The Great Hamster Massacre

July 11, 2011
In this flippantly twisted debut, first published in the U.K., nine-year-old Anna relays quite the tale of woe. Her easygoing cat was run over by a car, and the bad-natured New Cat literally scares a friend's pet rabbit to death. The cat is "Reason Number One" that Anna's mother (who previously owned two hamsters that met outlandish demises) refuses to let Anna and her younger brother, Tom, get a hamster, believing that it couldn't possibly survive. But after Anna's grandmother dies, her mother relents and buys a pair of hamsters. Not surprisingly, these animals soon suffer misfortune: Anna and Tom discover the hamster's eight newborn offspring dead in their bloodied cage; one of the hamster parents has disappeared, and the other is missing a leg (and eventually dies). Alas, the kids' bumbling investigation turns up no culprits. Despite its grisly subject matter, the novel is genuinely funny, largely due to Anna's refreshing spontaneity, wry observations, and matter-of-fact attitude. Shaw's droll pictures also buoy the saga, which continues with The Great Rabbit Rescue, out in December. Ages 8â12.

April 1, 2011

Fans of Ivy and Bean will enjoy meeting their counterparts across the Pond: best friends and next-door neighbors Anna and Suzanne. Together, the girls sow happy chaos in their English village, along with Anna's little brother, Tom, Joe-down-the-street and assorted human and animal enablers. Anna, the narrator, has her heart set on a new pet. Their current one, New Cat, acquired to replace the more accommodating Old Cat (victim of a sad mishap), is fierce and unfriendly (handlers are advised to wear gardening gloves). A successful wheedling campaign and coincidental sad family event produce results: two hamsters, both certified (wrongly) as female. Ere long, a blessed event ensues. Like life, novels unfold while the characters—Anna, in this case—are busy making plans, and Anna's fountain of ideas convincingly tracks the busy 9-year-old mind down to the smallest, delightful detail. Inspired use of simple words, straightforward syntax and effective repetition make this a top pick for slow or reluctant readers. The art is clever, but the cartoonish style with limited affect might mislead readers expecting a Captain Underpants experience. Be warned: Under the plot's frothy surface lie serious depths (hint: Look at the title). An auspicious debut, with a sequel (The Great Rabbit Rescue) waiting in the wings. (Fiction. 8-12)

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September 1, 2011

Gr 3-4-This British import addresses a truly dreadful phenomenon that many young pet owners are nonetheless familiar with: the death-by-parent of a litter of newborn hamsters. Although nine-year-old Anna desperately wants a hamster, her mother refuses. However, after a death in the family, she relents, and Anna and her brother, Tom, become the owners of what they believe to be two female hamsters. After Hamster Number One surprises the family by giving birth to eight babies, Anna is shocked to visit the cage in the morning to find the babies dead and Hamster Number Two missing. Instead of admitting the obvious, she decides to find the killer and bring him or her to justice. With the help of Tom, her friend Suzanne, and the advice of a neighbor "who used to be in the police," Anna questions her friends, family, and neighbors about their whereabouts and motives regarding the creatures. What follows is an interesting take on how children deal with grief and shock, with a refreshing lack of condescension toward Anna, and by extension, young readers. Although the case is never conclusively solved, most readers won't mind. Anna's voice is engaging, and portrayals of various pets and neighbors (with accompanying hand-drawn side notes and cartoons) will entertain more than the mystery itself. One warning: some children may have a hard time with this book, which chronicles up to 15 pet deaths, including the hamsters. With that in mind, give this dark comedy to reluctant readers, mystery lovers, and fans of narrator-illustrated fare like Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books or Tom Angleberger's The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (2010, both Abrams).-Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2011
Grades 3-5 Twelve-year-old Anna, her younger brother, Tom, and Anna's best friend, Suzanne, are drawn into the mystery of the great hamster massacre. Following the passing of their beloved Nana and after years of insisting they will never have hamsters, their mother relents and buys two male Russian Dwarf hamsters. Weeks later, when one of the hamster's girth expands, they realize they have a female hamster that is about to birth babies. Unfortunately, Anna soon discovers the babies have been killed, one of the adult hamsters is missing, and the other is badly wounded. The young detectives are on the case to determine what happened. This British import is an interesting mix of British humor with serious issues interspersed. Whimsical, cartoonish pen-and-ink illustrations accompany the story and help lighten the seriousness. Beware that scenes of the massacre might startle more sensitive children. This is the first in a series that will appeal to fans of Roald Dahl and Dick King-Smith.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)