Mysteries According to Humphrey

According to Humphrey #8

by Betty G. Birney

EEK-EEK-EEK! Mrs. Brisbane is missing!
Humphrey has always investigated things, like why Speak-Up-Sayeh was so quiet and Tall-Paul and Small-Paul didn't get along, but this is a true mystery--Mrs. Brisbane is missing! She just didn't show up in Room 26 one morning and no one told Humphrey why. The class has a substitute teacher, called Mr. E., but he's no Mrs. Brisbane. Humphrey has just learned about Sherlock Holmes, so he vows to be just as SMART-SMART-SMART about collecting clues and following leads to solve the mystery of Mrs. Brisbane (and a few others along the way).
Nominated for twenty-four state awards and the winner of seven, the Humphrey series is a hit across the country.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Chapter Books, Childrens, Animals, Fantasy, School

161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2012

About the author

From kindergarten through graduation, I attended school in Affton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Then I graduated from Webster College (now Webster University) in Webster Groves, Missouri. Of course, I majored in English and kept on writing.

After working in advertising in St. Louis, Missouri and in Chicago, Illinois, I eventually moved to Southern California. First, I worked for Disneyland (fun job!) in the advertising department. The monorail whizzed past my window all day long. Then I worked at the Disney Studio in Burbank, where I had another fun job, writing and producing television and radio commercials and theatrical trailers (previews of coming attractions) for everything from re-releases of "Cinderella" and "Fantasia" to "Tex."

When the Disney Channel was started, I became a writer and story editor for WELCOME TO POOH CORNER. Since then, I've written more than 200 episodes of animated and live-action television programs including MADELINE, DOUG, BOBBY'S WORLD, DUMBO'S CIRCUS, THE PUZZLE PLACE, CAMP CANDY, LITTLE MOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, WHERE'S WALDO, FRAGGLE ROCK and ZOOBILEE ZOO. That's right, I write cartoons! I also wrote a number of award-winning afterschool specials and many interactive CD-ROM programs, including the award-winning "Berenstain Bears on their Own," "Richard Scarry's Busiest Neighborhood Ever," and "The Crayon Factory."

A made-for-television family movie I wrote, MARY CHRISTMAS, starring John Schneider, Cynthia Gibb and Tom Bosley, aired on the PAX network in 2002. It was the highest rated movie in PAX history and has aired each Christmas season since then.

I have been fortunate enough to win a Writer's Guild of America Award and three Humanitas Prizes (as well as two other nominations). In 2002, I won a Daytime Emmy Award for MADELINE, after two previous Emmy nominations. More recently, I received the Christopher Award for FRIENDSHIP ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY, many children's choice awards for THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY and was inducted into the Affton (MO) School District Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable! My 8 year old has read this series about 8 times now and selected this for together reading. She loves it because "there are no bad guys." My 10 year old and I had some laughs, too. I recommend this series for animal loving, sensitive, young readers.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally found some "new" parts from this series in the new library I subscribed to. I really love Humphrey and I do hope that one day I will be able to read them all!

In this volume we got various things happening. We got mysteries, Halloween, substitute teacher, a mysterious disappearing (which to the rest wasn't so mysterious or disappearing) and of course one cute and very smart hamster.

Humphrey was brilliant again, I love how he thinks and how he tries to help the class, or how he participates in the lessons. He is always very active. It is really great fun to see him get smarter or learn more and more.
I really liked how he tried to figure out the mystery of Mrs. Brisbane, how he wrote down little notes in a tiny notebook (how nobody every found it, remains a mystery).

I would have loved having a hamster in my classroom back when I was a little kid. I would be delighted to watch over him and feed him.

The kids in the classroom are fun kids, they really care about their teachers, about their pets and they really do their best. I will be sad when they will leave and Humphrey will get a new class (since I am guessing this will happen, or maybe the story will just stop at that point).

While most of the story takes place in the school (of course), we also have a few parts where Humphrey leaves for the weekend and gets taken to stay with one of the kids in his class.

Also that cover, how can anyone resist that? I just want to hug the cover, it is so cute.

All in all, this was a delightful read and I can't wait to read the other Humphrey book I got from the library. I would really recommend this cute books to everyone. To little kids who love hamsters or stories from the perspective of a pet, to adults who just need some cuteness in their lives.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day Mrs. Brisbane was reading an exciting Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Red Headed League, to the class and is teaching the students of Rm. 26 to be word detectives. The next day she was missing. Humphrey doesn’t understand how this could be. When she left the night before she said “See you tomorrow.” She’d never broken her word before.

Mrs. Brisbane is gone. Mr. E is the substitute teacher who doesn’t seem to be teaching or helping his friends learn. Humphrey must help them on his own. He must collect the clues and bring Mrs. Brisbane back. He must find out what happened and how he is involved. Mrs. Brisbane’s first note said, “I was all because of Humphrey.” It seems that one mystery leads to more. Humphrey is unsqueakably confused but is as determined as Sherlock Holmes to put all the pieces together until all the mysteries are solved and Mrs. Brisbane is found. Finally then Og, Humphrey and all the students in Rm. 26 can be GLAD GLAD GLAD.

[Ellie Brillhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book at the library in the little kids section while waiting for my sister. Even though it was for younger kids it kept me at the edge of my seat. Humphrey the hamster is always going on adventures in the classroom (for he is a class pet). I give this book five stars because it was very good and I am proud to say I will be reading the rest of the series. I recommend this book to any kids or someone young at heart.

[Hedwig · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love hamsters you will love this book from a class hamster's presprective.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read together with my second-grade son. That Humphrey is rather smart, and quite charming.

[Kurt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was chosen for the "One School, One Book" program at the elementary school where I am currently employed as a literacy tutor. All students and staff were asked to read it for the month of January. So, of course, I was very happy to comply with that request and to set a good example to all the young students that I work with.

This is an enjoyable book about Humphrey, a hamster in a cage in Mrs. Brisbane's classroom. Humphrey is not your ordinary hamster. He can read, he can understand English, and he has great reasoning abilities for a non-human. Unfortunately, he cannot speak any language other than Hamster, so no one else is aware of what a remarkable being Humphrey is.

When Mrs. Brisbane goes missing and requires a substitute teacher (the mysterious Mr. E.) to take her place, Humphrey takes it upon himself to solve the question of what happened to her. Along the way, Humphrey solves many other questions and even manages to covertly help some of the members of the class.

Even at 60 years of age I enjoyed reading this. I am certain that I would have really enjoyed it if it had been available to me when I was a grade schooler myself.

[Poppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysteries According To Humphrey is a thoroughly enjoyable novel to read and it was very addictive!

In this book, Humphrey solves a number of mysteries to help his friends, including Phoebe, Thomas, Joey and more!

I can't wait to read the next book !

[Dalia Ghorab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another reading challenge with my little daughter :)
Humphrey’s really cute and I really enjoyed this.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jon rates this 5 stars and his review is, "It was pretty good."

[Aubrey Benishek · Rating 3 out of 5]

HAPPY-HAPPY-HAPPY to read along with my 7 year old. She enjoyed, big time 🐹

[Rina]

This is very alluring my self to mystery. The main character names Humphrey ( he is hamster ) is very resilient pet. At the beginning of the book, I wondered why he can speak with the people. But someone not, but I thought people noticed how Humphrey thinking about him self. So that looks like they talking each other. The most of big happening is teachers Mrs. Brisbane didn't come to school, So someone came as substitute name is Edonopolous as Mr.E . He going to make many bad happening during this class that never been happened in this class when Mrs. Brisbane teaching. I especially liked Mr. E makes many happening during this class. It looks like comparing teachers how they works and personality. Moreover, really like How Humphrey get clues into the this class little by little information from during school. I thought this book is very mystery and very interesting. I recommend to people like want to read mystery and if you like school story, you should read it!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2017 Summer Reading Challenge theme is Animal Agents. So I thought I'd round off the year's Chatterbooks sessions with a book that fitted the theme. This is a light easy read that will appeal especially to the junior end of the group. It was good fun.

[MrsRifReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading it with a book club and they love it. Excellent book for analyzing character traits, great mystery vocabulary words that force kids to use context clues, making inferences and predictions—also the POV is from a hamster and kids love it. Just bought the rest of the series for my class.

[madalyn ( polaroid books ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Mysteries According to Humphrey... Ahh, it will forever be a mystery to me.

Honestly, I read this book because I haven't been to the library in a month. I mean, reading skinny punch books has actually been a treat for me. I have almost read ten books this month. That is a big accomplishment for me. The Mysteries According to Humphrey wasn't a treat, it was a mystery that I will probably never solve because I am not a detective.

The Mysteries According to Humphrey is about a hamster and he supposedly solves mysteries that only hamsters can solve. He didn't really solve a mystery in this book at all. AT ALL. I READ 14 CHAPTERS TO NOT HAVE A MYSTERY!

THINGS THAT DROVE ME BANANAS:

Humphrey could supposedly talk?! Wait, he talks to people and they get what he is saying, but Og the frog just says, "BOING-BOING-BOING!" Obviously if you can not tell, this got annoying.
Humphrey could write. He has a notebook and he writes clues. I didn't know hamsters can write.
People say to me, "Honey, you have to use your imagination." I mostly read YA books. I don't read a lot of middle grade. YA books don't include hamsters that talk in first point of view and they stay in their cage all day long. The reading level for this book was for third graders, but I was beyond desperate to find something to read. Two stars for everyone. This book was not the one for me.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another fun story in the Humprhey series by Betty G. Birney. I introduced my oldest to these books when I brought the first one home from England as a present. She has really taken to these books and I am so grateful, since she's read virtually nothing but fairy books for the last two years. We both read these books separately and then discuss the plots and themes. These books involve a class of third graders and the stories have a lot of moral lessons that are very age appropriate for children this age.

In this story, the school year continues, but Mrs. Brisbane mysteriously disappears for several days. Humphrey becomes a detective and each chapter becomes a separate case for him. The story is entertaining and Humphrey learns about the importance of paying attention to clues and using reasoning to solve a puzzle. There's also a bit of a Halloween theme, since it's still the beginning of the school. Our oldest was thrilled to find more books available in this series, but I think she's starting to grow out of them. Still, it was a quick, fun read - it took me about an hour to finish this one.

[Irene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I think it's one of the best in the series!

As the title indicates, there's a mystery in this installment. One morning, Mrs. Brisbane does not show up for school, and no one knows why! All the humans find out the reason soon enough, but nobody thinks to tell Humphrey. To him, it's "The Case of the Missing Mrs." The class has a substitute called Mr. E. ("Mister E", "mystery", get it?), and it's also a mystery why he continually leads the class in games instead of teaching them! Mr. E.'s teaching really was an effective portrayal of ineffective teaching. Both my kids (ages 6 and 9) weren't fooled by all the fun, and they quickly realized that a good teacher ought to be organized and clean, keep discipline in the classroom, and actually teach lessons.

The class also spends some time in this book reading "The Red-Headed League", a Sherlock Holmes story. I am almost ashamed to admit that I have never read a Sherlock Holmes book! The references to "The Red-Headed League" sufficiently piqued my interest that I dare say I might try to pick up a Sherlock Holmes book soon.

[Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

146 pages
Realistic Fiction
By Betty G. Birney

Mysteries According to Humphrey is the 8th Humphrey book! It is about a classroom hamster, Humphrey, who lives at Longfellow School in Room 26 - Mrs. Brisbane's room. He observes his classmates and tries to help them through their problems (like Be-Careful-Kelsey, who Humphrey helps to become more careful). But one day, Mrs. Brisbane goes missing! Their substitute, Mr. E (which Humphrey pronounces MYSTERY) doesn't teach them anything, plays games all day, and never gives homework! What happened to Mrs. Brisbane, and will she ever return?

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I'd recommend it to anyone 3-95 years old! The story is told from Humphrey's point of view, so you don't know anyone's thoughts. This book keeps you guessing until the very, very end! This is, by far, the best mystery I have ever read... and I have read a LOT of mysteries! I loved how more and more clues are given throughout the book. I loved getting to guess and guess and guess until I was told exactly what had happened! AMAZING!!!! :)

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Humphrey books are one of my favorite elementary grade series. The books are always well written and are just perfect for elementary students. They are a quick read and make an excellent class read a loud. Students will be entertained by Humphrey’s antics. Adults will appreciate the lessons he teaches (and students won’t mind either as the lessons are relayed in a very kind friendly way).

Kids who are just getting into mysteries will enjoy the mystery of the missing teacher in this latest installment. Adults will enjoy the interesting ideas Birney has for teaching. All in all, as Humphrey would say, this is a book that everyone will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

I highly recommend this book (and the whole series) for elementary library collections as well as classroom collections.

Recommended as a read a loud for 2nd grade and up.
Recommended for independent reading: 3rd grade and up.
AR Reading Level: 3.8

Mrs. Archer’s rating: 5 of 5!

[Tomoya Sugiyama · Rating 4 out of 5]

①PUFFIN BOOKS, Humphrey series, (just 1st and 2nd contents)

②4/21=70min.

③Humphrey, class, mystery, word, piewhacksion, missing, Mrs.

④"I can understand why someone who teaches children to play games would love rules, because rules are very important to games."
I like these sentences, because I can agree this opinion. It was been explaining that rule is important. But I think it refers to about not only games but also our lives. In our lives, it is important to keep rules. I guessed that sentence tried to show it. So I like this sentence.

⑤ It was interesting. Especially, there was a word quiz in the 1st contents. That was one of the mysteries actually, but also I can enjoy to solve that question simply. Anyway, however, I realized I became to be not able to read a lot. For 70 minutes, I finished reading just 2 contents. It was soooo late. I hardly read books last year. I think I have to read and get a habit of reading again.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I can see why these are so loved by children, but this is a good example of a book that kids might love, but which doesn't translate well to this (old) reader :-).

I usually enjoy talking animal stories, but Humphrey's repetition (SAD-SAD-SAD) is a bit too much. In addition, I felt that his observations on life in his classroom were a tad bit teacher-y. I'm not sure kids would pick up on that, but things were a little too convenient for me. A little too telling, not enough showing. Cute ending, and lots is resolved along the way mystery-wise. And everyone is happy and feels better about themselves.

This is probably a good read aloud choice for early elementary and a good independent reading choice for strong early elementary readers.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Mrs. Brisbane doesn't show up for school, Humphrey vows to solve the mystery just like Sherlock Holmes would: by looking and listening for clues. There are other mysteries in the classroom that Humphrey tries to help solve: Why doesn't the substitute teacher, Mr. E., seem to teach anything? Why won't Joey spend time with Thomas? Why is Phoebe so forgetful? Once again, Humphrey is unsqueakably clever and charming, though his inferencing skills need some work. What a great read aloud to demonstrate how prior knowledge is key to making accurate inferences. How did Humphrey's lack of knowledge about figurative language lead him to the wrong conclusion?

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the best book I ever read apart from Harry potter

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with a reading group

[Kamas Kirian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading this with my daughter at bedtime, about a chapter a night since she picked it up at the book fair at school. She really fell in love with Humphrey when her teacher read one of the books during class in first grade, and so had to get a couple of the books for herself. They are just above her ability to read by herself right now, but she gives it a good try. By this summer she should have no trouble with them.

The pacing was good. The concepts and words were not very difficult, about right for an elementary child. Since that is the target audience, I would say that is wonderful. There wasn't a whole lot of character development, but we did see some. It explained in a way appropriate for small kids why certain people may behave the way they do. And also that sometimes when people do certain things that other's don't like, that the offender might actually have a reason behind their actions. It also demonstrated how working with only a small amount of knowledge can lead to incorrect conclusions. Overall, I think this is an excellent book for it's target demographic.

The paperback was formatted well with no obvious spelling/grammatical errors.

[Della Tingle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a class set of this book, so I wanted to be sure to read it. Mysteries According to Humphrey is absolutely adorable! Humphrey is a hamster, and he is the sweetest little character! Throughout the book, there are references to Sherlock Holmes, specifically “The Adventure of the Red-Headed League” which I just read a few months ago. These references really made the book enjoyable for me! Humphrey lives in a school classroom, and he loves to learn right along with the students. His discovery of the word pizzazz on page 87 is especially cute, and being a teacher, I love the vocabulary word being taught in a fun way! Advice from Humphrey: “If you don’t have a violin like Sherlock Holmes, rolling in a hamster ball can also help you think” (123). 😀 Enjoy!

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's fiction. Humphrey is finally getting into the groove of a new school year (with new classmates!) when Mrs. Brisbane disappears. How can Humphrey help the kids in his class out when their substitute only wants to play games? Will Humphrey have a home to go to over the weekend? And most importantly-- when will Mrs. Brisbane be back? Inspired by listening to the first part of the Red-headed League by Sherlock Holmes, Humphrey the hamster is determined to solve the mysteries around him. The class prepares for Halloween, which Humphrey is slightly less scared of than last year. Another cute story in the series, with a bit of added fodder for discussion on what makes a good teacher and the balance between learning and fun.

[Natalie S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book a couple times, and every time it was decent. Not much intensity, but it's perfectly fine. I would recommend this book to people who have a sensible kind of humor (Not me :|), and don't like the intense feeling of reading an intense part. This book is about a small classroom hamster named Humphrey, who is still discovering the world of humans and trying to figure out mysteries. One of them (spoiler alert) is that Mrs. Brisbane is missing (the teacher). You'll find out some other stuff you didn't know about the students either.

[Emily Leung Sui Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is super interesting and attracting. It is about Humphrey solving the mystery of the missing Miss Brisbane. One day, Humphrey noticed that Miss Brisbane is absent for 2 days and the substitute teacher is Mr. E, Miss Brisbane never absent and Mr. E is not a nice teacher. Humphrey starts to feel weird and start to solve it. At last, Humphrey figure it out and that was a prank and Humphrey solves the mystery again. When Humphrey was solving the mystery, the story is very nervous and attracts me to read it.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

So Humphrey had been around for a while, and I had leafed through one or two before but never been compelled to pick one up until little E brought it home and asked me to read it to her. I can see the appeal. Darn cute and innocent stories about a hamster that can read and is really observant about class behaviors. Nothing big and scary. Nothing to over the top. No BIG problems, but child sized problems that are totally relatable to…. children. Great read aloud for younger kids ready to listen to chapter books. Great feel good book for independent readers as well.