Book Report: FRIENDSHIP ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY!

This book is called ‘FRIENDSHIP ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY’ written by Betty G. Birney (This is the sequel to  The World According To Humphrey). It is about a little hamster named Humphrey who is a class pet. He is a really special class pet because he can read and write and works on the activities with the class. How cool! Then, after the summer break, a new classroom pet moves in and he is: Og the frog. At first, Humphrey feels jealous and thinks that Og is his replacement. Then, he starts to open up and tries to become friends with this new classroom pet. Humphrey is still the luckier one, because, he get’s to go home with the class kids and has many adventures in their houses. My favourite adventure was when Humphrey was going home with Richie (a classmate) on the bus and a mean boy bullies Richie. Humphrey cannot stand this rudeness so he tackles Mean Martin and bites him on his leg. Ow! Also when Humphrey helps the cleaner (Aldo): Aldo’s big inspiration was Humphrey when he applies for University again and he  shares with the class about the world in Humphrey’s eyes and the way he looked at it. All of a sudden, a snowstorm starts and Og and Humphrey are abandoned in the classroom for the whole of Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday! Humphrey talks to Og and figures out that Og actually means well but can’t express it. When Humphrey needed to eat his Nutri-Nibbles, he gets stuck under the packet and Og saves Humphrey from suffocating. Mrs. Brisbane (the teacher of that class) and the principal enter on Tuesday and take the two pets home. Og plays with Humphrey and Humphrey writes a poem for Og about friendship. After all, friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest, it’s about who walks into your life and proves that they are there for you.

What I like about the book:

• At the end of each chapter, there was a little quote by famous people about friendship and that was really interesting to read. My favourite quote was : "The better part of one's life consists of his friendships..." by Abraham Lincoln.
• The way Betty G. Birney makes the reader feel as if a hamster was writing and not a person.
• Humphrey rhymes : they are incredible! The students came up with great poems but I think Humphrey’s was the best. Specially the way he talks about friendship and the necessities of a true friend. The language in the poem was so touching that I am also using that in my own life now.
• At the end of the book, there is Humphrey’s guide to Friendship and how to be a good friend. He also talks about what the attitude you need to produce is.
• As Humphrey writes, he not only talks about friendship and it’s importance but through his writing, he proves that any sort of animal is very special and unique in their own way. The message that comes through to me other than that ‘friendship is important’ is: Embrace anything that an animal (or person) has. Don’t shrug people off or tell them that they are useless or mean or shy and not open. Experience their actual self before you gossip and embrace their ups and downs and goods and bads, together.

I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK A 9 OUT OF 10 RATING!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING FRIENDSHIP ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY!

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE ON AMAZON FOR $5.99!

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE ON GUARDIAN BOOKSHOP FOR £4.79!

Book Report: DYING TO MEET YOU #1

 This book is called ‘DYING TO MEET YOU’ Written by Kate Klise. It is about an author called Ignatius. B Grumply who wants to rent a house to write in for the summer. He needs to finish the thirteenth book in the Ghost Tamer series but he doesn’t want any children around him. After a few look throughs, he picks a house on 43 Old Cemetery Road and asks his editor to handle all his paperwork for him. Little does he know that a surprise will be waiting for him at the house. He moves into the house and finds that an 11 year old boy named Seymour and his cat, Shadow, live in that house too and have no intentions of leaving or sharing. (Seymour’s parents left him alone while they travelled to Europe and said they weren’t cut-out to be his parents.) Seymour makes up rumours about a ghost named Olive C Spencer who still lives in the house. But, are the rumours actually rumours??? Ignatius. B Grumply writes back to his editor and asks him to unsign the mess that he’d got into. When his editor can’t do that, Ignatius makes up a few rules that Seymour has to follow in the house. Seymour adds to the rules and the two are all fine. Ignatius has a really bad case of writer’s block. Seymour has his ghost friend, Olive, who plays on the piano and lives in the cupola. One night, Olive invites Seymour and Ignatius to dinner and Ignatius starts to think that Seymour is a genius because he thinks that Seymour coded an imaginary hand to scoop up spoonfuls of food and vanish into thin air. Was Seymour really a coding genius or is Olive really a ghost? Read the book to find out. All I will say now, is that after a few misunderstandings are cleared, Olive helps Ignatius write his 13th book in the series and Ignatius writes the full story with her. In the end, Ignatius buys the house and lives with his new family – Olive, Seymour, and not to mention Shadow the cat – happily ever after!

What I like about the book:

• I love the way the author tells a whole story just through letters . Olive and Ignatius talk to each other through letters that they send to Seymour! And the book is formatted as letters – how innovative is that?!
• I like how Kate Klise who is a real author writes about another author as a character in the book. It was annoying how Ignatius was so arrogant at first but then it is funny and happy how he opened up to Olive in the end.
• I like how the author makes simple but funny connection in the book, like, when she describes the address as 43 Old Cemetery Rd so readers know it’s haunted. She calls the cat ‘Shadow’ to state that he is mysterious and Ignatius is really grumpy at the start, therefore, his last name is Grumply.
• I like that Seymour was a really cool character with a lot of power and punch. He was somebody who stood up for what he believed in. I like that because most of my friends and I are like that.
• Fun time! Here is a little quiz for kids who have read the book:

1.   Which town is 43 Old Cemetery Road in?

2.   Who built the house?

3.   Who played the piano?

4.   What was the name of Ignatius’ editor?

5.    What was the name of the publisher?

6.   What was funny about the name of the publisher?

I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK A 8 out of 10 rating!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING DYING TO MEET YOU #1!

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE ON AMAZON FOR $5.99!