The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
Publisher:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format:   Hardcover
Number of pages:  320
Source:  Media Matters in exchange for an honest review
Published:  June 1st, 2024

Opening Line:  "My name is Hank Hooperman, but my little sister calls me Pooperman."  

Eleven-year-old Hank Hooperman was in the mists of trying to potty train his three-year-old sister, Boo when the apartment manager comes banging on the door.  Hank's mom is six months behind on the rent and they're about to get evicted.  It's been a week since Hank has seen his mom.  A week of cutting school to take care of Boo and trying to keep them both fed.  They can't even go to Grandma Mae's house anymore because she passed away last year.  What will they do after tomorrow for a home?

Then Hank notices a familiar name under emergency contact on his permission slip for his field trip at school, Lou Ann Adler.  The name rings a bell as being one of Grandma's friends.  Hank is really worried that he's making a mistake, but with no other options, he takes the bus pass that he found in the apartment and his sister and heads out in search of Lou Ann.  Four hours later he arrives at her door.  Lou Ann is a little surprised by the unexpected company, but still offers to take them and contacts Social Services to have them try and track down Hank's mom.  

Meanwhile, Boo is set up in Lou Ann's daycare and Hank starts to attend a local school.  Hank meets their neighbor, Ray and his sister Celia who works with Lou Ann.  Ray offers to help Hank in following some leads on his mom and takes him to their apartment to pick up a few things.  Ray and Hank form a sort of bond, which comes in handy because Lou Ann isn't fond of teenagers, although Hank is only eleven, and Ray acts as a go between the two.  Hank begins to make some friends at school and even is chosen to try out for the basketball team.  A pretty girl, Ana even shows an interest in him by inviting him to her birthday party.  But then Hank gets unsettling news about Boo's dad maybe adopting her and find's out where their mom has been this whole time.  Even worse their mom shows up at school wanting to take them both to Arizona and Hank makes the ultimate mistake in getting in the car with her.  Hank realizes his mistake too late and ends up angering Lou Ann who proceeds to push Hank into foster care.  How will Hank be able to look after his younger sister now?  Can he regain the trust that he broke with Lou Ann, and will his mother ever find the help that she needs?

Hank is such a good kid with a big heart.  He's resolved in trying to keep him and his younger sister together.  He puts a lot of faith in his mother and that there has to be an explanation for why she's been gone for so long.  Sometimes he made a lot of excuses for her, but it's very plausible a kid would feel this way about their mom.  He searches all of her favorite haunts and follows up with all of her friends and coworkers.  Following every possible clue as to where she is.  The love and caring that he shows to his mom and younger sister are so heartwarming.  Now their mom, it was harder to get a feel for her, other than being so upset with how she treated her kids.  She was already absent at the beginning of the story, and aside from some of Hank's early happy memories of her you don't really get a sense of who she is and why she was gone for so long.  Some of her friends and Lou Ann allude to her having problems, possibly alcohol or drug use, but Hank is convinced that she's just busy.  It isn't until she reappears that my fear ramped up for Boo and Hank.  Luckily, things quickly began to improve for them.

At first, I wasn't very fond of how Lou Ann made Hank feel like he was walking on eggshells around her.  He tries to make her happy by doing chores without even being asked and keeping an eye on Boo.  But Lou Ann makes him feel like he's a nuisance, and he doesn't understand why she want's Boo to learn to cope with being separated from him.  Once her reasons were explained, you get a better picture of why she acted the way that she did.  Eventually, they all come together, and Hank and Boo find a beautiful place in their new supportive, found family.  Hank is able to fix his mistakes, and the story has an ending that is hopeful for the sibling's future.  A truly compelling read that had me reading way to late in the night but was well worth it for that ending.   

**Congratulations to Gennifer Choldenko on her release of The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman and a huge thank you to Media Masters for the hardcover copy for review.**