The World According to Humphrey: Finally, a Good Hamster Book

I started writing a book about a hamster once. It will probably never be finished or published.

But that's okay because Betty Birney has a series about Humphrey the hamster that is very likely better than anything I could produce.

The World According to Humphrey is about a hamster who is in the care of the class in Room 26. For the most part, the children love him and take good care of him.

He has a few tricks up his (non-existent) sleeve, such as being able to open his cage door even when it appears to be locked.

He never really gets into trouble, but some of his exploits do make the humans pause to wonder once in a while.

Humphrey can't really talk to the humans, but Birney's clever style makes it seem like he can.

I really appreciated the lack of nasty language and potty talk in this book. There are only a few brief, tactful references to Humphrey's poo corner and the cleaning of it.

The only quibble I have with the story is that Humphrey squeaks - apparently loud enough for humans to hear - much more often than a real hamster does. We owned hamsters when we were kids, and our daughter owned several while still at home. The only time any of them ever made a sound was when they were hurting. Even then, it was only a brief noise. All that said, there wouldn't be much of a story here if the hamster wasn't allowed to squeak to the humans as often as he does.

I assume that the other books in this series (and I would read more, if I didn't have so many other series I want to get to) are as well-written as this first one. I heartily recommend it to all youngsters. It would make a good series for parents to read to their children too.

How to Train Your Dragon: Written by a 6th Grader?

How to Train Your Dragon is a series of 12 books (or I wouldn't be reviewing it here) as well as series of movies. There's even a website dedicated to it. There are video games and much more.

I've only read the first book - and maybe this is the reason - but I just don't get it. Why all the fuss?

The first book seems to have been written by a 6th grader.

Granted, there are no spelling or grammatical errors, but that just means it was proofread properly before it went to press.

There is an overabundance of the use of CAPITAL LETTERS AS WHEN YOU WANT SOMEONE TO BE SHOUTING.

The phrasing of sentences throughout the book just seems like it was not written by an adult.

One term that occurs multiple times is "Thors'day Thursday". It's as if the author didn't realize that Thursday IS NAMED FOR THOR. A 6th grader might not know that.

The more I think about it, the more I suspect I'm correct - at least, about the first book - because, as you can see on the cover, it says "AS TOLD TO Cressida Cowell".

I know that this COULD just be a gimmick used by the author, but is/was it? If anyone has a definitive answer to this question, I'd be interested in hearing it.

It's hard not to recommend a series that has had this much commercial success, but I just can't. Watch the movies (which may not resemble the book...I dunno) and play the games, if you like. Just don't bother to read the book.