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Zusatztext "A likable hamster narrates this novel for newly independent readers….Birney succeeds in developing the animal's character without the narrative becoming too cute or contrived. Humphrey’s views underscore the importance of knowing the full story before making judgments! and his presence makes a positive difference in the lives of the people he meets. All in all! a winning book that will appeal to children who like tales about animals! school life! and friendship." —School Library Journal "The story deftly avoids triteness while still feeling breezy and acknowledging deeply felt troubles! such as Mrs. Brisbane’s husband’s depression. The pet-care tips punctuating each chapter would benefit any youngster thinking about getting a hamster! but for everyone else! this read is simply good-good-good." —Kirkus Reviews Informationen zum Autor Betty G. Birney has won many awards for writing for television, including an Emmy, three Humanitas Prizes, and a Writers Guild of America Award, and she won the Christopher Award for Friendship According to Humphrey. In addition to the Humphrey series, she is the author of The Seven Wonders of Sassafrass Springs and The Princess and the Peabody's. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where her parents grew up as neighbors on Humphrey Street. Her website, bettybirney.com, is full of fun Humphrey activities and information. Klappentext The first in the series about everyone's favorite classroom pet! You can learn a lot about life by observing another species. That's what Humphrey was told when he was first brought to Room 26. And boy is it true! There are always adventures in the classroom and each weekend he gets to sleep over with different students. Humphrey learns to read, write, shoot rubber bands (only in self-defense, of course), turn off TVs, teach English as a second language, and more. With a lock-that-doesn't-lock and an adventurous spirit, what more could a mischievous hamster want? With a fresh voice and an engaging, hamster's-eye view of school, families, and treats to hide in a cheek pouch, Betty G. Birney's Humphrey will elicit laughter and demands for hamsters in every elementary classroom. Also available in Spanish as El Mundo de acuerdo a Humphrey . Chapter 1: The Return of Mrs. Brisbane Today was the worst day of my life. Ms. Mac left Room 26 of Longfellow School. For good. And that's bad. Worse yet, Mrs. Brisbane came back. Until today, I didn't even know there was a Mrs. Brisbane. Lucky me. Now I want to know: What was Ms. Mac thinking? She must have known that soon she'd be leaving with out me. And that Mrs. Brisbane would come back to Room 26 and I'd be stuck with her. I still like-okay, love -Ms. Mac more than any human or hamster on earth, but what was she thinking? “You can learn a lot about yourself by taking care of another species,” she told me on the way home the day she got me. “You'll teach those kids a thing or two.” That’s what she was thinking. I don't think she was thinking very clearly. I'm never going to squeak to her again. Of course, I'll probably never see her again because she's GONE GONE-GONE-but if she comes back, I'm not even going to look at her. (I know that last sentence doesn't make sense. It's hard to make sense when your heart is broken.) On the other hand, until Ms. Mac arrived, I was going nowhere down at Pet-O-Rama. My days were spent sitting around, looking at a bunch of furry things in cages just like mine. We were treated all right: regular meals, clean cages, music piped in all day. Over the music, Carl, the store clerk, would answer the phone: “Open nine to nine, seven days a week. Corner of Fifth and Alder, next to the Dairy Maid." Back then, I feared I'd never see Fifth and Alder, much less the Dairy Maid. Sometimes I'd see human eyes and noses (not always as clean as they ...
