How Hedley Hopkins Did a Dare...

Paul Jennings (author)

Puffin Books, Australia: 2005; 202pp

ISBN: 0141306114

Note: sexual references

Genres: realistic fiction

Issues: bullying, friendship, identity, mental health, tolerance

CBCA Shortlist, 2006: Book of the Year, Younger Readers

How Hedley Hopkins Did a Dare, robbed a grave, made a new friend who might not have really been there at all, and while he was at it committed a terrible sin which everyone was doing even though he didn't know it is the full, rarely used title of this unusual book.

Hedley Hopkins, recently migrated from England, is finding Australia, 1956, a little unwelcoming. After six months he still hasn't made any friends - he's not sure why; he's certainly trying hard enough. In desperation he agrees to do a dare for the group of rough boys who run the playground. The only problem is that the dare involves pinching a skull from an open grave - and the grave is right beside Billabong, the local ‘loony bin'.

In a time of strict convention and post-war unemployment, in a strange country and far from friends, Hedley must try to come to terms with all the things that usually trouble teenage boys - the mysteries of sex, peer pressure, friendship, family relationships and his own sense of self. The theft of the skull in fact leads him to friends of the most unexpected sort, friends who teach him to be true to himself.

This novel is based on Paul Jennings' own childhood. Perhaps because many of the experiences are still too painful for him to write about objectively, this novel lacks his usual spark and the humour is definitely black. He challenges the social assumptions of the period relating to ‘mental health issues', as well as investigating the impact of strict conventions and the traditional patriarchal family structure on a sensitive boy. Hedley's imagination, combined with his naivety, lead to tremendous feelings of guilt and self hate.

Poor communication and virtually no expression of affection from his parents complicate matters. Many references in the novel are in fact an interesting demonstration of how far society has come in our understanding of one another, cultural differences, disabilities and the need for ‘open communication' in families.

That said, it seems unlikely that this novel will appeal to many children of the targeted age group. Although the lengthy title will grab their attention, the historical period is probably too recent for them to feel comfortable with the story. For some reason the language of the text seems stilted. Perhaps it is that Jennings is trying to communicate or recall the British English of his migrant tongue as he eased into Aussie-speak. Whatever the motivation, it doesn't really work as a first person narrative and may perhaps have been more fluent in third person.

If How Hedley Hopkins Did A Dare... does not succeed with the targeted age group it may appeal to teenage and adult readers. This theme has been explored before by Gleitzman (Misery Guts', albeit in a slightly different way, with greater success and wider appeal.

Warning: masturbation scene, sensitively handled.