Niagara Falls, or Does It? (Hank Zipzer #1) by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Date of Publication: 2003 ISBN: 0448431629 Number of Pages: 133

REQUIRED READING ABILITY:Junior: Average
GENRES: Realism
THEMES : Family – Appearance versus Reality – Prejudice – Coming of Age

SUMMARY:
Hank Zipzer always experiences difficulty in school. He tries his hardest but things never go the way he plans. When his teacher asks the class to write an essay on "What I did on my summer vacation," Hank decides to be unique and build a model of Niagara Falls instead of writing (an area with which he always has difficulty). This lands Hank in trouble at home and at school. Will his crazy knack for trouble be the end of him, or will he figure out a way to turn trouble into triumph?

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- enjoys humourous school stories
- likes to root for the underdog
- likes realistic fiction
- enjoys characters who are easy to relate to
- likes stories of friendship
- has trouble reading and writing
- is a class clown
- is in a special class

WHAT ELSE?
This is the first book in the series of Hank Zipzer books. Hank has a learning disability, and in this book, he makes reference to being tested, but the rest of the details don’t come out until later novels. The author, Henry Winkler (the actor and director), also has a learning disability himself, so his personal success makes the story even more appealing.

RELATED LINK:
For more information, check out www.hankzipzer.com .