You can learn a lot about life by observing another species. That’s what Humphrey was told when he was first brought to Room 26. And boy, is it true! In addition to his classroom escapades, each weekend this amazing hamster gets to sleep over with a different student, like Lower-Your-Voice-A.J. and Speak-Up-Sayeh. Soon Humphrey learns to read, write, and even shoot rubber bands (only in self-defense, of course). Humphrey has friends, adventures, and a cage with a lock-thatdoesn’t- lock. His life would be perfect, if only the teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, wasn’t out to get him!...

When Eben McAllister reads about the Seven Wonders of the World, he longs to escape the small farming community of Sassafras Springs and do some exploring of his own. No one else ever seems to want to leave Sassafras however -- not even his best pal, Jeb -- and so, for now, Eben figures he's stuck on the farm with Pa and Aunt Pretty until he grows up.

All that changes when his pa, tired of Eben's moping, challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras Springs that can stand up to the real Seven Wonders of the World. And if he does? Then Eben will get the adventure he's been craving for -- a trip out West. Eben doesn't reckon he'll have any luck -- he can't think of even one thing that would be called "interesting," let along wonderous, in Sassafras, but he figures he'll give it a try; there's nothing else to do in Sassafras anyway.

While his mission puzzles and annoys some of his friends and neighbors, Eben perseveres, little knowing that he is in for a big surprise. For what with a singing saw, a floating table, and a truth-telling loom (just to name a few), the Wonders Eben will discover among his neighbors, friends, and family will give him the adventure of a lifetime...without his ever leaving home.

Told in a down-home narrative with glimmers of magical realism woven throughout, and illustrated with sumptuous drawings by Matt Phelan, Betty G. Birney's tale about a boy's journey of discovery reminds us all that extraordinary things can happen in the most ordinary of places...even in Sassafras Springs....

Humphrey loves to solve problems for his classmates in Room 26, but he never meant to create one! Golden-Miranda, one of his favorite students, gets blamed when Humphrey is caught outside of his cage while she’s in charge. Since no one knows about his lock-that-doesn’t-lock, he can’t exactly squeak up to defend her. Humphrey really has his paws full when Don’t-Complain- Mandy-Payne and her family stir up more big trouble. Humphrey manages to help Pay-Attention-Art and Sit-Still-Seth and even survives a trip to the vet, but can he clear Miranda’s name without giving up his freedom forever?...

A classroom hamster has to be ready for anything, but suddenly there are LOTS-LOTS-LOTS of big surprises in HumphreyÂ’s world. Some are exciting, like a new hamster ball. But some are scary, like a run-in with a cat and a new janitor who might be from another planet. But even with all thatÂ’s going on, Humphrey finds time to help his classmates with their problems. But will Mrs. BrisbaneÂ’s unsqueakable surprise be too much for Humphrey to handle?...

You can learn a lot about life by observing another species. That’s what Humphrey was told when he was first brought to Room 26. And boy, is it true! In addition to his classroom escapades, each weekend this amazing hamster gets to sleep over with a different student, like Lower-Your-Voice-A.J. and Speak-Up-Sayeh. Soon Humphrey learns to read, write, and even shoot rubber bands (only in self-defense, of course). Humphrey has friends, adventures, and a cage with a lock-thatdoesn’t- lock. His life would be perfect, if only the teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, wasn’t out to get him!...

When Eben McAllister reads about the Seven Wonders of the World, he longs to escape the small farming community of Sassafras Springs and do some exploring of his own. No one else ever seems to want to leave Sassafras however -- not even his best pal, Jeb -- and so, for now, Eben figures he's stuck on the farm with Pa and Aunt Pretty until he grows up.

All that changes when his pa, tired of Eben's moping, challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras Springs that can stand up to the real Seven Wonders of the World. And if he does? Then Eben will get the adventure he's been craving for -- a trip out West. Eben doesn't reckon he'll have any luck -- he can't think of even one thing that would be called "interesting," let along wonderous, in Sassafras, but he figures he'll give it a try; there's nothing else to do in Sassafras anyway.

While his mission puzzles and annoys some of his friends and neighbors, Eben perseveres, little knowing that he is in for a big surprise. For what with a singing saw, a floating table, and a truth-telling loom (just to name a few), the Wonders Eben will discover among his neighbors, friends, and family will give him the adventure of a lifetime...without his ever leaving home.

Told in a down-home narrative with glimmers of magical realism woven throughout, and illustrated with sumptuous drawings by Matt Phelan, Betty G. Birney's tale about a boy's journey of discovery reminds us all that extraordinary things can happen in the most ordinary of places...even in Sassafras Springs....

The students in Room 26 are learning about boats and building their own for a race on Potter’s Pond. Humphrey the hamster loves dreaming about being a pirate and watching his friends build ships. But when he mistakenly ends up at sea on the day of the boat race, he finds himself in the middle of more adventure than he bargained for! Humphrey is back in this charming story of a hamster on the high seas of hilarity....

After the holidays, Humphrey is shocked by a big surprise in Room 26-a new class pet! Humphrey tries to be welcoming, but Og the frog doesn't respond to any of his friendly squeaks or visits (remember, he has a lock-that-doesn't-lock). Plus, the students are so interested in Og, they almost stop paying attention to Humphrey altogether. Humphrey doesn't like the mad-bad-sad feelings he's had since Og came, but luckily he still gets to have adventures with different kids on the weekends.

Friendship can be tricky, but Humphrey is an intrepid problem-solver. If any hamster can become buddies with a frog, he can.

...

Life in Sassafras Springs has always been predictable, boring even, but one afternoon that changes when Eben McAllister's pa challenges him to find Seven Wonders in Sassafras that rival the real Seven Wonders of the World. The reward? An adventure that Eben's been craving -- a trip to Colorado.

Even doesn't think he'll have any luck -- he can't think of one single thing that could be considered wondrous in Sassafras -- but he's willing to try. Little does he know that the Wonders he'll discover among his neighbors, friends, relatives, and family will give him the adventure of a lifetime...without ever leaving his home....

You can learn a lot about life by observing another species. That’s what Humphrey was told when he was first brought to Room 26. And boy is it true! There are always adventures in the classroom and each weekend he gets to sleep over with different students. Humphrey learns to read, write, shoot rubber bands (only in self-defense, of course), turn off TVs, teach English as a second language, and more. With a lock-that-doesn’t-lock and an adventurous spirit, what more could a mischievous hamster want?

With a fresh voice and an engaging, hamster’s-eye view of school, families, and treats to hide in a cheek pouch, Betty G. Birney’s Humphrey will elicit laughter and demands for hamsters in every elementary classroom....

Humphrey is in for his biggest adventure yet! When his friends begin studying the ocean and sailing, he not only discovers the new and exciting world of the library, but also stows away aboard a model boat and takes a very perilous sail on Potter’s Pond. Even with all this excitement, he fi nds time to smooth rough waters between Gail and her free-spirited mom, help competitive Kirk see that winning isn’t everything, and investigate whether his pal Aldo is really planning to become a pirate and sail the high seas.

Kids in seven states voted The World According to Humphrey the winner of their children’s choice awards and consistently rave about Humphrey....

Humphrey usually helps solve problems, but now he’s caused a big one: Golden-Miranda gets in trouble when Humphrey is caught outside of his cage on her watch. No one knows about his lock-that-doesn’t-lock and he can’t exactly squeak up on her behalf. While Humphrey manages to show Pay-Attention-Art that math is important outside of class, help Sit-Still-Seth actually sit still, and survive a trip to the vet, can he clear Miranda’s name without giving up his freedom forever?

Friendship According to Humphrey received a Christopher Award and kids voted The World According to Humphrey the winner of state book awards in RI, MD and PA. Plus, it’s nominated for eleven others so far (WA, MN, FL, LA, OK, SC, PA, NC, UT, IA, ME). Reviewers have called him "delightful," "irresistible," "big hearted" and "perky."...

After a long winter vacation, Humphrey the hamster can’t wait to see his friends in Room 26 again. But on the first day back he gets a big surprise: Room 26 has a new class pet, Og the frog! Humphrey can’t wait to be friends with Og, but Og doesn’t seem interested. To make matters worse, the students are so interested in Og, they almost stop paying attention to Humphrey altogether. Luckily he still gets to go home with different kids on the weekends and help them out with their problems. Humphrey knows that friendship can be a tricky business, but if any hamster can become buddies with a frog, Humphrey can!...