Hawthorne Elementary is hamster happy; thanks to a book the entire student body has been reading called The World According to Humphrey, by Betty G. Birney. The students are so enamored, they are sharing the books with everyone around them from principals to bus drivers, aides, custodians and secretaries. Adding to the excitement is the fact that a real, live hamster (named Humphrey, of course), has been making the rounds throughout the building, and visiting two classrooms each day.
The endeavor is part of “One Hawthorne, One Book,” a project designed to get the entire school community reading in unity. Following a set schedule, families are reading aloud one chapter each day at home together. An online calendar lists daily chapter readings with links to surprises. Organizers hope to encourage a love of reading at home and school. Guest readers, including Dr. John Kellogg, Superintendent of Westerville City Schools, have been videotaped reading chapters that families can access online at home. In addition, trivia questions are being asked over the intercom each day, with winning students receiving another book in the series. Third graders even got to Skype with the author. They had lots of questions for her about the writing process and how she came up with the idea to use a hamster for the main character.
Humphrey, the first book in a series about everyone’s favorite classroom pet, tells the heartwarming tale of hamster who lives in room 26 at an elementary school, but goes home on weekends with school staff members and students. Humphrey and his caretakers learn from each other through shared experiences. His lively, first-person narrative, filled with witty commentary on human and hamster behavior, makes for an engaging and entertaining read, as any Hawthorne student will testify.