HORRIBLE HARRY AT HALLOWEEN
Written by Suzy Kline
ICN Book Club Discussion Questions:
Cover – Look at the front and back covers of the book. What clues about the events in
the story do you see?
Title Page – What information is found on this page?
 What is the copyright date?
Setting – How does the setting move or change from one location to another?
Main Characters – Who are they? How do they interact with one another and with
Harry?
Beginning – Chapter 1, “What’s Harry Going to Be?”
 What is the “hook” that gets you interested?
 What makes you want to read more of the story?
 Who is telling the story?
Middle – How does Chapter 2, “Water, Water Everywhere” help to move the story
along?
Chapters 3 and 4 – “Halloween Day and Harry Arrives!”
 What costumes did the main characters wear for Halloween?
 What costume did Horrible Harry wear?
 How was it different from other years?
 What story did Miss Mackle read to the class?
Ending – “The Case of the Missing Pixie Dust”
 How were events that happened in the middle of the book used at the
end?
 What happened in Miss Mackle’s classroom?
 Who solved the mystery?
 How was the case solved?
HORRIBLE HARRY READER’S THEATER SCRIPT
Based on Horrible Harry and the Drop of Doom
Written by Suzy Kline
Main Characters:
Narrator
Narrator
Harry
Sidney
Song Lee
Dexter
Doug
Horrible Harry loves creepy, slimy horrible things—after all, that’s how
he got his name. But there is one horrible, scary thing that Harry hates.
We will find out what is scary for Harry in this story.
The last day in Second Grade Song Lee invited friends to celebrate with
her family. Doug and Harry ripped open the red envelopes on their desks.
Harry
Hot dog! Song Lee invited us to an end-of-the-year party.
Song Lee
I hope you will come. My Dad got passes to Mountainside Park for us to
use. It is so much fun there!
Doug
There’s one ride called “Kasploosh Mountain”. You go down a waterfall
in a canoe.
Harry
I can’t wait to do that!
Dexter
The fun house is great and Main Street is so cool. They play rock-n’-roll
music all the time. It’s like the 1950’s. I’m going to buy an Elvis poster.
Harry
Oh…I want to do that too!
Song Lee
Harry, what’s your favorite ride?
Harry
The Haunted House. The best part is the cobwebs in your face, the ghosts,
all the creepy noises and the graveyards.
Song Lee
You go on all the rides, Harry?
Harry
All the scary rides.
Song Lee
Bet you haven’t done the new ride at Mountainside Park, Harry.
Harry
What new ride? I go on anything scary!
Sidney
Do you promise to go on the new ride?
Harry
Sure! What is the new ride?
Sidney
I’ll draw a picture of it. It’s a thirteen-story haunted hotel that has a big
elevator. You get in the elevator and go to the thirteenth floor. Then…
SNAP! The cable breaks and the elevator drops thirteen floors before it
stops. It’s called The Drop of Doom.
Narrator
Everyone was amazed to hear about the new ride. Harry’s mouth dropped
open like it had fallen thirteen floors already!
Dexter
I’m not sure about that one—I might have to check with Elvis about that.
Sidney
The ride is a piece of cake. I’ve already done it. Everyone shrieked and
screamed, but you know what?
Everyone
What?
Sidney
We didn’t die. We landed on first floor just fine. And Harry—you did
promise to go on the ride.
Narrator
Harry looked like he might get sick, but he did nod his head.
Song Lee
Harry, do you feel all right? You look kind of sick.
Narrator
Harry turned to look at Doug, his best friend, and Song Lee. He looked
scared, and he made his friends promise not to tell anyone what was
wrong.
Harry
I hate elevators! Once I got stuck in a department store elevator. The
lights went out and it was so dark. I was so afraid, I screamed.
Song Lee
Well, how old were you?
Harry
About four years old.
Doug
Oh, Harry…that’s a long time ago. I’ll bet you can do it now.
Harry
NO! I haven’t gone on another elevator since it happened. I use stairs.
Now I have to ride The Drop of Doom and I don’t know how I can.
Song Lee
Harry, I was very afraid when I came to America. I had to go to a new
school and learn a new language. But, I’m happy now. After you try new
things, sometimes you feel different about them.
Narrator
Song Lee and Doug talked to Harry and wanted him to try elevators one
more time. But Harry only groaned and moaned and said, “I can’t!”
Narrator
The day of the party finally arrived. But as much as Harry wanted to go to
Song Lee’s party and go into the Haunted House, he was still worried
about The Drop of Doom. Harry thought he might just skip that ride.
Sidney
Harry the canary! Ready to go? I wonder if you’ll tweet like a little bird
when you fall thirteen stories?
Harry
Very funny, Sid the squid! I’m really looking forward to that ride!
Doug
I guess this isn’t going to be easy, is it?
Song Lee
Don’t worry, Harry. There are lots of other fun rides.
Harry
But I have to do The Drop of Doom. Sidney will be on my case all next
year in Third Grade if I don’t do it.
Song Lee
It’s that important to you? OK—then I’ll help you. I know exactly when
the drop happens. You can close your eyes and squeeze my hand.
Narrator
Doug and Song Lee reminded Harry about times they were afraid to do
something in school and Harry helped them. As they arrived at the Park,
Sidney pointed out all the signs about the new ride. Pictures were everywhere of the Haunted Hotel and the elevator dangling over the edge.
Harry felt even more scared as everyone started talking about the ride
once again.
Dexter
I love walking down Main Street. Listen to Elvis singing! This is so
great and I want to buy a poster right now!
Doug
Let’s go on the “Kasploosh” first. It has a 50 foot waterfall at the end.
It’s my favorite ride and it’s so much fun.
Narrator
Everyone got wet and some of the friends wouldn’t go on the Mountain
Ride again. Harry was gaining courage because he loved riding the
“Kasploosh”. Doug and Song Lee both told him how much he loved
all the rides at Mountainside Park. Hearing that made him feel better.
Next, Song Lee, Doug and Harry got into one car for the Haunted House.
Dexter, Sidney and Song Lee’s mother were in the car behind them.
Harry whispered to Song Lee and Doug…
Harry
I’m feeling better about things. I think I can do that ride.
Song Lee
Yes, you can do it, Harry. I know you can.
Everyone
The cars passed through the doors into the Haunted House. It was pitch
black inside and Sidney screamed…AAAAAAAUUUUUUUGH! during
the whole ride. Cobwebs were on his face, ghosts popped up out of
tombstones and scary sounds were everywhere. Suddenly, the cars
stopped moving. They were stuck in the dark! No one moved.
Song Lee
Something broke. It looks like we are stuck in here.
Narrator
Doug and Song Lee knew Harry was thinking about the elevator he was
stuck in when he was about four years old. Suddenly, Harry buried his
head in Doug’s lap.
Dexter
This is so cool! Sometimes these things happen, but we’ll get out of here.
It happened to my uncle when he was on a ride and he got out just fine.
Sidney
Look…floating teeth! You can see people’s teeth in the dark when they
talk. It makes me shiver.
Narrator
Suddenly, the cars started moving again. The cars passed through the last
doors and everyone was fine. The manager was talking to a little girl outside. He told her not to ever get out of the car on a ride because that
makes the whole ride stop. The little girl said she just wanted to touch a
ghost.
Sidney started making fun of Harry because he hid his head in Doug’s lap.
Everyone looked at Harry.
Harry
I was afraid.
Sidney
You admit it?
Harry
It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. And…I think I’m ready
for that ride now!
Everyone
Song Lee and Doug jumped up and down. Everyone walked to The Drop
of Doom. They could hear people shrieking and screaming inside as they
dropped thirteen floors.
Harry
I like the part when the doors are open…I don’t like the closed elevator
part.
Narrator
Harry had said it in front of everyone. Now they all knew elevators scared
him. People in line started talking about things they were scared of. Some
people couldn’t go on merry-go-rounds and others didn’t like to get wet.
Song Lee
You can do this ride, Harry.
Harry
Song Lee, you’d make a good coach. I wouldn’t be on this elevator ride
without you.
Narrator
Creeeeeak! The doors opened. The friends sat down—Harry sat between
Doug and Song Lee and lowered the steel bar over their laps. The elevator
doors closed and slowly they went up, up, up…Harry counted the floors.
Everyone
Seventh Floor…Eighth Floor…Ninth Floor…Tenth Floor…Eleventh
Floor…Twelfth Floor…
Song Lee
Get ready, Harry, the doors open on the next floor!
Everyone
THIRTEENTH FLOOR!
Narrator
The doors opened and Harry could see all over Mountainside Park.
Song Lee
Now…the drop is now, Harry!
Narrator
Harry grabbed Song Lee’s hand and held it tightly.
Everyone
AAAAAAAUUUUUUUGH! The elevator fell down thirteen floors!
Song Lee
Harry, you did it!
Harry
I really, really did it! You were right, Song Lee, it was just like falling
down a hole.
Sidney
I loved it. I loved every minute of it.
Narrator
Song Lee’s mother bought the photo of the friends on the elevator. They
loved seeing their faces as they reached the thirteenth floor. And they
saw that Sidney’s eyes were closed!
Sidney
Yes, I closed my eyes. But at least I wasn’t afraid to go on it like you
were, Harry.
Harry
You’re right, Sidney, I was afraid. But thanks to Doug and Song Lee, I
can ride any elevator now and it’s great to not feel afraid. So…who
wants to go on The Drop of Doom with me again?
Song Lee
Doug
Dexter
Me! Yes, yes, I want to go again! Let’s go!
Narrator
So everyone ran to get back into the line once again!
THE END