I, Freddy (Golden Hamster Saga Series #1), Vol. 1 by Dietlof Reiche, Joe Cepeda (Illustrator), John Brownjohn (Translator)

From the Publisher

Freddy is not happy with his boring treadmill life at the pet store. He continaully embarrasses himself in an attempt to get adopted. Freddy believes he will have a more civilized and exciting life as soon as he has a home. After a series of funny misadventures (including encounters with a fierce tomcat and two guinea pigs who speak in Shakespearean couplets) he teaches himself to read and write. He then pens his witty and heartwarming autobiography that tells of his journey to self discovery. A hamster has never been smarter or funnier in telling the tale of his exceptional life.

Publishers Weekly

The debut volume of the Golden Hamster Saga opens as the titular rodent begins writing his life story. The translation captures the considerable wit of the narrative, PW said. Spare yet comical, the line art reveals endearing views of Freddy. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Daniel Peters - Children's Literature

Freddy is not a regular old hamster; he's a golden hamster, scientifically known as Mesocricetus auratus, the best of the best. But this golden hamster is even better than the best of the best; this hamster can read and write! This bright hamster has two problems keeping him from his desire to write: how to get out of his pet store cage and how to write once he escapes? This hungry literary hamster will think of something! This amusing book uses very descriptive language and humor. With 203 pages, it is long enough to engage the reader for an enjoyable read. The page layout is clean, but the illustrations are a disappointment. The pen line drawings are straight, boxy, jagged, and not realistic. Despite the disappointing artwork, this is a good book for anyone ages 6 to 12 years old. 2003, Scholastic Press, Ages 6 to 12.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Freddy Auratus is an unusual hamster. Unlike his pet-shop mates, he has ambitions beyond traditional cage life. He wants to explore the world and resolves to attract the right buyer. His choice is Sophie, almost six, a budding bookworm with the insight to consult a hamster-care book, and he gradually teaches himself to read from her books. He even devises a secret way to open the latch of his cage. But before he can do much exploring, Sophie's mother proves allergic to hamster fur and plans to get rid of him. He stows away with a visiting family friend, despite concerns about the man's other pets. His two guinea pigs, Enrico and Caruso, are masters of low comedy and excruciatingly bad songs, but, to Freddy's surprise, Sir William, the cat, is a civilized fellow who quietly maintains order in the household. Then, when the Master brings home a computer, Freddy resolves to learn to write in hopes of communicating with the human world. Comparisons with Beverly Cleary's Ralph S. Mouse (Morrow, 1982) are probably inevitable, but Freddy is his own man-er, rodent. Illustrated with amusing black-ink sketches, this engaging story will appeal to fans of animal fantasies.-Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Literature becomes liberator in this story of a golden hamster who wants more from life than an exercise wheel. Purchased to be the pet of a little girl named Sophie, Freddy teaches himself to read and to leave his cage at will (he’s typing the story on his owner’s computer). When Sophie’s mother’s hamster-hostility banishes him to the home of a translator of books, he negotiates the society of Sir William the cat and Enrico and Caruso, the rhyming guinea pigs--and realizes his destiny as a reader and a writer (using his new owner’s computer). Fleshing out this slim story are fairly beguiling details of insight into hamster behavior and priorities and Cepeda’s amusing black-and-white spot illustrations of the blocky, self-important hamster as he conquers his world. The story rather quickly becomes a one-note joke, however, that being Freddy’s unrelievedly arch voice--a tedious joke at that. There are five Freddy books in Germany; let’s hope that the others offer more than this one. (Fiction. 8-12)

Product Details