The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
“Today was the worst day of my life. Ms. Mac left Room 26 of Longfellow School. For good. And that’s bad.
“‘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.)”
Humphrey is a hamster and the classroom pet of Room 26. And he reads and writes and does pretty well on the vocabulary quizzes. And Ms. Mac was right, after all. The students of Room 26 do learn a lot about themselves by taking care of Humphrey. (And Humphrey learns a lot about himself by taking care of them.) Humphrey is a wonderful character with a strong voice. This book is both funny and charming.
If you liked Waiting for the Magic you’ll enjoy this book.
Oregon Battle of the Books at Springville 