Great Hamster Massacre

Animal Antics / Critter Capers

by Katie Davies, Hannah Shaw (Illustrator)

This is a story about me, and Tom, and our investigation into the Hamster Massacre. I'm supposed to be writing my What-I-Did-In-The-Summre-Holidays story for school, but I'm going to write this story first...

Anna and het brother, Tom, have always wanted a pet. After their latest pestering campaign Mum finally gives in and lets them choose a pair of hamsters from the local pet shop. But their happiness soon turns to horror when they discover the hamsters mysteriously slaughtered in their cage. Anna and Tom begin an investigation into the hamster homicides. Can they solve the case of the Great Hamster Massacre?

Genres: Childrens, Mystery, Humor, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Fiction, Juvenile

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2009

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of adults are not going to like this book. It's not for the faint of heart and not for those squeamish about death. There are a few bits in the book that are going to offend no small number of people looking for choice chapter books that would make a good fit for their 2nd - 4th graders -- an elderly neighbor says "Hell" a number of times; the kids refer often to a book that belonged to one of their mothers and which astute adult readers will probably assume contains some sexual content (hence the reason the kids are so fascinated with it) and we learn that a neighborhood kid's mother is upset because her boyfriend spent the night in a foreign hotel, ahem, with the family's babysitter, ahem ahem. Schools may also be a bit uncomfortable with the church scenes and frequent mentions of Jesus in the beginning sections of the book.

IN SPITE OF ALL THESE THINGS (and maybe even partly because of them), I think this book is riotously funny and feels wonderfully fresh. It is very, VERY true to the perspective and experiences of actual kids, who do not live in a world devoid of marital affairs and swearing neighbors and dying hamsters, and who DO often go through a phase in which death is both fascinating and... kinda poignant, in a wonderfully innocent way. I laughed out loud while reading it and felt seriously teased by the knowledge that there will be a second book about Anna and her friends that I'm unable to read just yet. (I can't wait!) I think kids will LOVE this book, and I think they're absolutely right to do so.

Anna, the narrator of The Great Hamster Massacre, is a GIRL, but her voice and interests are entirely gender-neutral -- so much so that I mistakenly believed I was reading a book narrated by a boy until I hit a reference to Anna's name about 50 pages into the book and went back to realize that (hmm...) I'd somehow paid no mind to the mention of her name on page 2. To me this made the book all the better, as it confirmed what I had already been thinking -- that this book will have EQUAL appeal to boy girls and boys. (And hallelujah to that, because we need many, many more books aimed at this specific audience that fit that particular bill!)

In addition to being gender-neutral, Anna's voice is completely authentic. I could ABSOLUTELY see a kid thinking/feeling/saying/doing all of the things on these pages, and her reactions to the world around her and the events in her life felt 100% true. As for the way Anna and her friends deal with death in the book... (A few minor spoilers here!) They are very concerned that dead animals be treated in a respectful way and be given a proper burial, so they make tiny coffins for each of the dead baby hamsters (killed by the hamsters' mother, as OFTEN happens with small rodents -- just ask my childhood best friend Anne, who lost a handful of baby mice in EXACTLY the same fashion back when we were Anna's age), and they also dig up and re-bury the pet rabbit of another kid in their neighborhood, whose family buried him TOO hastily and without the things that the kid in this family knew (as kids do) that said would rabbit would WANT.

Did you recoil at that last revelation? You did. Then, yeah. You probably don't want to read this book, as it's probably just not going to sit right with you, and I completely understand why. But if you thought that bit about the rabbit was kinda endearing and a little bit funny, then DO treat yourself to a read of this book, because The Great Hamster Massacre is absolutely worth your time and attention!

Oh, and a note to teachers -- you'll appreciate the number of times Anna and her friends refer to the dictionary when they need to look something up, and you'll like the systematic way in which they conduct their investigation into WHO caused the great hamster massacre. And oh you'll laugh out loud when they try to interview their suspects!

[Chelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this before my 8 year old did so we could discuss it when he finished. The characters were very likeable and felt real. The gruesome subject matter was dealt with well——death is a reality, but not to be taken lightly. In the case of the massacre, the children didn't just take the words of the adults as fact, but decided to do their own investigation. They cared about what really happened. I don't agree with other reviewers that it made pets seem replaceable. The many references to the dictionary was a clever part of the story. The laugh-out-loud moments make the book even more enjoyable.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell short on my job as a librarian and a mom here. I usually know so much more about the books in my library, but when my son picked this one out to read, I just assumed it was another silly chapter series starter and okayed it for him without paying much attention. That's not it at all. It's a book about loss. And there is a lot of loss: Loss of a grandparent, loss of pets (many pets), loss of a step-parent. Some of the loss is through death and it is extremely graphic- downright gruesome, even. If I had realized that beforehand, I probably wouldn't have picked it out for my seven-year old. I'm glad he picked it himself, though, because through all that this book was very touching. And it started some great discussions between parent and child. Now, I would recommend it as a read-alone for 4th grade and up. Any younger definitely needs to read with an adult so they can discuss some of the heavier parts. It is a great read, though - there are lots of humorous bits to had levity. I had great fun explaining what "piles" were to my child. He got his own case of hysterics after that. And I am excited that it is actually a start to a series - we're going to hunt down The Great Rabbit Rescue immediately.

[Thalestral · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star. While this is a colourful book that I'm sure will attract lots of children to wanting to read it, this is not a book I will ever recommend. It fully promotes the idea that small animals are disposable pets, and that when they die through ignorance and lack of care they are easily replaced with new versions, with little need to grieve over the deaths or learn from mistakes made. I also think that children who have a genuine love for small animals will find this book upsetting as the deaths can be graphic, and the burials are horrible.

The intention of this book may have been to show that small animals are hard to care for, but I find that highly doubtful as no emphasis is put on good care or learning lessons from what bad care results in.

The writing and style, complete with illustrations, are all good, but in all honesty I found this book depressing and sick.

[Steve Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Towards the end of our school year, I was on the lookout for new things to provide to some of my higher readers. I grabbed the first two of this series by Katie Davies at the library. Now as a teacher, this is a perfect example of the need to have some experiences with the books first - whether reading them or taking a trusted recommendation. I read through these first, and I'm thankful for it. This isn't a knock on the book or writing - I really liked the stories - but there are topics and language that I don't believe is to be made available for just any child by a teacher. The idea of death is largely focused in this, and Katie Davies is an English author so language can be perceived in the US as inappropriate. I don't think either are huge issues, as I love and promote Roald Dahl, but I feel teachers should first be aware before putting this out to anyone.

The cover and cartoonish illustrations are appealing and will attract any student. It's not all cartoons and childish humor though!

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious read but I would have preferred some closure at the end.

[JenniferJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really kind of on the fence over this book. On the one hand it was a quick child's story, told thru the "language" of a child, about finally getting a pet hamster and all the responsibilities of taking care of a pet but on the other hand I found it quite graphic as it paints a significant picture of the deaths of past pets and even a section that made me want to puke when they dug up a dead animal to rebury it more proper. It was just ewwww. Maybe I am wrong in feeling as I do but I just dont think it's a story that should be geared towards children ages 8-12.

There's not much else I can comment on except it's a book about death, pets, and children's investigations. Which I enjoyed the little investigative parts where the kids go in search of who killed the hamsters but still...it's just a bit much. Just not something I am ready for my kids to tackle right now. It's a shame to because the big itself is just so darn cute. It's made up to look like a spiral bound investigative note pad and when you open it up towards th spine inside is printed up to look spiralbound as well. The drawn illustrations were really cute to.

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this is British. You can completely hear Anna's voice jump off the page at you as she describes her world.

My primary complaint here is that the cover makes it look like a wacky illustranovella comedy. And while there are definitely funny parts, and the voice is generally light, this is pretty much completely about grieving. And dealing with death. The violence comes out of the blue and pulls no punches.

And the mystery is never truly resolved. The investigation is crazy adorable, and all the characters are very well-rounded. There are many illustrations and it's a very attractive package and an engaging story.

I'm torn about booktalking it for SRP.

But that doesn't mean I didn't like it.

[Tamsyn Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny and fabulous story of Anna's traumatic discovery one morning in her hamster cage. Death, loss and friendship are key themes in this very honest book told endearingly from a nine year old's perspective.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, fast, frequently dark-humored and macabre reading.

[Aarav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah. Three stars.
I’m not too sure, really. It’s probably my least favourite of all the books by this author. The whole story is done in a mock-serious tone, as the children are investigating a ‘murder mystery’. The fact that it doesn’t get resolved and the reader only gets a few ideas at the end made me unsatisfied, since really the investigation gets no where.

[🌺Sheyung🌺 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is overall okay but it could be better. The story is fine for little kids since they get to make up their own ending and chose who killed the hamster.(cat, boyfriend,mom etc.) But I think it should have an actual ending like when they find out what/who killed the hamster!🐹🔪 But overall this book is pretty good. I hope you could finish this long list of complaints!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story with likeable characters. Bit of a mish-mash of British and American culture. Miss Davis made a serious commitment to a particular story-telling style, and while I like the style in general and admire her commitment, it did make for confusing reading now and again.

[Stargazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

you need to read this first to check if the topics/language are suitable for the kids who will read it, but as an adult i liked it.

[Goofybooklover551 · Rating 4 out of 5]

not that fulfilling as the great cat conspiracy

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gross. I skimmed this after my 7 year old read me a disturbing passage. I’m sorry it was in my house.

[Sinking Spring Public Library]

This book has a great first person narrative that kids can relate to. It's funny and realistic, but pulls some emotional surprises that may make it better suited for upper elementary.

[Ceraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I swear I cried on this book when I was a child.

[majesticnos · Rating 1 out of 5]

I randomly remembered this book today. I read it as a kid, and all I know is that it terrified me. Idk bout you but I certainly don’t believe that books written for children should terrify them.

[Eleanor Cruells · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book was actually traumatising

[Molly]

Kom just ihåg hur jag blev tvingad att läsa denna i ettan för att jag var på en sådan ”avancerad läsnivå ”…Rekommenderar icke. Bör endast användas ifall man vill avskräcka barn ifrån att läsa

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute and fun

[Year 5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a very nice and funny book

[N Persson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haha

[Brandon Cho]

Really good

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little dark, but realistically dark (pets meet a grisly but natural end). It respects kids autonomy without making the adults complete non-characters. I am not in love with the narrative style for my own sake, but it's fun to share with kids.

[Paxton B]

THE GREAT HAMSTER MASSACRE this book is about a boy who's hamster dies . In attempt to find out how his Hamsters died or who may have killed his hamster.He creates his own special police task force to track down the killer Or the cause death of his hamster. Will he succeed red this book to find out. I liked the mystery and humor of the book. This book made me feel happy nervous and made me laugh.you would love this book if you were a fan of funny or mystery. If you like the Siri big Nate you would love this book .

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a lot of promise: my 7 year old daughter was intrigued, of course, by the silly cover, but also by the title. First of all, kids love hamsters. "Great" promises some kind of romping caper. The "massacre" part, in conjunction, seems like just the kind of overstatement kids are all about. This was a book I ended up reading aloud to her, mostly because I was concerned about the "massacre". Unfortunately, the story mostly fell completely apart. The run-on sentences, structured in exactly the same way over and over again, was annoying for me to read, although I am sure the intention was to sound as if a kid was actually writing the story. Anna and her brother Tom have been pining for a new pet (specifically, a hamster), but it takes the death of their live-in grandma for their parents to give the green light. At the pet shop, their mother makes the mistake of adopting a hamster for both Anna and Tom, and letting them room together. Even though the pet shop man assured her they were both females, one hamster seems to be expanding at a rapid rate. In the wee hours one morning, Anna wakes to find mamma hamster snuggled up with a bunch of babies. If you know anything about hamsters, you might be able to figure out what happens next. The kids want to find out the details of who did what when, and decide to investigate. Unfortunately, their mother calls off the "investigation" before they can find anything out. The end. Seriously? Even my daughter was disappointed. We feel cheated.

Two stars for a cool title, cute cover, and a couple of interesting secondary characters. Bleh.

[Nola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm using my review to answer the comments I've read that are looking at this book negatively:
I don't think this book teaches children that small animals are disposable pets. It is actually quite a normal occurrence for small rodents to eat their young. It is also very common for pet shop workers to make mistakes when sexing the animals they sell, even though they are supposed to know about the animals and the new owners will look to them for advice. This is the fault of the pet store worker, not the new owner, if the animal is improperly sexed. The children are upset by the death of their pets and are sorry it happened.

This experience is a common one with rodents. So many people buy rodents as pets for children because they are small (despite the fact their size actually means they are more fragile) and then end up with an incorrectly sexed pair and sometimes the resulting offspring are killed by the parent/s. It's a natural fact of rodent life, just like it's a natural fact of life that someday, your grandma will die.

The re-burying of the rabbit was a bit gross, but the girls wanted to make the boy feel better about the death of his rabbit, something the boys mothers boyfriend wasn't too worried about. The girls (especially Suzanne) were also probably curious about what happens after something is dead and digging up the rabbit would answer this curiosity. This curiosity is not unusual either. Think how many dead creatures discovered by children (and even adults!) are poked with a stick!

It is not a book that is going to appeal to everyone but then what book does?

[Jenny / Wondrous Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Great Hamster Massacre isn't a YA book, but it won the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize this year, so I was eager to give it a go and see just why it's so highly regarded.

Putting myself in a 9-year-old's shoes for a minute, I can see why they'd love this twisted tale of dead hamsters and detective-style investigations. It's fast-paced, fun and informative, and even a little gruesome in parts, which should go down well with the boys. It's accompanied by some lovely illustrations drawn by Hannah Shaw, and has an aesthetically pleasing layout and design that even my non-reading sister liked the look of.

I liked all the characters Davies created, even mad old Mr. Tucker who lives next door to Anna and Tom. The hamsters themselves, although sadly dead for most of the novel, have great personalities, and I loved how the mystery of their untimely deaths unfolded. I never expected the story to have a crime element to it, so was pleasantly surprised by the humorour suspect questioning that takes place. I would have liked the end of the book to have more of a resolution, and to tell us a definite reason for the massacre. Something is strongly implied, but never set in stone. Still, I don't think it's anything younger readers will have a problem with, especially not when faced with such an unusual story.

I wish more books like this had been around when I was younger, because I would have read them for sure. I've always liked a good murder mystery!