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Summary
Summary
Dumpling the hamster came to a dusty end inside a vacuum cleaner. He suspects that his owner Oliver's parents never admitted to their son that they were to blame for Dumpling's demise. Now the hamster needs Joe's help to reveal the truth - but there's a furry surprise awaiting them at Oliver's house...
Author Notes
Sam Hay grew up in Scotland. A former journalist, she has written several children's books. She lives with her husband, two children, and several pets in a small house with a big garden.
Reviews (1)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Joe idolizes his adventurous Uncle Charlie and can't wait for his visits. When Charlie returns from an archaeological expedition, he gives Joe an Egyptian amulet shaped like a jackal that has the power to grant one wish to its bearer. That night, Joe wishes for a pet of his very own. He gets his wish-sort of. He is visited by an undead hamster named Dumpling, who explains that he cannot rest in peace until his "unresolved issues" have been resolved. As the Keeper of the Amulet of Anubis, Joe is stuck with him until then. Joe reluctantly agrees to help Dumpling, even as the zombie hamster causes trouble at school and at home. Hay sets the premise quickly, with the majority of the story focusing on Joe and Dumpling's investigation, and the misadventures that ensue. The supernatural elements are played for laughs rather than chills. Fans of gross-out humor will appreciate the high jinks of the sneezing, oozing Dumpling. Frequent illustrations help bring Joe and Dumpling to life.or at least undeath. This simply written mystery will appeal to reluctant or newly confident readers, and the cliff-hanger ending promises that Joe hasn't seen his last undead pet.-Tony Hirt, Hennepin County Library, MN (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Joe spotted the battered old jeep as soon as he turned in to his street that Saturday afternoon. Splattered with mud, its paint was peeling, its license plate was hanging off, and its roof rack groaned with trunks and boxes. Joe grinned; it could only belong to one person--Uncle Charlie! A wave of excitement swept over him, and he ran the rest of the way home. "Joe? Is that you?" Mom called as he slammed the front door. "We've got a visitor." Joe raced into the living room, not bothering to take off his sneakers, which were still muddy from playing in the park. And there was Uncle Charlie, lounging on the sofa sipping a cup of extra-strong black coffee. "Joe!" he said, beaming. "How are you, buddy?" He stood up and gave Joe a bear hug. "You've grown! You're nearly as tall as me!" That wasn't strictly true--Uncle Charlie still towered over Joe. As always, Joe's great-uncle was wearing an old khaki safari suit and had his gray hair slicked back, and even though he was pretty ancient (if you counted wrinkles the same way as tree rings, he'd be about the same age as a great oak!), his eyes sparkled with energy. "Uncle Charlie's just back from Egypt," said Mom. "Look what he brought me!" She held up a beautifully carved wooden camel. "Cool," said Joe. Joe thought his uncle Charlie was amazing. He was an archeologist and spent most of his time abroad, digging up old relics. Usually they wouldn't hear anything from Uncle Charlie for months, then suddenly he'd turn up on their doorstep with tales of lost cities and secret temples and treasure . . . "So, what was Egypt like?" asked Joe. "Hot! Very hot! And fascinating, too!" Uncle Charlie replied. "We found a lost pyramid buried underground. Imagine that, Joe--a three-thousand-year-old tomb containing lavishly decorated sarcophagi, golden statues, a chariot as big as a bus . . ." "Mummies?" Uncle Charlie grinned. "Of course!" "Wow!" Joe loved hearing about Uncle Charlie's adventures. He was already drifting off into a daydream about the secret pyramid and the treasures hidden within, when Uncle Charlie nudged him playfully, bringing him back to the real world with a bump. "Now, I want to hear all about you, Joe. What's been happening? Have you gotten that dog yet?" Joe's mom grimaced. "Don't mention the D word. That's all I hear from morning to night!" "Every kid should have a dog." Uncle Charlie winked at Joe. "Exactly!" said Joe. "That's what I keep saying!" Mom frowned. "But I only have to hear the word pet and I start sneezing!" As if to prove the point, she wrinkled her nose, blinked twice, and then gave a loud ACHOOO! Joe scuffed the carpet with his foot. It didn't matter how desperate he was for a dog; with Mom's allergies, he had no chance. "Cheer up, Joe!" said Uncle Charlie. "Go and look in my bag. I've got something for you." Joe brightened. Uncle Charlie always brought back the most amazing gifts. Once, he'd given Joe a tiger's tooth that he'd had to dig out of his own thigh. Then there was the super-spooky glass eye that had belonged to a long-dead pirate--it sat on top of Joe's dresser, eyeballing anyone who dared enter his room. "Look for the old cigar box--it's in there." Joe rummaged around inside Uncle Charlie's battered old leather satchel and found a few notebooks, a pair of socks, and quite a lot of sand . . . Then he spotted the cigar box. He flipped open the lid and peered inside. Excerpted from Return of the Hungry Hamster by Sam Hay All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.