The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney

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Description:

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 having FUN-FUN-FUN in class, 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). With lots of friends to help, adventures to enjoy, and a cage with a lock-that-doesn’t- lock, Humphrey's life is almost perfect. If only the teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, wasn’t out to get him!

General Content:

Language: 0/10- Little to no derogatory language/ references.

Alcohol & Drugs: 0/10- No alcohol or drug content.

Violence & Gore: 0/10- Little to no violence or gore.

Sexual Content: 0/10- No sexual content.

Age Recommendation: 7-10, 2nd-4th Grade

Parent Guide:

Ch. 2

-Humphrey talks about when Mrs. Brisbane read her class a story about a Ghost:

“It was about a scary house and these scratching noises and… a ghost! THUMP-THUMP-THUMP, the ghost came down the hall! ….The story had a funny ending because it turned out the ghost wasn’t a ghost at all. It was an owl!”.

-Humphrey is worried about what Mrs. Brisbane’s house is like; he worries her house might have a ghost. He has the same fear about the empty classroom.

Ch. 4

-A couple of the students' moms come after class and talk about bringing bats, witches, and cats to decorate the classroom for Halloween.

Ch. 5

-The night custodian asks Humphrey if he would ever want a girlfriend. He then tells Humphrey that he would like a “real nice girlfriend” one day.

Ch. 8

-They decorate the classroom for Halloween. Aldo comes in and asks Humphrey if he’s dressing up for Halloween; “Halloween is when the ghosts and goblins come out to play”.

-One of the students dressed up as a devil, and 2 of the class moms dressed as witches.

-Aldo tells Humphrey that he met a kind girl named Maria, and he plans to take her on a movie and lunch date the next day.

Ch. 9

-While visiting a student's house for the weekend, the student shows Humphrey pictures of her family, including her dad and stepmom, among other family members.

-Humphrey thought spinning on the wheel would hypnotize the students' dog.

Ch. 10

-Garth, a student, begins acting up in class (hitting others with rubber bands, being unkind to Humphrey, and letting his grades slip). He later tells his teacher that his mom is very sick, and all the stress has caused him to misbehave.

-Aldo comes in super happy, telling Humphrey it’s all because of the couple of dates he’s been on with Maria. He admits that he wants to marry her one day.

Ch. 11

-A.J. (a student) tells his mom that he keeps getting shot with rubber bands in the back by Garth: ”’ But you two used to be friends,’ his mother said. ‘Used to be,’ said A.J. ‘Until he turned into a jerk’”.

-A.J.’s dad tells his kids that his grandmother would often tell him ghost stories.

Ch. 14

-Mrs. Brisbane takes home Humphrey for Thanksgiving break; her husband is extremely grumpy. We later find out that he was hit by a car the year prior and is wheelchair bound. He is learning to be grateful to simply be alive despite his circumstances.

Ch. 15

-Humphrey talks about all the exciting holidays during Christmas break:

“Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanzaa”. This weekend, it’s Gail’s (a student) turn to take him home; he gets to watch her family light the menorah.