Day of the Iguana facts for kids
Day of the Iguana is an exciting book from the popular Hank Zipzer series. It's the third book in the collection, written by the famous actor Henry Winkler and author Lin Oliver. This book first came out in 2003, published by Grosset & Dunlap. Its title is a fun nod to an older play called The Night of the Iguana.
What Happens in the Story?
The story begins with Hank and his two best friends, Frankie and Ashley. They are performing cool magic tricks at Hank's three-year-old cousins' birthday party. Frankie is a bit sad because he's missing a movie he really wanted to see. It's called The Mutant Moth That Ate Toledo.
Hank promises Frankie that he will record the movie so they can watch it later. But Hank has dyslexia, which means his brain sometimes mixes up letters and numbers. Because of this, he accidentally records the wrong TV channel! Frankie gets very upset when he finds out.
Later, Hank takes apart a cable box. He wants to see how it works for his school science project. But then, something unexpected happens: his sister's pet iguana, Katherine, lays her eggs inside the cable box! Hank is worried his dad will find the broken box. So, he quickly orders a new one.
A man named Tom comes to install the new cable box. Luckily, Tom knows a lot about iguanas. That night, they all watch as 23 tiny baby iguanas hatch from the eggs! Tom agrees to give Hank a tape of The Mutant Moth That Ate Toledo. In return, he asks for one of the baby iguanas. Hank and Frankie finally get to watch the movie together.
Meet the Characters
- Hank Zipzer – Hank is a fourth-grader at P.S. 87. He has dyslexia, but he's super creative and always finds himself in funny situations. His best friends are Frankie and Ashley. His real name is Henry Daniel.
- Frankie Townsend – Frankie is Hank's best friend. He is described as being very smart and often helps Hank out.
- Ashley Wong – Ashley is Hank's other best friend. Hank and Frankie sometimes call her Ashweena. She really loves anything sparkly, especially rhinestones.
- Nick McKelty – Nick is a rival to Hank and his friends. They call him "Nick the Tick." He often teases Hank about his dyslexia and is known for being annoying and a braggart.
- Papa Pete – This is Hank's grandfather. Hank and his friends are very close to him.
- Emily Zipzer – Emily is Hank's younger sister. She is in third grade and is very smart, but Hank sometimes finds her annoying. She owns a pet iguana named Katherine.
- Robert Upchurch – Robert is described as being a bit scrawny and a nerd.
- Tom – Tom is the person who installs the new cable box for the Zipzer family. He knows a lot about iguanas.
- Randi Zipzer – Randi is Hank's mother. She runs a deli called the Crunchy Pickle Deli. She always wants her family to eat healthy food.
- Stanley Zipzer – Stanley is Hank's father. He loves to solve crossword puzzles.
- Ms. Adolf – Ms. Adolf is Hank's teacher. She is described as being very strict and sometimes a bit boring.
- Jake and Zack – These are Hank's three-year-old cousins. Hank, Frankie, and Ashley perform magic tricks for them at their birthday party. Jake is known for biting, and Zack for kicking!
