Henry and the Paper Route

This book was published in 1957 and I would have been Henry's age in 1970, yet much of the action seemed completely contemporary to my childhood.: getting a paper route, kittens being given away from a cardboard box, school paper drives! Do kids even know what a paper drive is anymore? Anyway, a very enjoyable story, wonderful, believable characters and a loving glimpse into what has become another world. A paper route was my first job at the age of 11, when my brother (who was the one who really wanted that job) turned out to be a year too young yet. He convinced me [his bookish older sister] to do it instead and I did -- and it turned out to be a total disaster, I actually LOST money on the deal, but boy, the stories I could tell show more about that route! I still remember my hands covered in ink from folding the papers and putting rubber bands around them. Recommended to adults for nostalgia factor, and to 8-10 year olds for the joy of reading about a neighborhood you wished you lived in. show less

When Scooter McCarthy asks Henry if he knows anyone who wants a paper route, Henry does - himself! Scooter says Henry isn't old enough, but Henry decides almost-eleven is old enough, and walks over to make his case. He gets distracted on the way and ends up with a jacket-ful of kittens, which create kitten-y chaos. Now Henry still doesn't have a paper route, and he has four kittens to get rid of (or make a case to keep - even though Ribsy would like to eat them). Henry may well ask why these things always happen to him, but they do work out in the end. Beezus and Ramona play important roles, though Henry's casual sexism is jarring today.

More of Cleary's entertaining episodes in the everyday life of an everyday kid. Originally published in 1957, it's aged remarkably well, with just a few lines here and there that date it. (Although I guess in 2023 the very idea of a kid on a bike delivering newspapers is pretty dated, now that I think about it.) Henry gets a kitten, helps with a paper route, which he longs to have as his own, meets a new neighbor who is a bit eccentric...
Light, quick, casual fun.

I've been thinking a lot about newspaper carriers since my kids and I started reading the Henry Huggins series. I see the one in our neighborhood every morning when I take my walk. He drives a green Subaru and zigzags across the street tossing newspapers into driveways. My brother was a paper boy for a while, delivering his papers on foot for a brief time before my mom just gave up and delivered them herself from our station wagon. I wonder, is there any place in the United States where kids still ride their bikes up and down neighborhood streets tossing papers from canvas bags?

My children seem to relate to Henry even though they are unlikely ever to head across town on their own seeking a job delivering newspapers (and are almost as show more unlikely to bring home four kittens from a rummage sale). And we all laughed out loud at the mental picture of Henry with his writhing jacket full of kittens. show less

This book delivers more Henry Huggins antics. Henry is earnest, bumbling, and full of affection: he's like a little puppy. Appropriately, his book series is all about childhood life adventures with his best friend, Ribsy (a dog). The latest escapades center around his quest to earn a paper route. As much as he likes football, hanging out with Ribsy, and playing with the neighborhood kids, he feels the need for a more serious occupation. After all, he's getting older. Henry begins to pester Scooter, who is a year older than him and in the enviable position of currently being a paper boy. Scooter asks Henry to cover for him when he has other engagements, and Henry is encouraged by compliments from the paper route manager, but when he and show more Scooter get in a fight Henry is banished from the job. At least, banished in his own mind. Then, he and Scooter make peace, Henry turns eleven, and he thinks he has a chance to finally get his precious paper route. Until a new boy moves in, who had a route in his old neighborhood and wants to switch over to one by his new house.

While his paper boy pursuits face success and defeat, Henry has other problems that seem like colossal issues to his young mind. For instance, the four kittens he saves from a rummage sale and the paper recycling contest at his school that he is determined his class will win. Not to mention the new boy, Murph, who is making an awesome robot, but who also took the paper route Henry wanted. Luckily for Henry, Murph doesn't know how to handle Ramona. When she decides she wants to be just like the new boy - including taking over his paper route - Murph decides that he has had enough. He hands the paper route over to Henry, who finally sees his dream realized.

I always enjoy reading Cleary books. Henry is a fun protagonist, and his innocent escapades are charming. I especially like the blend of sweet and mischievous, and the immense creativity, that all of her children characters evince. This entry in the Henry Huggins series has an overarching plot that connects the many unrelated episodes, and ends on a satisfying note. Henry outsmarts Ramona, proving that he deserves the paper route. Ramona Cleary is an easy choice for parents and teachers looking for a book that employs humor, a solid narrative that children will enjoy, and well-rounded lovable characters. show less

Henry really wants a paper route of his own, but at first he's a year too young, and then a new kid moves to the neighborhood and quickly becomes competition...
Charlie is just loving the Henry books so far, and it's fun to read them with him (although Henry's attitude toward girls is a bit neanderthal-like).

As usual, Ramona almost steals the show. But Henry is quite a boy, too... I love that he won't let the kittens go to the pound, and that he tries hard to make friends with new boy Murph, and gives both Murph and Scooter a second chance. And these Cleary books are truly timeless: yesterday at Costco I saw a box set!