The Hank Zipzer: The World's Greatest Underachiever 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 it is 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.

Overview

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.

Major characters

Context

Henry Winkler states that in 2003, he experienced "a lull in my acting career." 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. Winkler was resistant to the idea, which he initially thought "was insane," saying that he "couldn't do it." 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. 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." Oliver and Winkler then developed the premise for a 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). 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. 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. 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." The series ran from 2003 to 2010, consisting of 17 volumes. 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. 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).

Adaptations

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, and Hank Zipzer's Christmas Catastrophe in December 2022.

Reception

Accolades and honors

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) 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), was named one of the United Kingdom's Top 10 Literacy Heroes (2013), and was awarded the Bill Rosendahl Public Service Award for Contributions to the Public Good for his children's books (2019).

List of books

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 (04 Jun 2015; based on the CBBC TV series, not part of the original book series)