Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to be a classroom pet? If you read “The World According to Humphrey,” you’ll find out.
Humphrey is a golden hamster and was purchased by an elementary school teacher named Ms. Mac. She made everything special, from the way she bought Humphrey his own notebook and pencil, to the way she took him home every night and weekend. She’d let him run around her apartment, she made him mazes on the floor – she was a perfect hamster owner.
But as it turns out, she was just a substitute teacher, and Humphrey didn’t know that. When it came time for Mrs. Brisbane, the regular teacher, to return to the classroom and for Ms. Mac to leave, Ms. Mac decided she couldn’t take Humphrey away from the children.
There was just one really big problem – Mrs. Brisbane hated rodents, and wouldn’t take Humphrey home with her! For the first time ever, he had to spend the night alone in the school. But he was in luck – the night janitor was friendly, and started spending his dinner breaks in the classroom.
When the weekend comes, Mrs. Brisbane realizes she can’t leave Humphrey in the classroom that long, so she tells the children they will start taking turns having him over. All the children want a turn, and as Humphrey travels from home to home, he gets to know the children better and he helps them to solve some of their problems.
The person with the most insurmountable problem, though, is Mrs. Brisbane. Thanksgiving vacation rolls around and all the children will be out of town and won’t be able to take him. When Humphrey arrives at the reluctant Mrs. Brisbane’s house, he comes to understand why she’s so grumpy, and comes up with a plan to help her, too.
Your intermediate reader will love this story about Humphrey – although I warn you, you may get pestered to buy a hamster for your house!
(This book was published in 2004 by Penguin Young Readers Group.)
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