Horrid Henry And The Bogey Babysitter by Francesca Simon

Book Summary:

Horrid Henry and the Bogey Babysitter (Book 9 in the series) is a collection of four riotously funny stories featuring the notorious Henry: Tricks and Treats, The Bogey Babysitter, Henry’s Raid, and Henry’s Car Journey. In the standout title tale, Henry’s Halloween night takes a wicked turn when he’s confronted with a terrifying babysitter—Rabid Rebecca, a tough, no-nonsense teenager who quickly terrorizes Henry into obedience. But Henry isn’t one to take threats lying down. He eventually discovers Rebecca’s weaknesses and turns the tables, managing to scare her off, proving that even the toughest babysitter can’t tame Horrid Henry for long. These stories blend gross-out humour, sibling rivalry, mischief, and bold rebellion—all adorned with Tony Ross’s lively illustrations and short chapters ideal for young readers.

About The Author:

Francesca Isabella Simon was born on February 23, 1955, in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent her childhood in California before relocating to the UK. She studied Medieval Studies at Yale and Old & Middle English at Oxford, initially pursuing a career as a medievalist and later becoming a freelance journalist for publications like The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, and US Vogue.After the birth of her son Joshua in 1989, Francesca shifted her focus to children's books. Her debut Horrid Henry book was published in 1994—and it sparked a wildly successful series that has sold over 20 million copies in more than 20 countries and been translated into dozens of languages.In 2008, she won the Children's Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards for Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman and has received a Gold Blue Peter badge in 2009. Additionally, she was appointed MBE in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to literature.Simon draws inspiration from family dynamics and childhood rivalries—her creation of Horrid Henry and his foil Perfect Peter stemmed from sibling rivalry themes and real-life observations of mischief and contrasting personalitie.Despite the popularity of TV and film adaptations, Simon has been vocal about preferring the original books and distancing herself from adaptations she feels diverge from her vision