Hamstersaurus Rex vs. Squirrel Kong

Gr 3–6—The story of Sam Gibbs and the mutant classroom pet who acts as his sidekick continues. In this volume, Sam and Hamstersaurus Rex face off against a giant squirrel who appears to have ties to the shady SmilesCorp, which, in turn, seems to be linked to everything from Sam's school (especially one suspiciously cool teacher, Mr. Duderotti) to the Antique Doll Museum to Sam's mom (she works for SmilesCorp, and she's a very nice lady). O'Donnell includes even more jokes and action this time around and also cleverly reprises the most memorable characters, such as Hamster Monitor Martha Cherie and bully Kiefer "Beefer" Vanderkopf and his pet snake Michael Perkins. Sam's drawings are less prominent on this go-round, while O'Donnell's spoofs of adult behavior—including the maniacal, vengeful delusions of former SmilesCorp employee Roberta Fast and the latest lifestyle choices of the deeply sad Coach Weekes—are funnier and more pointed than ever. Like Louis Sachar and Dav Pilkey, O'Donnell writes joyful silliness for readers with a budding adolescent sense of humor, and Squirrel Kong's absurdism may resonate even with grumpy, neurotic adults.