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What's the difference between chapter books and middle grades?  

It's not just a matter of using fewer words when you write for the earliest readers.

This newly published series from Sourcebooks has been a publishing sensation in the U.K. for some time with almost 12 million copies sold to date. Each of the first four chapter books features four self-contained stories about the same group of characters.

Horrid Henry lives up to his name. He is a most unpleasant child. However, as an anti-hero, he provides outrageous fun for children and a continuing object lesson for parents as he is everything you would hate your own child to be.

As he plans and schemes to make fools of his family and friends, Horrid Henry gets into a series of scrapes that seven- and eight-year old boys (in particular) will revel in.

Most of the character development of the supporting cast is telegraphed in the character's name. Perfect Peter is Henry's do-good brother. Moody Margaret is the bothersome girl next store. Bossy Bill, Clever Clare, Rude Ralph, and Greedy Graham are his fellow students in Miss Battle Axe's classroom. All of these children play signature roles in Henry's adventures.


Horrid Henry is Dennis the Menace 40 years later and on steroids. His behavior is so bad that even though children enjoy his mischief, they know it's fiction and not real. However, knowing that no child could ever really be this bad, doesn't detract from their fun one bit.

The award-winning author, Francesca Simon, is a transplanted American living in London where these books first found an audience. There are additional adventures to come and there is even an official UK Horrid Henry website which may spawn an American version at some point. Both of these websites offer insights into Henry and his creator.

It's difficult to imagine the books without the clever drawings of illustrator Tony Ross. He has done a marvelous job of capturing the personalities of the characters in simple pen and ink renderings.

If you think I might be exaggerating Henry's unpleasant personality, let me just say that there is a reason Horrid Henry is billed as the "world's most mischievous child"!