Name: Horrible Harry and the Green Slime
ISBN: 9780140389708

Suzy Kline

Follows the school activities of second-graders, Harry and Doug, as they participate in a secret mission to celebrate "Charlotte's Web," learn how to make green slime, and put on a skit warning about the dangers of smoking.

Horrible Harry and the Green Slime

Sarah Sammis

Although my brother would have been young enough to read the Horrible Harry series when they were new, I don't remember him reading them. I was too old for them at the time and was going through my "no kids books!" phase.

That being said, I know nothing about the Horrible Harry series except for having heard the titles rattled off by parents who are torn between being glad their kids are reading and worried about what they are reading. Horrible Harry and the Green Slime is a chapter book that covers a number of Harry's "horrible" ideas that end up making for an interesting day at school.

The green slime ends up being a typical kitchen science experiment combing water, corn starch and green food coloring. It's really not that horrible.

There is a Charlotte's Web inspired decoration of the school. Harry decides his class should design spider webs to hang every where. Again at first the idea is frowned upon but when it's tied to a book everyone gets behind the project, even the grumpy principal.

The book reminds me most of the more recent Junie B. Jones, First Grader except that Harry is a grade or two ahead of Junie B. They share a similar odd ball approach to school, although Harry seems more mature for his age than Junie B. does at her worst. I think I have another Horrible Harry book somewhere in my collection, although how I got them, I'm not sure. I think I'll give it a read when I find it.