(3) 1-3 Humphrey's Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Priscilla Burris. In this installment in the classroom hamster's early-chapter-book spinoff series, Humphrey goes home with Room 26 student Garth, who's hosting a treasure hunt over the weekend. When the treasure-hunt prize goes missing, Humphrey plays sleuth. The light and pleasant mystery installment is carried by Humphrey's amiable narrative voice and the generous spot art.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Humphrey the classroom hamster helps his Room 26 friends identify signs of spring and prepare for Family Fun Night in this twelfth installment about family, seasons, and taking pride in your work. Birney integrates diversity into a predictable story, as sympathetic characters exhibit a range of emotions, family backgrounds, and abilities; Humphrey and the other animals have their own likable voices and personalities.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) 1-3 Humphrey's Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Priscilla Burris. In these installments in the classroom hamster's early-chapter-book spinoff series, Humphrey plays assistant in student Miranda's magic act (Trick) and he wants to find a way to march in the school fair parade with his Room 26 class (Surprise). The light and pleasant elementary-school stories are carried by Humphrey's amiable narrative voice and the generous spot art. Review covers these Humphrey's Tiny Tales titles: Humphrey's Mixed-Up Magic Trick and Humphrey's School Fair Surprise.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 1-3 Humphrey's Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Priscilla Burris. In these installments in the classroom hamster's early-chapter-book spinoff series, Humphrey plays assistant in student Miranda's magic act (Trick) and he wants to find a way to march in the school fair parade with his Room 26 class (Surprise). The light and pleasant elementary-school stories are carried by Humphrey's amiable narrative voice and the generous spot art. Review covers these Humphrey's Tiny Tales titles: Humphrey's Mixed-Up Magic Trick and Humphrey's School Fair Surprise.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(3) 1-3 Humphrey's Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Priscilla Burris. Hamster Humphrey is excited to go camping with Heidi and her friends in Heidi's backyard. Unfortunately, Heidi's neighbor Richie and his friends are also camping. The boys try to scare the girls, but in the end it's Humphrey who scares the boys with his shadow. Young fans of the classroom critter will enjoy this third early-chapter-book adventure and the cartoony illustrations scattered liberally throughout.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(4) 4-6 Humphrey, a classroom hamster, writes his own stories during the creative writing unit. He helps some of the (human) students with their writing and with family struggles during his weekend visits to their homes. As with the earlier books in the series, Humphrey is a likable character and the (easily resolved) childhood conflicts will resonate with readers.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Humphrey, the class hamster, is surrounded by secrets. Some of them revolve around the class's Ancient Egypt unit and are shared by all the children, but secret handshakes and private clubs between friends become divisive. Then there's a big one: a student will be leaving the class. Birney understands elementary-school dynamics, and her characters are sympathetic even as they are predictable.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 1-3 Humphrey's Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Priscilla Burris. This is a new early-chapter-book spinoff series from the middle-grade novels. Humphrey is excited to get his own hamster car and race his friend Winky in front of Mrs. Brisbane's class (Wheely). He wants to help Richie with his science project, but he's not happy to meet Richie's energetic puppy (Playful). Welcoming illustrations are scattered generously. Review covers these titles: Humphrey's Playful Puppy Problem and Humphrey's Really Wheely Racing Day.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(3) 1-3 Humphrey's Tiny Tales series. Illustrated by Priscilla Burris. This is a new early-chapter-book spinoff series from the middle-grade novels. Humphrey is excited to get his own hamster car and race his friend Winky in front of Mrs. Brisbane's class (Wheely). He wants to help Richie with his science project, but he's not happy to meet Richie's energetic puppy (Playful). Welcoming illustrations are scattered generously. Review covers these titles: Humphrey's Playful Puppy Problem and Humphrey's Really Wheely Racing Day.

Reviewer: Julie Bartynski-Fenner

(4) 4-6 Humphrey, the class hamster, works on the mystery of the missing teacher (she is home with a broken ankle) and prepares for the school's Winter Wonderland show. As in the series' previous entries, Humphrey understands the needs of the children in Room 26 and approaches each child with kindness and enthusiasm. The stories are predictable but pleasant nonetheless. Review covers these titles: Winter According to Humphrey and Mysteries According to Humphrey.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Humphrey, the class hamster, works on the mystery of the missing teacher (she is home with a broken ankle) and prepares for the school's Winter Wonderland show. As in the series' previous entries, Humphrey understands the needs of the children in Room 26 and approaches each child with kindness and enthusiasm. The stories are predictable but pleasant nonetheless. Review covers these titles: Winter According to Humphrey and Mysteries According to Humphrey.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 4-6 Class hamster Humphrey is glad to return to Room 26 for the new school year. He hadn't realized that his beloved students would be moving on, though, and he worries that he and friend Og might be moved to different classrooms. Though it's all a little too familiar-seeming, new characters with their own struggles (lateness, nosiness) add some zest.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 School is out for the summer, and Humphrey, the class hamster, is about to embark on a new adventure. Accompanied by Og the frog, Humphrey heads to summer camp and is soon involved in the campers' friendships, contests, and decisions about releasing animals into the wild. While some plot twists are a bit far-fetched, this sixth installment in the series will entertain Humphrey's fans.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 1-3 When the class begins studying boats and pirates, class pet Humphrey the hamster is ready to set sail. As in earlier books, Humphrey helps solve students' problems on his weekend visits to their homes. Here, however, the focus on pirates overshadows the children's conflicts and Humphrey's solutions. New readers to the series may miss some plot continuations.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 1-3 Humphrey, Room 26's pet hamster, is worried. He's afraid that Mrs. Brisbane is going to retire and he also thinks janitor Aldo has been abducted by aliens. Throughout the story, Humphrey helps a few students solve interpersonal problems. Though this entry isn't substantially different from previous adventures, the protagonist's geniality and sincerity make it a good classroom read-aloud.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 4-6 When a wizard's miscast spell transports snooty Princess Eglantine to the twenty-first century, Casey Peabody winds up sharing her bedroom with the medieval damsel. Their friendship is hindered because Egg can "out-princess the prissiest snobs at Pine Glen Junior High," and Casey's an un-girly jock. This fluffy tale is weighed down by its less-than-subtle message: "be true to yourself."

Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger

(4) 1-3 In his third classroom adventure, Humphrey the hamster inadvertently gets a student in trouble after Humphrey's discovered outside of his cage. Controversy follows the hamster when he's accused of an outbreak of illnesses among students. Humphrey eventually clears the wronged student and is himself absolved. Though the multiple story strands don't always hang together, Humphrey's affability will sustain fans.

Reviewer: David Elzey

(4) 1-3 In this sequel to The World According to Humphrey, the classroom hamster makes observations about the dynamics of friendship in Room 26, including a slow-to-develop comradeship between himself and new class pet Og the frog. Though student conflicts are--often due to the rodent's intervention--easily resolved, Humphrey remains a likable character.

Reviewer: Bridget McCaffrey

(4) 1-3 A hamster describes his experiences as a classroom pet. Humphrey (a sort of Pollyanna-in-a-cage) finds a girlfriend for the school custodian, cures a family of their TV addiction, and helps a girl overcome her shyness. Though some aspects of the plot are far-fetched, the book--like Humphrey--has a good heart.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta