When the blame for monstrous destruction lands on Hamstersaurus Rex, Sam must clear his tiny, half-dino buddy’s name.
Bully Kiefer “Beefer” Vanderkoff has been expelled from Horace Hotwater Middle School, and as Hamster Monitor, Sam gets to care for his class pet: a mutated, junk-food–obsessed hamster/dinosaur hybrid. All’s well…until the school is visited by rodential destruction on a mass scale and Hammie is the only possible culprit in everyone’s eyes. Everyone, that is, except Sam, who, while filming Chinchillazilla vs. MechaChinchillazilla (starring Hammie, of course), is attacked by a 12-foot-tall squirrel. Sam discovers that someone is controlling Squirrel Kong (his money’s on Beefer), and Sam has to prove it in order to save Hammie from being sent away to the Irma Bergstrom Memorial Home for Troubled Small Pets. When this seems impossible, Sam teams up with several former nemeses to expose the real culprit. Can he do it before a classmate tries to claim a $300 reward for information on Hammie’s whereabouts or before Squirrel Kong destroys the whole town? O’Donnell’s sequel to Hammie’s eponymous first outing (2016) is as goofball as the first. Dotted with Miller’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations—in which Sam is depicted as white, with classmates of various skin tones—it’s sure to please those who enjoyed Hammie and Sam’s first adventure.
The “2” on the spine and the cliffhanger ending indicate more genetically modified fun to come—hurrah. (Science fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: June 27, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-237756-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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With Ivan’s movie out this year from Disney, expect great interest—it will be richly rewarded.
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Tiny, sassy Bob the dog, friend of The One and Only Ivan (2012), returns to tell his tale.
Wisecracking Bob, who is a little bit Chihuahua among other things, now lives with his girl, Julia, and her parents. Happily, her father works at Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary, the zoo where Bob’s two best friends, Ivan the gorilla and Ruby the elephant, live, so Bob gets to visit and catch up with them regularly. Due to an early betrayal, Bob doesn’t trust humans (most humans are good only for their thumbs); he fears he’s going soft living with Julia, and he’s certain he is a Bad Dog—as in “not a good representative of my species.” On a visit to the zoo with a storm threatening, Bob accidentally falls into the gorilla enclosure just as a tornado strikes. So that’s what it’s like to fly. In the storm’s aftermath, Bob proves to everyone (and finally himself) that there is a big heart in that tiny chest…and a brave one too. With this companion, Applegate picks up where her Newbery Medal winner left off, and fans will be overjoyed to ride along in the head of lovable, self-deprecating Bob on his storm-tossed adventure. His wry doggy observations and attitude are pitch perfect (augmented by the canine glossary and Castelao’s picture dictionary of dog postures found in the frontmatter). Gorilla Ivan described Julia as having straight, black hair in the previous title, and Castelao's illustrations in that volume showed her as pale-skinned. (Finished art not available for review.)
With Ivan’s movie out this year from Disney, expect great interest—it will be richly rewarded. (afterword) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-299131-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new...
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How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.
Living in a "domain" of glass, metal and cement at the Big Top Mall, Ivan sometimes forgets whether to act like a gorilla or a human—except Ivan does not think much of humans. He describes their behavior as frantic, whereas he is a peaceful artist. Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous, observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery. His sorrow is palpable, but he stoically endures the cruelty of humans until Ruby the baby elephant is abused. In a pivotal scene, Ivan finally admits his domain is a cage, and rather than let Ruby live and die in grim circumstances, he promises to save her. In order to express his plea in a painting, Ivan must bravely face buried memories of the lush jungle, his family and their brutal murder, which is recounted in a brief, powerful chapter sure to arouse readers’ passions. In a compelling ending, the more challenging question Applegate poses is whether or not Ivan will remember what it was like to be a gorilla. Spot art captures poignant moments throughout.
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-199225-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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