Niagra Falls, Or Does It?
Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever Series
Author: Henry Winkler
Author: Lin Oliver
Illustrator: Jesse Joshua Watson
Book 1 in the Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever series
Pages: 144
Published: 2003
Age: 7+
For Hank, fourth grade does not start out on the right foot. First of all, he gets called to the principal's office on the very first day of school. Then the first assignment his teacher gives him is to write five paragraphs on "What You Did This Summer." Hank is terrified - writing one good sentence is hard for him, so how in the world is he going to write five whole paragraphs?
Hank comes up with a plan: instead of writing what he did on vacation, he'll show what he did. But when Hank's "living essay" becomes a living disaster, he finds himself in detention. Strangely enough, however, detention ends up becoming a turning point in his life.
About the Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever Series
Books in series order
- 1.Niagra Falls, Or Does It?(2003)
- 2.I Got a "D" in Salami(2003)
- 3.Day of the Iguana(2003)
- 4.The Zippity Zinger(2003)
- 5.The Night I Flunked My Field Trip(2004)
- 6.Holy Enchilada!(2004)
- 7.Help! Somebody Get Me Out of Fourth Grade!(2004)
- 8.Summer School! What Genius Though That Up?(2005)
- 9.My Secret Life as a Ping-Pong Wizard(2005)
- 10.My Dog's a Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Tail(2006)
- 11.The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down(2007)
- 12.Barfing in the Backseat: How I Survived My Family Road Trip(2007)
- 13.Who Ordered this Baby? Definitely Not Me!(2007)
- 14.The Life of Me (Enter at Your Own Risk)(2008)
- 15.A Tale of Two Tails(2008)
- 16.Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I'm on My Way, Mom!(2009)
- 17.A Brand-New Me!(2010)
Reading age: 8+ years
Hank Zipzer wants to be number one, not the one who always gets it wrong. Hank Zipzer's report is due, and he's dreading it. Then he gets his grades and they are his worst nightmare come true: straight Ds. His parents are not going to be happy. Hank needs help. And he needs it fast.
Inspired by Henry Winkler's true life experiences of growing up with dyslexia, this popular children's series about the world's greatest underachiever is funny, touching, and deals with learning differences in a gentle and humorous manner.

