Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #284696 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .52" h x 6.44" w x 7.58" l, .52 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5-Freddy Auratus is an unusual hamster. Unlike his pet-shop mates, he has ambitions beyond traditional cage life. He wants to explore the world and resolves to attract the right buyer. His choice is Sophie, almost six, a budding bookworm with the insight to consult a hamster-care book, and he gradually teaches himself to read from her books. He even devises a secret way to open the latch of his cage. But before he can do much exploring, Sophie's mother proves allergic to hamster fur and plans to get rid of him. He stows away with a visiting family friend, despite concerns about the man's other pets. His two guinea pigs, Enrico and Caruso, are masters of low comedy and excruciatingly bad songs, but, to Freddy's surprise, Sir William, the cat, is a civilized fellow who quietly maintains order in the household. Then, when the Master brings home a computer, Freddy resolves to learn to write in hopes of communicating with the human world. Comparisons with Beverly Cleary's Ralph S. Mouse (Morrow, 1982) are probably inevitable, but Freddy is his own man-er, rodent. Illustrated with amusing black-ink sketches, this engaging story will appeal to fans of animal fantasies.
Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. Meet Freddy Auratus, golden hamster extraordinaire, escape artist, and narrator of this humorous adventure. Born at a local pet shop, Freddy engineers his own purchase and comes to live with six-year-old Sophie ("a girl in a million") and her parents. There he learns to read and escape from his cage using a pencil as a lever. When Mom's allergies act up, Freddy goes to live with Mr. John, who recognizes Freddy's superior intellect and encourages him to communicate using the computer. Freddy's appeal is not so much in what happens to him but in the humorous way he describes it. Self-confident and assured, even when facing a tomcat many times his size, Freddy is always quick with a clever comment, especially when describing the habits of his housemates, two poetic guinea pigs, Enrico and Caruso. Cepeda's line drawings break up the text and complement the informal tone of the story. One small quibble: the use of the term "pee-pee" for urine seems babyish for the intended audience; otherwise this lively book, translated from the German, will be a solid hit with anyone who likes animal stories. Kay Weisman
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