anymore. Sorry, Harry.

[Galion Public Library Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by K.F.: "I love this book a lot. The Horrible Harry series are amazing. It was great how the class made Miss Mackle feel better."

[Darshit]

Good

[Jennie Geiman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third grade approved.

[Malinda Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas time and showing love to their teacher.

[Lorri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute! Read with Tatum

[Ashley Ewert · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a favorite series as a child reading prompt...used to love these, but adult me did not haha.

[Shelbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horrible Harry books have always been some of my favorite short chapter books! In this book he makes a big mistake and he chooses to fix the mistake. He shows responsibility for his own actions! I like this book!

[Stacie Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute read that showed the sensitive side of Harry and how kind he can be.

[ProfCurrier]

Morgan Bachus

This was a very cute book that had a lot of things in it that a teacher could talk about with the students. The main thing I think is how to be a good person, how to treat others when they are not feeling well. It shows how a class can come together to help out someone when they are in need. It was so cute that they class wanted to come together to do something nice for their teacher. This book could also be used to teach the sequence of events because there were a lot of different things that happened to lead up to the ending. Character traits and interactions can also be taught from this book because the girls did not like Harry and thought he was giving the teacher a horrible gift but then when they saw what it was, they actually thought it was a great idea and they felt bad that they doubted him.

[Kelly Thevenot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horrible Harry and the Christmas Surprise would be a great chapter book for a second grade level. The student's like their teacher and everything is going great until she gets seriously injured because her chair broke. The children are worried that their Christmas fun festivities will be ruined because their teacher wont be their to celebrate. This book shows love and compassion when the children visit their teacher at the hospital because they are worried about her and they let her know that she is deeply missed. This would be a great book for young children beginning to read chapter books. The words are easy to read and the children would be able to follow along.

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me remember what it was like in elementary school. The kids in classroom 2B like their Ms. Mackle very very much. Ms. Mackle’s chair breaks when she is reading a story to the kids. She broke a ligament and had to stay in the hospital. Horrible Harry makes a beautiful gift for Ms. Mackle. The theme of the book is in many ways about gratitude. Suzy Kline uses words to describe sounds that brought nice rhythm to parts of the story. The pictures by Frank Remkiewicz were a great companion to the story; they were amusing and well sketched. It was very easy read; a good book for beginning readers.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh man. Reading this book took me back in time. I loved Horrible Harry books-he's always up to something! This book showcases Harry's kind heart and loving spirit. It's really tender. There are also some hilarious parts, such as when Harry writes an apology note to a fellow student. Set during the holidays, this would make a fun read-aloud in the last week before winter break, when students are ready for a break from school!

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was an easy read and understandable, but I didn't like how they called this boy and all his ideas horrible. I feel that this allows students to think they can name call because its in a book. I think this book would be enjoyable for the students because its funny and you could make predictions, but I don't know how good it would be for a mentor text. I am still debating whether or not I want this in my library.

[Sandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun story that could be used with younger elementary students around the holiday season. It would be a good read aloud or just good to have on hand for students to read during reading workshop. The story is about a student trying to keep the spirits up during the holiday season when their teacher is in the hospital.

[Katie Nanney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Horrible Harry book was very sweet. I liked the illustrations and the story. I liked that the students rally together to help their teacher feel better after an accident. It shows the children teamwork and how important your teacher is. I think the book would make a good intermediate level reader for 1st-3rd grade.