Introducing Henry the Half-Time Hero: A Journey from TV Comedy to Middle-Grade Novels
Firstly, thank you Authors Lounge for affording me this opportunity to show my wares and introduce my dear young friend, Henry the Half-Time Hero. Henry the Half-Time Hero is my third middle-grade book, after Losing Arthur and The Funnies. But this time it has a pedigree going back over twenty years. As well as writing novels (this is my tenth), I am a BAFTA-nominated creator/writer of several long-running hit BBC comedy series, shown in the UK, USA and over 70 countries. I also created Neighbors From Hell for DreamWorks Animation in the USA.
I write the screenplays for all of my books, four of which have been optioned for movies both here in the UK and Hollywood. Some years ago I created and wrote the prime time BBC comedy series My Hero, which ran for six seasons and, despite being in an 8.30pm slot, was the most watched TV show by kids under 12.
Exploring Untapped Potential: A New Superhero Family with a Unique Twist
My Hero was about the comically turbulent domestic life of a somewhat hapless superhero, who was living incognito as a health shop owner in a nondescript outer London borough, whilst happily married to a long suffering English GP practice nurse. I always felt, however, that there was an intriguing aspect to this uniquely fraught situation that I had hitherto left unexplored.
So I decided to create a whole new set of characters, totally unrelated to the series, but with a similar family dynamic: superhero (alien) dad, tolerant human mum. Yet in this new scenario they have a son born with superpowers similar to his dad’s, only with one major difference.
Henry’s Unpredictable Superpowers: A Chaotic Childhood of Surprises and Challenges
These powers only come on sporadically and Henry, the lad in question, never knows which particular ones he can summon at any moment. Or when exactly they’ll kick in. And – most importantly – when they’ll suddenly switch off without any warning! Whilst Henry is a mere infant this naturally poses huge problems for his poor but adoring parents.
They can’t have their curious (super-) baby flying at some speed all around the house and the neighborhood, then suddenly falling with a scary thud down to earth. (Or into his forever alert and anxious father’s outstretched arms.) Not to mention the kid talking chattily to nurses when he has barely left the womb or picking up his bemused grandparents with a single podgy hand.
Home-schooling takes up some of the strain but at age eleven Henry announces firmly that he wants to go to school and be like other normal kids. (A school where his own dad, when not flying off as world-class superhero Orangeman to save the world from disaster or villainy, is Jack Jaffa, PE teacher, and his mum is Head of English)
The trouble is that Henry is quite far from normal and isn’t certain exactly how to fit in or keep his pesky powers in check. This is one of the themes of the book, because of course this fear and anxiety of not ‘fitting-in’ is hardly limited to kids of Henry’s ilk. And what is ‘normal’ anyway? Things are going pretty much okay – or at least without major catastrophes – until Orangeman’s evil nemesis, the brilliant but warped scientist and master-criminal Dr Arnold Cramp, appears on the scene.
Henry’s Ultimate Challenge: Defeating Dr. Cramp and Embracing His True Self
The nefarious Dr Cramp has worked out that as Orangeman derives his powers from the sun, if he sprays the sunbathing superhero, from a hovering helicopter, with a huge blast of his newly-formulated Factor 75 Million sunblock, these superpowers will be immediately and totally unavailable. And master-crime of every variety, all over the planet, will rule. Controlled without hero-disturbance by the aforesaid doctor.
Half-Time Henry’s Daring Mission: Friendship, Identity, and the Battle for Acceptance
It is now up to Henry to save the day, with the assistance of his really smart but totally un-super schoolmate Kali, a small but incredibly intuitive Indian girl. Yet how can he possibly win against a seemingly insuperable and dastardly foe, when he’s truly only Half-Time Henry And how will his world – and his relationship with his parents and his friends – change forever if he succeeds? Whilst my book, the first in an anticipated series, is intended to be both laugh-out loud funny and barely-breathably exciting. I hope it also has something importance to say about honesty, acceptance and simply the right to be – and to be fully accepted as – who you are. Henry finally finds the right solution. But more importantly, he finds himself.
Critical Acclaim and Kid-Approved: A Superhero Tale for All Ages
I naturally tried this book out on professionals who might choose to review it and the response was gratifyingly positive…
‘A teenage superhero with magical powers and some very unmagical flaws. Paul A Mendelson, already a successful writer of TV comedy and novels, shows his ability to turn his hand to children’s fiction with the surprises and humour that abound in his work.’ David Lister. The Independent
But then I thought I should expose it to the people who truly matter: ‘It really brings you in, like he’s talking to you and he’s telling the story at the same time, which is really cool.’Goldie (9) Missoula, USA
‘Sometimes I have to stop and take a breath – it’s very intriguing. Zidan (10) Middlesex
‘It is an exciting book and full of suspense.I wanted to see how Henry would make it through’ Erez (12) London.
“It’s super funny, get it, super because it’s really funny and he’s a superhero!’ Max (9) Philadelphia, USA
‘An empowering book about believing in yourself that dips into the realms of pop culture.’ Adam (11) Liverpool
‘A twist-turning adventure. And it’s very uproarious’ Abi (9) Bushey, Herts
And from someone a wee bit older: What a powerful ending – where the truth is something that everyone welcomes’ – Joanne, (74) New York
Available now on Amazon
