I, Houdini: The Amazing Story of an Escape-Artist Hamster

by Lynne Reid Banks, Terry Riley (Illustrator)

You may think Houdini is a strange name for a hamster, but if you've ever heard of the late Great Houdini, the most amazing escape-artist of all time, you'll understand how I got my name. I'm proud to say that there hasn't been a cage built that can hold me. I can climb, dive, wriggle, squeeze, or gnaw my way out of any prison they came up with. I have to admit that sometimes freedom leads to a bit of trouble--like getting cornered by the cat, ending up in the dog's mouth, or being trapped in the freezing cold of a dark refrigerator. But I won't be stopped! With a whole big world out there to explore, who wants to be held prisoner in a hamster cage?

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Animals, Fantasy, Adventure, Middle Grade, Young Adult

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Lynne Reid Banks is a British author of books for children and adults. She has written forty books, including the best-selling children's novel The Indian in the Cupboard, which has sold over 10 million copies and been made into a film.
Banks was born in London, the only child of James and Muriel Reid Banks. She was evacuated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada during World War II but returned after the war was over. She attended St Teresa's School in Surrey. Prior to becoming a writer Banks was an actress, and also worked as a television journalist in Britain, one of the first women to do so. Her first novel, The L-Shaped Room, was published in 1960.
In 1962 Banks emigrated to Israel, where she taught for eight years on an Israeli kibbutz Yasur. In 1965 she married Chaim Stephenson, with whom she had three sons. Although the family returned to England in 1971 and Banks now lives in Dorset, the influence of her time in Israel can be seen in some of her books which are set partially or mainly on kibbutzim.

Reviews

[Corey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Edit: this review got me banned from leaving reviews on Amazon bc I guess hamsters are a protected class. Amazon allows you to self publish hate speech on their ebook platform but gd forbid someone hate a fictional hamster.

I hate this hamster.

I hate this hamster. I hate this hamster. I hate this hamster. I hate this hamster. I hate this hamster.

Have I mentioned that I hate this hamster?

I hate this hamster.

[Dorian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this book as a child and was rather fond of it, so when I came across it in the library lately I had to have another read.

It's still...yes, almost as good as it was 30 years ago. Okay, now I look at the intemperate behaviour of the Father and consider it iffy, but, well, it's also largely necessary for the plot.

The eponymous Houdini is a hamster who makes it his life's work to escape from everything he's confined in. The book starts with him coming home, presumably just old enough to leave his mother, from the pet shop, and escaping almost immediately, as his new humans haven't had the sense to buy a cage for him at the same time. It follows him learning everything from "bring food with you" to "gnawing holes in water pipes is a bad idea". He encounters the Great Outdoors and determines to become a wild hamster - then changes his mind on meeting a cat. Along the way, the author manages to stick in some sly (though simplistic) social commentary.

It's a nice book. Houdini is an engaging character, and the author does a good job of describing the worlds he moves through from his not-human point of view.

[P.J. Eastman · Rating 1 out of 5]

My eight year old daughter was assigned this for class in third grade. The other night, I skimmed through some of it to make sure she had done her assignment. What I read was appalling considering that this book was in the grades 1-3 classroom library. In chapter 10, Houdini (the hamster) tells Oggi (a female hamster) that he's going to mate with her whether she likes it or not (after she has said no.) Then at the beginning of chapter 11, it goes on to talk about how they both enjoyed it, but fought immediately afterwards. Now that the act was finished, he has no more thoughts of love, she had pleased him, and he is glad that he's going back to his own cage away from her. I'm sorry, but this is teaching some AWFUL values, and is completely inappropriate for children of this age.

[Elizabeth Behrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I love Lynne Reid Banks' books, this one is pretty advanced (I've been reading them to my five year old). There is a wonderful humor that is lost on younger minds. There is also the concept of mating, alcoholism, and animal cruelty, all of which I had to explain to my daughter. I found this to be a great book and a quick read, but definitely for an older audience (think 10/11 year olds).

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to the author read this on a road trip long ago. Maybe I'm exaggerating the rating, but dang, I remember all of us, kids and adults, being enthralled.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my daughter and we both enjoyed it!

[St-Michel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Growing up I loved The Indian In The Cupboard series by Banks. This was a book written, I'm supposing, after she concluded that series - I'm not totally sure. It's about a escapist hamster told from the hamster's perspective. It's an interesting notion and a fair-to-do children's book. I never thought it held its weight against the superior series of The Indian... though and felt it came off rather lackluster, and truthfully, I always thought that hamster was a bit of an ungrateful jerk. However, having owned a number of hamsters growing up I can say that it is a cute little tale. (Still a jerk though.)

[Katie (Kitkatscanread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute and funny story about a hamster who was born to be adventurous.
I enjoyed everything Houdini got up to.
It's a short story, but it does give you an insight to what it's like to be a hamster.
It also reminds me of when I had hamsters.

[DW McQuain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it because it was about an adventurous hamster and it's story.

[Michelle Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ostensibly, this is a book about a cute, butterscotch-colored critter whose life mission is to escape his cage and eat stale cookies in the kitchen. But, besides the fact that it reads like a Charles Dickens novel, in Houdini's adventures, he encounters and expounds upon alcoholism, animal abuse, mortality, sex (or, mating), and expresses a pagan awe and worship of the Moon and the Sun. Incredible, honestly. Read this aloud to my son, and he was enthralled. I could do with fewer descriptions of holes and tunnels and general hamster-escape logistics (just tell me it's a hole under the kitchen floor, you don't need to describe its exact location/measurement/and how it's accessed), but otherwise I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would.

"It grew dark, but of course that was nothing new to me. There was much more light here than at night in the house. I gazed up at the sky with something close to rapture. I had heard all about the humans' God, of course, and been quite puzzled as to what it might be, exactly; even for an animal of my exceptional gifts, it was hard to grasp the notion of something one couldn't see. But now, crouched in the dark paradise of the garden, staring up at the bright round face shining down kindly upon me and all my fellow creatures, I realized this must be God. Whether it was the humans' God or not, I couldn't know, but I decided that it was definitely mine, and I sent it a Reverent Thought, which I carefully framed in my mind first: Let me stay under You forever."

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The memoir of a golden hamster who longs to be free. Luckily, he is no ordinary hamster! He is an escape artist. That’s why his family renames him “Houdini” (a better name by far than “Goldie,” bah!) He escapes from many cages. He chews and destroys many things, including piano innards and carpets and even a water pipe made of lead (that one leads to a kitchen flood, oopsie!). He ventures Outdoors, and discovers the horrors of cats and owls but also the glory of the moon and sun, which he worships as gods. He even has an amorous encounter with another hamster, though he is a bit disrespectful of her.

[Back · Rating 3 out of 5]

We really enjoyed another book by this author, so we tried out this one.

I was disappointed.

Pro: It was well written. Lovely vocabulary. And funny. My children begged to read on.

Con: There is animal abuse, drunkenness, and mating talk between the hamsters. Animal abuse and drunkenness themes can be discussed per family preferences. However, these mating discussions were NOT necessary.

Trying to recapture some of the wording. "I would be considered bedded and wedded." "I will mate with you." And more.

There are baby hamsters as a result. This could have been handled more delicately.

[Ruthie Planamenta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one with a student, and while I enjoyed it on the whole, I can’t recommend it to elementary-aged kids because of a needless mating scene between the hamsters! Of course it’s all spoken about in euphemisms that would go over a kid’s head, but why put it in there at all? Oof, this one is unfortunately a loss for old-times children’s literature. The rest of the book is fascinating for exploring point of view, unreliable narration, and complex existential questions—but I can’t really get past chapter 10…

[Patrick Palattao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in the children’s section expecting a cute little adventure story of a cunning hamster; but I got more than that! It’s well written, and I must say the writing style is beautiful that I have to pause and reflect on what I just read. As mentioned by others, this is an intellectual book and somewhat spiritual - not typically for young readers. If you’re looking for an easy-read about self discovery (our two-sided nature) and perhaps some enlightenment, then go for it!

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read aloud to my girl. Some of the language felt a little stilted for a first-person tale told by a hamster, but that’s also part of its charm. Daughter liked best (1) that he got to mate with a lady hamster, and (2) there were babies.

[Parnyan Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good story and I enjoyed it a lot. That's kinda all I can say about this book. It's cute and has a lot of instances where I just wanna like yell at the hamster for being so dumb, but yknow its just a hamster. Nothing really to it.

[Nicky Ayite · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's kinda boring because of the way the author uses old English. And it's not really geared towards younger readers.

[Elizabeth Vanderesch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, perhaps, is a good candidate to be read aloud. It might make the story flow better. It was stilted as a silent read. Still, escaping hamsters are always fun.

[Amanda]

I LOVE IT! Have you heard of Houdini? Them best escape artist of all time! I would TOTALY recomen this book to you if you like Houdini and Hampsters!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3.75

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tommy and I enjoyed reading this together before bed. It was quite wordy for a kids book and I often had to simplify the sentences a bit for Tommy to follow it.

[Harmony Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

wholesome and cute would recommend for any age

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my kids, who really liked it.

[Gianna Thumpkin Pumpkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very amusing to dig into the thoughts of such a genius hamster.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved The Indian in the Cupboard when I read it (and its sequels) in 4th/5th grade. (I’m reluctant to re-read—I’m skeptical whether they would hold up.) I remember seeing I, Houdini in a list of other books by Lynne Reid Banks, and becoming low-key obsessed with reading it—partly because I loved stories told from an animal character POV, and probably also partly because my library didn’t have a copy. When I came across the book in a used book store several years ago, I immediately snatched it up and brought it home and promptly didn’t read it. Now I have! It’s a fun little story about the antics of a hamster, but I’m pretty sure I would have appreciated it much more as a 5th grader than I did as an adult.

The book is narrated by Houdini the Hamster, and the author plays up the condescending, arrogant first person voice quite a bit, which I found annoying/wearying after a while. And then there was a super weird part where Houdini meets the female hamster next door and—well, hamster lust/dubious consent was not something I wanted to read about. Especially not in a kids’ book. “You’re very beautiful and I’m going to mate with you whether you like it or not”—um, no thank you.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: I enjoy the author and have always wanted to read this title. But specifically I was intrigued with the publisher's new list under the title of "First Modern Classics" aimed at younger readers. Originating from the publisher's UK house the titles on this list, which started last year (2009) are a unique selection for North American readers.

I, Houdini is a long time classic of the author's, though this is my first time reading it. This book includes new illustrations, which replace the original ones by Terry Riley, not having an older book handy to compare I can't comment, though usually I'm not a fan of replacing illustrations. These illustrations are cute, detailed, line drawings which begin each chapter header, each illustration is unique and relevant to the chapter.

An aspect of the "First Modern Classics" series I really like is first at the front there is a short paragraph by a famous author called "Why You'll Love this Book" which Michael Bond provides in this instance. Then at the back there is "More Than a Story" section with its own Table of Contents. This one includes real information on caring for hamsters, info on the real Houdini, a recipe for a hamster treat that humans will love too, and ends with some magic tricks, fun and games. An impressive section that is worthy of inclusion.

I, Houdini is the story of a pet hamster, originally named Goldie, who is an intelligent being. The narrative is from his point of view but he is a proper hamster; this is not a talking animals fantasy. The only thing fantastical about the story is ... well ... that a hamster could write a book! Goldie does not like being in a cage no matter how fancy it is or how many levels it has, he wants out to explore and find his own place to build a nest. Luckily for him, escaping his cage is a cinch and he has many adventures around the house. The children eventually change his name to Houdini because of his escapist talent and no matter how secure they make his cage, how many books they pile on top, Houdini will always find a way to escape. Problem is when he escapes he often causes trouble such as making a nest inside the piano out of the lovely felt he found stuck to some metal bars. Then there was the time he got stuck under the kitchen floor and thought that if he gnawed a small hole in the water pipe that would give him a drip of water to quench his thirst, instead it creates a gusher and floods the whole kitchen. Many things happen causing friction between Houdini & the children vs their father who is not a patient, nor animal loving man.

A fun, clever story with lots of laugh out loud moments. Well-written and never written down to its younger audience it's no wonder that this book still captures children's (and adult's) hearts today. Two caveats, the father does say d*mn twice and takes the Lord's name in vain once. Both of which I think is needless for a book aimed at an all ages audience. There is also a "mating" scene; this takes place off the pages, but the boys, who are visiting a teenaged boy do make a few suggestive comments, as they place the two hamsters together, that feel out place in an otherwise wholesome story. Nevertheless, these issues will only matter to some and can be handled easily during a read aloud as the book is a joy to read. Houdini is a lovable character and animal lovers are sure to enjoy this book.

[Danre.R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you love self

[CaroleHeidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It appealed to me for the simple reason that not only was it about a hamster but it was written from the perspective of a hamster.

And not just any old hamster, either. Houdini is clever and he knows it – how many other self-educated hamsters with autobiographies do you know? Exactly.

The tales of his escapades are hilarious and the immense sense of adventure you get from seeing the world from his eye-view is incredible. Have you ever thought about what the inside of a piano must look like to someone as small as a hamster? Or how mystical ‘outside’ must look/smell?

It makes you look at the world a bit differently the whole time you are reading and opened my eyes to the idea of looking at things from a totally different perspective.

I have read and reread this book so many times I have lost count and it has been lent out to numerous friends over the years. I can’t wait to rediscover it with Tori and Arthur when they get a bit older, either. They have never had a hamster but they did have gerbils and they had a habit of escaping too!

I enjoy this book as much as an adult as I did as a child and Terry Riley’s illustrations are just gorgeous. They may be black and white illustrations but they are intricate and perfect and I can see them all in my head without even having to find the book because I have looked at them so much. My favourite one is depicting the ‘pipe incident’ – you will have to read the book to find out what that is all about though, because I don’t want to give it away.

If you have an animal mad person in your family and they haven’t read this book then I suggest getting them a copy, because it is awesome.

[Nick West · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was young I was a voracious reader, and one of my favorite series was Lynne Reid Banks' "The Indian in the Cupboard" run. Accordingly I also picked up "I, Houdini" as a child and enjoyed it.

For whatever reason I wound up holding on to this book for 25+ years and, after I was blessed with children of my own, I added it to their bookshelf for future use. My 4-year old son plucked it off the shelf a couple of weeks ago, and we settled in to a routine of reading one chapter per night before bed.

Looking at the book now, as a parent, I would recommend it only for children 8 years old and up. The book touches on a lot of topics that can be difficult, frightening, or potentially even in appropriate for little ones like my son. I found myself having to selectively read sections that dealt with religion (Houdini, a hamster, determines that the Moon, and then the Sun, must be the "God" he's heard people talk about and he prays to them throughout the remainder of the book,) death (a hawk divebombs and kills a mouse,) alcoholism (Houdini winds up in a strange home with a drunken, disgusting old man,) animal abuse (said drunk beats his dog,) and even sex (Houdini mates with a female hamster and later meets his offspring.)

The book is excellent and imaginative, written from the perspective of the title character himself, and gives the reader a different perspective on the world though a hamster's eyes. While my son clearly did not understand everything within the story he did seem to enjoy it, and now I have to some how keep him from demanding a pet hamster of his very own. Thanks a lot, Houdini!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just as much fun as I remember. Houdini has adventures in every direction and is (endearingly) completely full of himself!

As a kid, the daughter of a musician, I was completely horrified when Houdini chewed the felt off the hammers in the piano. The rest of the damage he does - chewing up floorboards, carpet, and flooding the kitchen - went right by me. As an adult I still wince over the desecration of the piano, but true horror is reserved for the rest. Flooded kitchen, yikes! I'm afraid I have to side with the Father on that one!

I had no problem with Houdini's rather pompous attitude as a kid. This may have been my first exposure to an unreliable narrator. As an adult I still had no problem with it except for Chapter 10, when Houdini approaches Oggi, the female hamster. He takes her as his due and says, "I'm going to mate with you whether you like it or not." There's more in this vein including "a buck has to be firm with his doe" and "you have to show them who's boss." And WOW. The animal behavior might be true for hamsters - the aggressive/unwilling female backs down because the male is persistent - but it's framed in human language and adds up to Very Not Cool. Skip that chapter and this book is four stars, easy.