Hapless Hero Henrie (House of Heroes Book 1)
The first book in a fun, action-packed middle-grade series for heroes in training by Petra James and A. Yi.
Twelve-year-old Henrie is the first girl heir of the Melchior family in 200 years. This was deemed a dereliction of duty by the formidable Octavia Melchior, head of the House of Melchior (HoMe). For HoMe is in the business of heroes for hire. Boy heroes, that is. Girls have no place. When Henrie receives a mysterious note, it sets off a chain of events including a kidnapping, a fancy skateboard manoeuvre and a private jet and she discovers something rotten at the heart of HoMe. As past, present and future collide, HoMe is poised to come tumbling down … unless a new kind of hero can emerge from the rubble.
Resources
Creators
Petra James was born in a small town in the South Island of New Zealand, and came to Australia via London. She has written several fiction and nonfiction titles for children and, most recently, is the author of the seven books in the Arkie Sparkle series. Like Arkie, she wanted to be an archaeologist when she grew up (she had planned to work her way through the career alphabet but didn't get past "A"), but instead sold chocolate chip cookies and eventually found her way into publishing. When she is not sending fictional characters (often named after streets) on adventures, she works in children's publishing in Sydney. The House of Heroes series are her first books with Walker.
Reviews
A. Yi’s nible illustrations channel both the intensely English, archaic sensibility that pervades the House of Melchior and the ebullience of Henrie, James’s spunky girl hero. Henrie is sure to appeal not only to girls.
Magpies
Petra James has hit a sweet spot that will attract young readers – a funny and self-deprecating narrator, lots of jokes, an appealing sidekick, and a fast moving mystery. But she has topped all this with an intelligent story told in appropriately sophisticated language.
CBCA: Reading Time
This is a thrilling, action-packed adventure with so many twists and turns you can barely draw breath before each situation is off in a new direction… Full of fun and cleverness
Kids' Book Review
Henrie is a fabulous character who is bound to have many fabulous adventures and take readers on a spectacular journey through the world of spies and heroes… I loved this book and would like to seek out more in this series when they come out.
The Book Muse
a rollicking adventure/crime story
Magpies
