What's New, Harper Drew? (Book 1)

What's New, Harper Drew? (Book 1)

By Author / Illustrator

Kathy Weeks, Aleksei Bitskoff

Genre

Funny Stories

Age range(s)

9+

Publisher

Hachette Children's Group

ISBN

9781444961775

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

08-02-2022

Synopsis

Welcome to the hilarious WORLD of Harper Drew... there's a whole lot of DRAMA, but luckily she has tried and tested methods to deal with it! Perfect for fans of Dork Diaries.  

My name is Harper Drew. I'm using my new journal to take note of all the totally ridiculous things that seem to go on around me with my family and friends. I seem to be the ONLY ONE who sees this all of this stuff for what it is. Completely BEYOND normal.  Recently I've been logging Drew Dial Ratings for all the mayhem. On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely is someone to SAY or DO something that would be less sensible than (for example) ... a demented camel?  First up is the annual Drew trip to France... and while there might not be camels, there are BATS and Llamas - and my brother Troy who is so obsessed with his hairstyle, he won't even go swimming... that's a whole lot of ratings. I'm just hoping I land an invite to Maisie Felix's party when I'm back to distract me from the Drews... for one whole evening!

The start of a relatable new illustrated series, all about embracing your family, and finding unique ways to deal with life's dramas.

Reviews

Natalie J.

What's New Harper Drew? begins a new series that follows the humorous stream-of-consciousness illustrated diary format that seems to be currently very popular, such as Tom Gates, Scarlet Fife and so on (I suppose they are the new generation of Adrian Mole characters). Plus, diary-writing is a feature of KS2 so any new additions to this genre could become useful resources.


This particular title did make me laugh out loud and I thought Harper was an interesting heart-warming character who is sensible, logical, considerate, and very resourceful in solving the problems created by her chaotic catastrophe-prone family. I thought the way in which she wonders whether "making stuff happen (and) fixing situations" could be 'her thing', like her friends' ambitions to be a doctor or actress, was endearing as she realises that this is something she is good at and is a useful talent. For example, she takes it upon herself to replace the school's broken lift that her wheelchair-user best friend relies upon through an extensive and inventive fund-raising programme. She is relentless, focused and even when things don't go to plan (because her chaotic relatives have hampered events), she is not discouraged for long.


I think a lot of readers will find Harper Drew to be relatable and will enjoy listening to her charming but bemused anecdotes of her family and friends. The "Drew Dial Rating" which she assigns to each individual in terms of their "bizarre, odd, weird, and totally ridiculous" behaviour is funny and an effective way of showing where she stands herself on the rating scale. She never makes these judgements about them in a negative disparaging manner; you sense that despite knowing they are eccentric and unruly, she herself is easy-going, affable, and accepts them for who they are (even her very annoying older brother). She realises that by them being who they are is what makes her who she is. I really liked her introduction to them by comparing them to sweets and found it refreshing that she is confident and self-assured. Despite wanting to be friends with the spoilt brat of the class, she never questions or tries to change herself.


The use of word art and black-and-white illustrations running throughout the book make it attractive to read and it is funny, happy and enjoyable.


256 pages / Reviewed by Natalie McChrystal Plimmer, librarian

Suggested Reading Age 9+

 

Other titles