Henry Reed’s Journey

Henry Reed’s Journey by Keith Robertson (1963) Illustrated by Robert McCloskey. The second Henry Reed book, which I liked (as a kid) almost as much as Henry Reed Inc. It’s the next summer, and this time Henry flies to the West Coast to meet Midge and the Glass family and drive across the country with them—all related, to us, as in the first book, in the form of Henry’s detailed journal. It’s got similar character dynamics as the first book, with Midge’s parents replacing Henry’s aunt and uncle. Midge is the smart, funny one, while Henry is well-educated but oddly clueless in some ways—weirdly lacking a sense of humor—never really getting Midge’s dad’s ironic sense of humor. There are some running gags, like Henry’s obsession with, and failure to procure, fireworks. And everyone but Mr. Glass (who protests and complains) continuously acquiring more and more souvenirs along the way—including a bird! Henry and Midge really do have some pretty good adventures—a highlight is meeting an oddly eccentric friend, close to their age, who wears full cowboy gear without embarrassment. My favorite episode, when I first read it, and still, is a visit to the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver—so that I’ve always been fascinated with that place. Maybe I’ll visit it some day! The story is really weighted on the western part of the trip—it’s almost like Keith Robertson ran out of steam—or reached his maximum page count. I decided to re-read this book now because I’m working on a book about driving across the county—so I’m determined not to do the same thing—though I’m also writing a lot about the West—so I’ll be determined to keep it up—even if it gets really long! My copy of this book is an ex-library copy, beat to hell, stained, read by hundreds, thousands—but it’ll last forever. Look for an older, hardback edition—and make sure it has the illustrations by Robert McCloskey, which are excellent—quite amazing—and I maintain, integral to story, and in defining the characters.

10.22.24