| Author | Henry Winkler Lin Oliver |
|---|---|
| Original title | Hank Zipzer: The Mostly True Confessions of the World's Best Underachiever |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Discipline | Children's Literature |
| Publisher | Grosset & Dunlap |
| Published | January 1, 2003-April 20, 2010 |
| No. of books | 17 |
| Followed by | Here's Hank (2014-2019) Hank Zipzer (TV series) (2014-2016 on CBBC channel) |
| Website | Author website |
The Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever [note 1] series of American children's books (2003-2010) by actor Henry Winkler and writer Lin Oliver, tells the story of a dyslexic child, Hank Zipzer. The series is based on Winkler's difficulties with school as a child, and are set in his childhood home. After finishing the main series, Winkler and Oliver created a prequel called, Here's Hank. This series explores Hank's life as a second grader (2014 to 2019). In addition, Winkler and Oliver created a television series (and Christmas film) called Hank Zipzer that ran from January 2014 to December 2016 on the CBBC channel. HBO Max began streaming all three seasons of Hank Zipzer in May 2022 and Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe in December 2022.
Hank Zipzer is a young boy who is dyslexic. He lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his family, and attends P.S. 87 at Amsterdam Avenue and W 78th Street. His best friends are Frankie Townsend and Ashley Wong. [1]
| Name | Bio |
|---|---|
| Henry "Hank" Daniel Zipzer | The main character who has learning challenges (dyslexia). |
| Frankie Townsend | One of Hank's best friends who is African-American, thinks oxygen is power, and has a nickname for everyone. |
| Ashley Wong | Hank's other best friend who is Chinese-American, a great athlete, and loves rhinestones. |
| Nick "The Tick" McKelty | The class bully who is none-too-bright. |
| Fanny Adolf | Hank's teacher and Deputy Headmistress who hates fun and funny. She always wears grey clothes, possibly to match her face. |
| Leland Love | Hank's principal who repeats everything twice and likes to answer his own questions. He has an ugly mole shaped like the Statue of Liberty without the torch. |
| Mr. Gristediano | The friend that give him an idea to Hank's parents about changing his type of learning. |
| Robert Upchurch | A 4th (formerly 3rd) grade genius who lives in the same building as Hank and blurts out information at random moments. |
| Papa Pete | Hank's grandfather who is always taking the kids somewhere and pinching his grandkids. |
| Carlos | The counter guy at Hank's mom's deli, the Crunchy Pickle. |
| Emily Grace Zipzer | Hank's younger sister, very smart when it comes to reptiles, considerably annoying, likes Robert Upchurch, and has a pet iguana named Katherine. |
| Randi Zipzer | Hank's mother, runs the Crunchy Pickle Deli, and takes healthy foods to a disgusting new level. Her name is Rosa in the TV series. |
| Stanley Zipzer | Hank's father, who is obsessed with crossword puzzles. |
| Cheerio Zipzer | Hank's dachshund, who looks like a Cheerio when he runs in circles. |
| Katherine Zipzer | Emily's iguana, who slurps food from the dinner table. |
| Vlady | The other counter guy at His mother's deli, the Crunchy Pickle. |
| Mr. Rock | Hank's music teacher who is Hank's favorite teacher. |
| Mason Harris Jerome Dunn | Hank's friend who is in kindergarten. |
| Heather Payne | A very tall, smart girl who tutored Hank in Math. |
| Sam Chin | Hank's other kindergarten friend who plays ping-pong with him. |
| Luke Whitman | A boy in Hank's class who is very gross, and always has his finger in his nose picking boogers. |
| Dr. Lynn Berger | Hank's dyslexia teacher, who is very nice and always encourages Hank. |
| Mrs. Fink | Hank's next-door neighbor who has a crush on Papa Pete and is always baking something for him. |
| Joelle Atkins | Nick's girlfriend that is obsessed with her phone. |
| Zoe McKelty | Hank's girlfriend, also Nick McKelty's cousin. |
| Collin Sebastian Rich IV | Hank's friend in The Night I Flunked My Field Trip. He bites his nails, he only knows three knock-knock jokes and two of them are not funny. |
| Yoshi | A boy from Japan who loves lizards. Hank hosted him in Holy Enchilada!. |
Henry Winkler states that in 2003, he experienced "a lull in my acting career." [2] Winkler's then-manager, Alan Berger suggested to Winkler that he should write children's books about the difficulties he experienced as a child before he knew that he was dyslexic. [3] Winkler was resistant to the idea, which he initially thought "was insane," saying that he "couldn't do it." [3] [2] He finally agreed however, after Berger suggested that he co-write the books with an experienced author.
Berger introduced Winkler to his friend, children's book author Lin Oliver. Winkler and Oliver met for lunch, and discussed Winkler's childhood experiences. [3] Oliver remembers thinking that, "here is this very articulate accomplished man, who suffered all through childhood because he wasn't good in school. It's a very moving story. So we created a character together who is smart, funny, resourceful, popular, who's got all the gifts - except that he is bad in school." [3] Oliver and Winkler then developed the premise for series about a dyslexic child, Hank Zipzer, who is based on Winkler (and every character in the series is also based on a real person in Winkler's life). [4] [5] [6] In naming the character, Winkler chose "Hank" (which is short for Henry), and "Zipzer," which was the name of a neighbor in the apartment building that he grew up in. [7]
Because they had both previously worked in television in multiple roles, they were used to collaborating and discussing ideas and working them out in a room together, which enabled their partnership. [3] Winkler notes that this collaborative process is best reflected in the system they have developed that draws upon Oliver's strengths as a writer and Winkler's as an actor: Oliver types at the computer while Winkler talks. When Oliver has an idea, he waits while she types. When she reads it back to him, "we argue over every word, and then you say 'I have to get up, you drive me to drink.' And she gets a Snapple from the kitchen." [8] [9]
The series ran from 2003 to 2010, consisting of 17 volumes. [5] After they finished it, Winkler and Oliver created a prequel series, Here's Hank (2012 to 2016) that explores Hank's life as a second grader, before he was diagnosed as dyslexic. [8] [3] [10] [11] The Here's Hank series also uses a special font called "dyslexie" (marking the first time that this font was used in book published in the United States). [8] [3]
Hank Zipzer is a British children's television series which stars Nick James in the titular role as a 12-year-old dyslexic schoolboy. Henry Winkler portrays Mr. Rock, Hank's music teacher, in the series. The first series premiered in January 2014 on the CBBC channel. Unlike the books that took place in Winkler's native United States, the series takes place in London, in the United Kingdom. The second series began airing on 13 August 2015. Javone Prince made his first appearance as Mr. Joy in season 2, episode 5, "Hank's Hero". The third series began airing on 26 May 2016, which was followed by an 84-minute Christmas movie released on 12 December 2016.
HBO Max began streaming all three seasons of Hank Zipzer in May 2022, [12] and Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe in December 2022. [13]
Henry Winkler has been recognized for contributing to a greater understanding of dyslexia and learning disabilities through the Hank Zipzer series. He was given the Key to the City of Winnipeg for "contributions to education and literacy," (2010) [14] was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to children with special educational needs and dyslexia in the UK" by Queen Elizabeth (2011), [15] [16] was named one of the United Kingdom's Top 10 Literacy Heroes (2013), [17] and was awarded the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award for Contributions to the Public Good for his children's books (2019). [18]
1. Niagara Falls, or Does It? (January 1, 2003)
2. I Got a "D" in Salami (May 12, 2003)
3. Day of the Iguana (September 1, 2003)
4. The Zippity Zinger (December 1, 2003)
5. The Night I Flunked My Field Trip (May 1, 2004)
6. Holy Enchilada! (August 19, 2004)
7. Help! Somebody Get me out of Fourth Grade! (December 16, 2004)
8. Summer School! What Genius Thought That Up? (April 21, 2005)
9. My Secret Life as a Ping-pong Wizard (September 22, 2005)
10. My Dog's a Scaredy-Cat: A Halloween Tail (August 1, 2006)
11. The Curtain Went Up, My Pants Fell Down (May 3, 2007)
12. Barfing in the Backseat: How I Survived My Family Road Trip (July 5, 2007)
13. Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me! (December 27, 2007)
14. The Life of Me: Enter at Your Own Risk (May 1, 2008)
15. A Tale of Two Tails (November 26, 2008)
16. Dump Trucks and Dogsleds: I'm on My Way, Mom! (August 6, 2009)
17. A Brand-New Me! (April 20, 2010)
18. The Colossal Camera Calamity [19] (04 Jun 2015; based on the CBBC TV series, not part of the original book series)
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984). He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lead character when he began surpassing the other characters in popularity. The Fonzie character was so popular that in the second season producers considered renaming the show to "Fonzie's Happy Days." Fonzie was seen by many as the epitome of coolness and a sex symbol.
Henry Franklin Winkler is an American actor, comedian, author, producer, and director. Widely known as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series Happy Days, Winkler has distinguished himself as a character actor for roles on stage and screen. His many accolades include three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Critics Choice Awards.
Matt Bloom is an Emmy winning and BAFTA-nominated British director of television, commercials and short films, and a graduate of the International Film School Wales.
Richard J. Cunningham is a fictional character in the 1970s TV sitcom Happy Days, played by Ron Howard. Richie is Howard and Marion Cunningham's son and Joanie Cunningham and Chuck Cunningham's brother. He is friends with Fonzie, Ralph Malph, and Potsie Weber.
Niagara Falls, or Does it? is the first book in the Hank Zipzer series, written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson and published by Grosset & Dunlap.
I Got a "D" in Salami is the second book in the Hank Zipzer series. The book was written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver and was published by Grosset & Dunlap and cover illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson.
Juliet Cowan is a Northern Irish television, film and stage actress. Cowan has had various TV guest star roles in long-running shows such as EastEnders, Silent Witness and Casualty. Cowan has also had a recurring role in the CBBC show The Sarah Jane Adventures, This Life and BBC comedy Back to Life.
This is a list of artistic depictions of dyslexia.
Day of the Iguana is the third book in the Hank Zipzer series by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. The title is a reference to The Night of the Iguana, a play by Tennessee Williams.
Barfing in the Backseat: How I Survived My Family Road Trip is the twelfth book in the Hank Zipzer children's book series by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver.
Kindle Entertainment is an independent television production company based in London, England. Kindle Entertainment was formed after ITV Kids was closed, and current personnel includes Anne Brogan, the former controller of ITV Kids, and former head of development at ITV Kids, Melanie Stokes. The company is currently owned by Banijay, via its Banijay UK Productions subsidiary.
Lin Oliver is an American writer, producer, and the co-founder of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. During the 1990s and early 2000s, she wrote and produced a number of works for television and film, notably the 1990s television show, Harry and the Hendersons. As an author of books for children, Oliver began collaborating on the Hank Zipzer series with actor Henry Winkler in 2003. They next created the prequel series Here's Hank, the Ghost Buddy series, and the Alien Superstar series.
Holy Enchilada! is the sixth book in the Hank Zipzer book series by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver.
Help! Somebody Get me out of Fourth Grade! is the seventh book in the Hank Zipzer book series. It was written by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, and released in December 2004 by Grosset & Dunlap.
Hank Zipzer is a British children's television series, based on the Hank Zipzer book series by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver. It stars Nick James as the 12-year-old dyslexic schoolboy, Hank Zipzer. Winkler also portrays Mr. Rock, Hank's music teacher. Unlike the books that took place in Winkler's native United States, the series takes place in London, in the United Kingdom. It also included a 2016 Christmas special, Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe. HBO Max began streaming all three seasons on May 13, 2022, and began streaming Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe on December 2, 2022.
Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe is a 2016 standalone British Christmas television film, that appeared during Season three of the Hank Zipzer. It is an adaptation of the Hank Zipzer book series by American actor Henry Winkler and children's book author Lin Oliver. HBO Max began streaming Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe on December 2, 2022.
Vincenzo Nicoli is a British actor who appears in film, television and theatre. He is best known for roles in blockbuster films, such as Alan Jude in the 1992 science fiction film Alien³ (1992), Enrico Biscaglia in the romantic drama film In Love and War (1996), Tony Genova in the 2016 short film The Naughty List (2016) and in the television programme Auf Wiedersehen, Pet as Sandro.
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