The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman

Eleven-year-old Hank Hooperman has been caring for his three-year-old sister, Boo, alone in their apartment for a week. Their mother, Geri, left one Wednesday saying she'd be home early and never returned. Hank feeds Boo their dwindling supply of Popsicles and saltines, changes her diapers, and plays a game they call Winner, Winner, searching for loose change to buy food. When the apartment manager pounds on the door demanding six months' back rent and threatening eviction by morning, Hank realizes he must act.

Searching through his mother's belongings, Hank finds a bus pass and, on an old field trip permission form, the name of an emergency contact: Lou Ann Adler, 131 Mumford Street, Rancho Renato. He vaguely recalls that Lou Ann was a friend of his late Grandma Mae. With no better option, Hank leaves a note for his mother and takes Boo on a bus journey across town, aided by a kind elderly passenger who provides transfer directions.

Lou Ann, a gray-haired woman who runs a toddler daycare called Tiny Tadpoles out of her home, recognizes Geri's name and takes them in. Hank calls his mother's phone repeatedly but reaches only voicemail. Lou Ann contacts Child Protective Services (CPS) and arranges for Hank to attend McNulty Middle School as a guest student. Her assistant, Celia Thomas, arranges for her brother Ray Delgado, a software engineer who lives next door, to host Hank after school.

Ray quickly becomes an important figure in Hank's life. He lends Hank an iPad, checks his homework, and agrees to drive Hank around to search for Geri. They visit Grace Community Church, where the pastor alludes to Geri's substance use, and the Blue Door restaurant, where a bartender confirms she has not seen Geri for weeks. At the family's apartment, Hank retrieves Boo's stuffed puppy and his mother's smashed old phone, which Ray offers to examine for data.

At McNulty, Hank begins building a new life. At lunch, he meets Ana Lopez, a witty fellow student who shares her burrito with him. In gym class, Coach P. pairs him with a talented fellow student named Legend, and Hank's natural ability earns him the nickname "Hoop" and encouragement to try out for the team. Hank also befriends Tadeo, Celia's son and Ray's nephew. Meanwhile, Este Cohen, Hank's CPS social worker, interviews him and learns he has no extended family: His father is unknown, his mother is an only child, and Grandma Mae died a year ago. Hank conducts his own investigation, contacting Geri's former talent agent, who reveals he dropped Geri six months earlier, explaining her inability to pay rent. At the library, Hank searches a prisoner locator website but finds nothing.

As weeks pass, Ray and Hank collaborate on an animation program that brings Hank's drawings to life, delighting Boo. Ana invites Hank to her birthday party, where he tells her he needs a friend more than a girlfriend. Then Este delivers alarming news: Mark Chesley, Boo's biological father, wants custody. Mark has never met Boo, but her birth certificate reads "Bridget Chesley," giving him a legal claim. Hank, who has a different and unknown father, would be separated from his sister. On the day of the supervised visit, Hank floods Lou Ann's garage to create a fake emergency, ensuring neither he nor Lou Ann is present. Boo cries inconsolably, and Mark and his fiancée withdraw their interest. Ray deduces what Hank did but keeps the secret.

One sleepless night, Hank reasons that if Geri were arrested, she would use a false name. He tries Dorothy Dingle, a fictional "perfect mom" character from a family joke, on the prisoner locator website. The site confirms Dorothy Dingle has been jailed in Vista Tornado since November 2, the day Geri vanished. Ray calls the facility and learns Geri has been identified, tried, and sentenced to 90 days of rehabilitation for driving under the influence. If she completes rehab and remains sober, she may regain custody.

Hank anxiously waits for Lou Ann to confirm they can stay, but Lou Ann raises the possibility of foster care, horrifying Hank. A letter arrives from Geri, who downplays her situation and praises Hank for bringing Boo to Lou Ann's.

On the afternoon of basketball tryouts, Geri appears at the school office, looking healthy and claiming Hank has a doctor's appointment. She says she graduated early from rehab and plans to drive them to Tucson, Arizona, to stay with a friend. Hank lies to Lou Ann, takes Boo, and brings her to the car. At a gas station, Geri returns with alcohol and begins drinking. Hank refuses to let Boo ride with their intoxicated mother, takes Boo into the store, and Geri drives away without them. Hank calls Lou Ann, who sends the police. Lou Ann, furious at Hank for lying and endangering Boo, declares she will keep Boo but sends Hank to foster care.

Este drives Hank to a group home. He plays basketball obsessively, whispering "Remember the piccolo," Ray's advice about how practice leads to improvement. On Christmas Eve, he writes letters to Boo, Ray, Ana, and Geri, telling his mother her behavior is destroying their lives and begging her to complete rehab. He compiles a list of his mistakes, the last item being "Trusted my mother" (261). He writes Lou Ann three letters asking to return, but she responds that she is fond of him but too old to raise teenagers.

On the day of the first McNulty game, Hank expects a visit from his mother. Instead, Ray walks through the door. He drives Hank to the game, where Coach P. offers him a second chance on the team. Afterward, Ray reveals he has completed paperwork to become an emergency foster parent and wants Hank and Boo to live with him. He explains that losing his young daughter nearly destroyed him, but, as Celia always reminds him, "the joy of having my daughter was greater than the pain of losing her" (279). Hank accepts immediately.

Ray and Boo arrive at the group home with a suitcase. In the truck, Boo holds Hank's hand and says, "Winner, winner, lutch and dinner." They move into Ray's house, where each sibling has a room across the hall. Hank reconciles with Lou Ann, who admits that sending him away was not her finest moment and reveals that her strained relationship with her own son is the source of her fear of teenagers. Life stabilizes into routines: school, basketball, Sunday dinners at Celia's, and a kitchen notebook where they record good things. Ray throws Hank a surprise twelfth birthday party with his friends.

When Este informs Hank that Ray wants to adopt both him and Boo, Hank supports Boo's adoption but says he is not ready himself. He loves Ray and considers him family, but he cannot give up on his mother yet. Ray tells him they do not need "a piece of paper to know we're a family" (305). That night, Hank sobs for a long time, grieving for the mother he loves and the life he wanted. Ray appears in the doorway and asks if he wants a hug. Hank answers, "Tomorrow." Ray responds warmly: "Tomorrow it is, Hank Hooperman. Tomorrow it is" (306).