A laugh-out-loud funny middle-grade debut with a scary twist, My Zombie Hamster will appeal to readers who like their animal stories mixed with chills. Fans of R.L. Stine's Goosebumps Most Wanted series will grab this one right up.
Matt Hunter and his buddies are looking forward to Christmas--actually, they're looking forward to receiving the latest sword-and-fantasy video game. But Matt's parents have other thoughts--they give him a fluffy little mammal, a hamster called Snuffles, for the holiday. And his grandmother makes it worse by giving him a hamster cage and wheel. But the hamster isn't all that cute--at least not after part of its cheek and belly fall right off--without bothering it a bit! And why is it staring at Matt with black beady eyes and a lean and hungry look?
Say hello to Anti-Snuffles, the zombie hamster! Or better yet, run!
This series combines middle-school readers' passions: humor, animals, and scary stories, into one unbeatable package.
Releases simultaneously in electronic book format (ISBN 9781606844922).
Customer Reviews
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
Four Books in One, All Good
By Pop Bop
This really is a great example of how you can mash four different middle grade genres together and come up with a funny, exciting and very appealing book. This is a family foibles book, an alternate world book, a zombie book, and an adventures of a gang of four knuckleheads book.The family foibles are along the lines of the Wimpy Kid pattern. Mom and Dad are unique and distinct personalities and a lot of the narrative is built on our kid hero's bemused but affectionate recountings of their behavior. (His explanation that he got a hamster instead of the video game he wanted because his parents were obviously experimenting "to see what kind of adult they can create by constantly disappointing me as a child" is priceless. As is his history of failed New Year's Eve parties.)As to the alternate world, hero kid lives in a walled city. The city is walled to keep zombies out and there is a complete world built on remote Zombie Zappers, the Zombie Squad, citizens wearing life chips that alert the Zombie Squad if anyone dies and goes zombie, and so on.The zombie action comes in the form of a pet hamster, which was a smuggled pet that got out, got zombified and is now terrorizing the populace inside the walls while our hero tries to capture it.Finally, since our hero needs the help of a posse, we get his best friend, Charlie, a wiseguy take charge gal, and his two next best friends - Calvin, who's a bit dim and Aren, who's the brains of the operation.And of course the glue that holds this all together is Matt, who has to deal with his family, explain how his city works, agonize over the zombie hamster problem, and keep his gang moving in the right direction. Matt takes you into his confidence right off the bat and his intimate and open style is winning.One of Matt's most appealing characteristics is his exaggerated sense of calm and common sense - exhibited as the plot, his schemes, and the complications of having a zombie hamster spin more and more out of control. It is the working of the middle grade mind in the midst of chaos, (sort of like a young Buster Keaton), that I found very amusing and appealing.The humor ranges from slapstick to clever wordplay. (Matt names the zombie hamster, originally named "Snuffles", the "Anti-Snuffles". Girl pal Charlie likes "Auntie Snuffles" and will only help Matt if they agree the hamster's name is Auntie Snuffles. Matt agrees, but only uses "Auntie" ironically. Dim friend Calvin stares at a carton of orange juice for half an hour because it says "concentrate" on it. I just think that's pretty sharp and clever stuff for middle grade zombie humor.)So, funny, engaging, loaded with clever ideas and puckish humor, and populated by likeable characters. A very nice find.Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.My Zombie Hamster (YA)
By Melissa A. Palmer
Book #47 Read in 2015My Zombie Hamster by Havelock McCreely (YA)This was a cute, quick read. The zombie invasion has happened and there is a police squad to get rid of the undead. Matt is hoping for a video game for Christmas but is instead given a hamster named Sniffles. Sniffles soon goes to the big hamster cage in the sky and comes back as anti-Sniffles. Anti-Sniffles escapes from Matt. Matt and his friends need to find him and fast! Anti-Sniffles is apparently infecting other animals in the woods. The whole idea of what is a Zombie hits Matt close to home when an event occurs. There is a sequel coming out to this book in August. I would think that upper elementary and middle school students would enjoy this book.http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.Freaky
By hkgirl99
I am ten years old. Interesting story but a little freaky.
