This has been my favorite Henry Huggins book yet. Of course, Henry overlaps with the Ramona series. She’s his pesky little neighbor. And in this book, the two of them certainly clash!Henry obtained a paper route in the last book. In this installment, his after-school job is funding his building project – a clubhouse that he and his two best friends are building in his backyard. Male friends, because of the “no girls allowed” rule. Yet, Henry feels badly for Beezus, who isn’t so bad as girls go, and whose feelings have been hurt. Enter Ramona who locks Henry in his own clubhouse and won’t let him out until he teaches her the secret boys-only password! And she causes no end of trouble on his paper route. Even Henry’s best ideas to get rid of her backfire. But if it weren’t for Ramona, Henry wouldn’t have gotten his name in the paper…I love the innocence of Cleary’s books. They’re perfect read-alouds for six- to nine-year olds. The simple thrills of childhood – like building a clubhouse and sleeping in it in your very own sleeping bag – are just as fun for young kids now as they were in the last century. And the books are full of positive messages. Consider this clip from the final chapter:“‘Henry, I’m proud of you!” said Mr. Huggins. “I don’t care how much snow there is. I’m going right out and buy half a dozen papers so we can send copies of this (article) to your relatives.’‘Gee, thanks, Dad,” said Henry modestly. He had waited a long time to hear his father say he was proud of him.‘I’ll admit that when you took on the route and then got mixed up in building a clubhouse, I didn’t think you could handle it, but you’ve done a good job,’ said Mr. Huggins.Henry was pleased and at the same time a little embarrassed by this praise from his father.”There you have it. Responsibility, pride in one’s work, friends, family and a kid-pleasing story. Is there any wonder why I love these books?
I read this out loud to my 6-year-old son and my 4-year old daughter occasionally listened, but wasn't as enthralled by it as some others we have read. My son did pay attention, but I felt he also wasn't as interested as others. I think this is a book for a very confident young reader, as the entire book was only 6 chapters long and each chapter was about 30+ pages - much too long for a reader new to chapter books. This was not a page-turner, in that each chapter sort of had its own plot that wrapped up by the end. I wish I had known this was #5 in a series that we had only read #1 of. I just picked another one with Henry in the title by Cleary, that the library had at the time. I also have "Henry and Ribsy", which we are going to read next, but if it's no better than this one, we probably won't read any more "Henry books".
What do You think about Henry And The Clubhouse (2014)?
I was planning to give this four stars, but by the end of the book, I loved it so much that I decided to give it five stars. I knew there was a reason Beverly Cleary was my favorite author when I was kid. It is not actually not that much about the clubhouse--it is more about the paper route and dealing with Beezus and Ramona. I just love Henry's resourcefulness and can-do attitude.Some things will seem outdated but hey, it was written in 1962. Back in the days when it was actually conceivable than an adult would allow a kid to ride in a bathtub tied to a trailer. EDITTED TO ADD: I miss the old illustrations. However, I can understand why they decided to update the illustrations. BUT!!!!!!!! Why, oh, why is it stil an all-white world that Henry lives in? There is nothing in Cleary's books that say all the characters are white. It just doesn't make sense.
—Kirei
O wonderful Henry Huggins! O more wonderful to find this chapter in his adventures, to me half-forgotten probably because the local library doesn't carry it. Henry rides down the middle of town in an old bathtub, dressed up as an Indian for Halloween, makes friends with Mrs. Peabody and even her Dalmatian Ranger, and builds a clubhouse out of old boards from a garage. The episode with Sheriff Bud is very entertaining, if a little bit dated; dated in a charming kind of way, like saddle shoes and old records. This is Henry's last hurrah; the next book would be "Ramona the Pest," and Henry faded into the background. Henry Huggins was a children's book character of the finest caliber, in the tradition of Carolyn Haywood's Eddie, depicting what little boys' growing up should be like.
—Anne
Once again, the Henry Huggins books make me nostalgic for a time I never knew.My 4yo, who's in a "No Girls Allowed" phase, really appreciated the clubhouse rules, and all of us laughed out loud at Henry's solution to Ramona bothering him on his paper route. I love how Cleary follows her characters on the circuitous route towards doing the right thing. We get to see Henry's initial reaction to a problem, his frustration, his decision to act in a less-than-nice manner, his reluctance to apologize, and his acknowledgement that the apology---though difficult---helped him feel better. Cleary's books are filled with ethical lessons that aren't at all heavy-handed. And they're just fun stories. I will be sad when we're finished with this series.
—Charity
