by Suzy Kline
Mohammed put two thumbs up.
And I smiled back. Then I thought to myself, maybe . . . I could write stories about Harry this summer. I could start from the very beginning with second grade. . . .
Acknowledgments
It’s hard to believe that Harry has been in second and third grade now for thirty years . . . and that the first Harry book was published in 1988! So it is with much love, and sadness, that I write my last Horrible Harry book—the thirty-seventh one—but, it is time.
I have so many wonderful people to thank for making the Horrible Harry series possible. First of all, its creators—my students!
During the twenty-seven years I taught elementary school, I met so many wonderful characters. The seeds for my Harry stories come from those years being in the classroom. The characters are composites of my most memorable students.
None of these stories would have reached the printed page if it hadn’t been for my editors at Viking.
Nancy Paulsen was the person who first envisioned the Horrible Harry series. Chapter one of Horrible Harry in Room 2B was actually a picture book manuscript I had written and sent to her. Nancy said the character was so strong—would I think about putting him in a different format, like an early chapter book for young readers? I loved her idea and jumped in! The stories were launched from that point on, and two early episodic books—Green Slime and Ant Invasion—followed. So my biggest hug and thank-you goes to Nancy!
And my heartfelt appreciation goes to Regina Hayes, who published my Harry stories for thirty years!
Frank Remkiewicz, my talented first illustrator, made the characters come to life! Because I spend a lot of time writing dialogue in my stories and very little on description, I never said what Harry looked like, just that he had bushy eyebrows. It was a joy to see the first sketches. Frank created Harry with his reddish hair, many-pocketed jacket, jeans, and sneakers. And Harry’s expression was “Let’s do this!” Song Lee, Doug, Sidney, Ida, and Mary were immediately recognizable to me—what a stroke of magic Frank used in those first twenty-two Harry books! He added so much fun and humor in his illustrations. I can’t thank you enough, Frank!
Amy Wummer was the illustrator who continued the special characters Frank created but unleashed them with new energy. She especially brought Mary to life with all her pouty expressions, and Dexter, the passionate Elvis fan! Her details always added to the story. Thank you, Amy, for the last fifteen wonderful books!
Cathy Hennessy edited many of my early Horrible Harry books. Some of my favorites with her were Moves Up to Third Grade and Dragon War! Thank you so much, Cathy!
Jane Seiter worked with me on a few Harry books—the dungeon story about a new suspension room at South School was one of my favorites. And Liz Breckinridge enthusiastically helped on several others—Kickball Wedding and some Song Lee books.
Catherine Frank began editing the Harry books that started with Locked Closet. These Harry stories were more complex and with one plot—stories like The Goog, Takes the Cake, Triple Revenge, Cracks the Code, On the Ropes, and The June Box. Even when she took time off to have her son Spencer, she managed to help me create Drop of Doom—another favorite of mine! Thank you, Catherine, for the special dozen we worked on together!
When Catherine left Viking, Leila Sales became my editor, and edited Scarlet Scissors, Hallway Bully, Stolen Cookie, and Battle of the Bugs. These Harry stories involved sensitive issues like jealousy, bullying, stealing, and having lice. Thank you, Leila, for encouraging these important stories!
Maggie Rosenthal and I worked together on the last two Harry’s, which were both filled with strong emotions—Field Day Revenge and Says Goodbye. Maggie was always so appreciative and supportive! Thank you, dear Maggie!
And a special appreciation for my long-time copyeditor, Janet Pascal, who helped me the most with my Harry editing.
Over the past thirty years I’ve visited hundreds of schools and got to meet some of my best Horrible Harry readers. Some schools I visit every year.
What a joy it is to meet the new group of second- or third-grade readers who have read so many of my Horrible Harry stories! Their questions always keep me up on what’s important to them.
Two of their questions I’ll reanswer here.
What is the theme of the Horrible Harry stories?
Friendship. How good friends help each other through their day, and forgive one another.
And the second question—how come you never take us to Harry’s house?
Well, in this last book I do, and we even meet his parents, although just half of them. ☺
Thank you, my dearest readers!
Finally, hugs and thank-yous to my family. For my daughters, Emily and Jennifer, who both managed my author visits and website and have always been so supportive. For my precious grandkids, Jake, Kenna, Gabby, Saylor, and Holden, who grew up reading all the Harry books and whose comments and questions made me a better writer. For my lifelong friends, Terry, Robin, and Charla, who have been with me since our early school years in Albany, California—and who inspired the school friendship of Harry and Doug.
And big hugs to my dearest friends, the Al Kalaf family, who moved to America just three years ago: Maher, Najah, Mohammed, Feryal, Abdul, Rasha, Qablan, Zaher, and Saher, who inspired the ending to this last Harry book.
And lastly, my beloved husband, Rufus, who has been my editor 24/7, and best friend. Thank you for all your help and encouragement with the Horrible Harry stories. I love you!
About the Authors
Suzy Kline has written thirty-five previous Horrible Harry books. She is also the author of numerous popular children's books, including the Orp books and the Herbie Jones series. She taught elementary school for twenty-seven years and now does scores of school visits in addition to her writing.
Amy Wummer has illustrated many children's books, including the Marvin Redpost series by Louis Sachar and a number of previous books in the Horrible Harry series. She and her husband live in Reading, Pennsylvania, with their three children.
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