Hamster-Saurus Rex by Tom O'Donnell - ADVISABLE

O’Donnell, Tom Hamstersaurus Rex, illustrated by Tim Miller, 257 pgs. Harper Collins, 2016. $12.99. 

Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: G.  

When Sam’s 6th grade class gets a hamster, everyone is excited but before they can even decide on a name, the hamster escapes. But Sam, who has decided to call it Hamster-Saurus Rex discovers it living in the walls of the gym teacher’s office where it has eaten an extremely large dose of bodybuilding powder. Before long, the hamster has turned into a mutant, with a dinosaur like tail, super strength and a very scary roar. 

This is a typical farce with crazy inept teachers, a bully bent on making Sam’s life miserable and 2 girls - one who like him (unrequited) and the other his best friend who he lets down.  Although it is very silly, Sam is likeable and tried to do the right thing.  This is a great, simple read for fans of Zombie Goldfish - not very literary, but certainly a lot of zany fun.

EL, MS - ADVISABLE Lisa Librarian