Henry Reed's Journey by Keith Robertson

Source of book: I own this.

 

My youngest enjoyed Henry Reed Inc. so much, she requested we read this one together. It was the first of the Henry Reed books I read as a kid, and I still think it is the most amusing, by a tiny margin. Unfortunately, it also has a few scenes that haven’t aged well. Overall, though, still quite funny. 

The book picks up more or less where the previous one ended. Henry Reed, teenaged son of a diplomat, comes back to the US for the summer. This time, rather than go directly to his aunt and uncle’s home in rural New Jersey, he joins the Glass family in San Francisco, for an epic road trip back to the east coast. The point is, of course, that he can hang with his friend Midge Glass, and see a bit of America. 

 

As expected, hilarity ensues, and lots of things go off the rails, maybe, possibly, due to the presence of Henry and Midge, although nobody can prove it. 

 

Among other adventures, a shoe-stealing dog disrupts the chemists’ convention Mr. Glass is attending, a parakeet escapes - and eventually is gifted to Midge, an officious tourist is given a dose of hot pepper seeds, a gold rush is inadvertently started, and more. There is a bizarre painting by a mysterious artist, a quartet of horned lizards, an uninstalled hotel swimming pool, an overloaded station wagon, and, well, a lot more too. 

 

The one sour note is a series of adventures involving a group of Hopi Indians. It isn’t that the author is intentionally racist about anything - he really tries to be respectful and positive, I think. But there is definitely the “white dude writing in the 1950s” ignorance and sloppy stereotypes. And, of course, the casual use of “redskin” by a character. (To be fair, this is definitely the sort of character who would do that, having no clue that it was offensive.) So, reader be warned on this. I have already had this discussion with my kids, at various times, regarding books we have read. There are plenty of otherwise great books from the past that have their blind spots - as I am sure the books we are writing today will too. 

 

Your mileage might also vary a little bit with a few of the jokes involving the Glass parents. Gender roles are, to a significant degree, assumed to be what they were when the book was written: specifically, the jokes about women shopping, and men being inattentive to details. Again, this fits really well with the characters, and in the time the book was written. I could see plenty of my grandparents in this book, and swear some of the same arguments took place. Robertson does make an effort to be gender inclusive, though. There are female chemists, for example, and they are taken every bit as seriously as the men. And, of course, there is the running joke about Henry himself. He is just a bit of a sexist, and tends to underestimate Midge. But everyone knows Midge is Henry’s equal despite being younger. And, as the series goes on, you can see Henry coming around through experience. 

 

I also shouldn’t fail to mention the longest running gag in the book: Henry’s quest for fireworks. And his continual disappointment at how unobtainable they are in the American West. At least along the route he takes. (We Californians know where to get fireworks, of course, but they never do come to Bakersfield….) 

 

My youngest two got quite a few laughs out of the book, and I have to agree, despite the dated parts, it really is funny. I’m not sure how many of the books are still in print, but they are still pretty easy to find used - I think they were pretty ubiquitous in school libraries back in the day. If you can, find one with Robert McCloskey’s delightful illustrations. (I had a crush on Midge back in the day, and still like it when my wife wears that iconic ponytail.)