Fun, fast, frequently dark-humored and macabre reading. ( )

Anna is a nine-year old girl with a five-year old little brother named Tom. They both really want a hamster for a pet. Their parents have told them no multiple times but after Anna and Tom’s grandmother dies, they give in and get her two Russian dwarf hamsters. Things are going great until one morning Anna wakes up to find one hamster wounded, one hamster missing and eight dead baby hamsters in the cage. Anna, Tom and their friend Suzanne launch an investigation to find out who massacred the hamsters.

I tried to read this book to my five-year old and seven-year old sons. It starts out very slow and has a few things that really disturbed my seven-year old – a hamster is cut in half by a sliding glass door and Anna and Tom’s grandmother dies. There is also a discussion of church which mentions that some characters may “go to hell”. My boys abandoned this book at Chapter 10. I went ahead and finished it by myself so I could write my review.

If you have sensitive children like I do, this book could be very disturbing for them. There is also some humor thrown in, I guess for adults reading it, that I found inappropriate. My boys don’t let things go over their heads; they ask questions until they understand it. I don’t want to have to explain why the girls stole a neighbor’s book and read it secretly in the shed (it is implied that the book is an erotic romance book).

I would not recommend this book for most children. ( )

This book's context isn't like any other book you've read before... ( )

PLUS -
* Lots of great characters - I like Anna and Suzanne's 'friends one minute, enemies the next' relationship. I loved the fact that there's a character called Joe-down-the-road (mainy because I my sister and I grew up with Helen-next-door!)
* Anna has a really good 'voice' as a narrator. She's realistic, amusing and honest. I'd like to think she's based on someone real.
* The illustrations scattered throughout the book are great and really add to the story.
* It's very funny in places - watch out for the part where Anna and Tom (and their Nanna) have The Hysterics in church - and poignant in others.

MINUS -
* I just wish the story had gone on longer, but that probably means the book is the perfect length for its real target readership. And anyway, there's going to be a sequel. Hoorah!

OVERALL -
* Perfect - read it if you're aged 8-108. I guarantee it will make you smile. ( )