The Great Hamster Massacre

Gr 3—4—This British import addresses a truly dreadful phenomenon that many young pet owners are nonetheless familiar with: the death-by-parent of a litter of newborn hamsters. Although nine-year-old Anna desperately wants a hamster, her mother refuses. However, after a death in the family, she relents, and Anna and her brother, Tom, become the owners of what they believe to be two female hamsters. After Hamster Number One surprises the family by giving birth to eight babies, Anna is shocked to visit the cage in the morning to find the babies dead and Hamster Number Two missing. Instead of admitting the obvious, she decides to find the killer and bring him or her to justice. With the help of Tom, her friend Suzanne, and the advice of a neighbor "who used to be in the police," Anna questions her friends, family, and neighbors about their whereabouts and motives regarding the creatures. What follows is an interesting take on how children deal with grief and shock, with a refreshing lack of condescension toward Anna, and by extension, young readers. Although the case is never conclusively solved, most readers won't mind. Anna's voice is engaging, and portrayals of various pets and neighbors (with accompanying hand-drawn side notes and cartoons) will entertain more than the mystery itself. One warning: some children may have a hard time with this book, which chronicles up to 15 pet deaths, including the hamsters. With that in mind, give this dark comedy to reluctant readers, mystery lovers, and fans of narrator-illustrated fare like Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books or Tom Angleberger's The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (2010, both Abrams).—Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City