I, Houdini [Hardcover]

Lynne Reid Banks (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

One family’s household has been in a state of disarray because of one small furry problem. Meet Houdini, an extraordinarily brilliant escapologist. No, not that Houdini. This one is a hamster. He can escape from anything–a cage or the clutches of a mean cat. While on his escapades he causes all kinds of trouble from chewing through wires to causing a flood. But Houdini thinks it’s all worth it, because he is desperate to explore the great outdoors.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title tells all: slightly pompous, no slouch when it comes to vocabulary, and with a gift for dry humor, Houdini relates the story of his acquisition by a family and the trial runs and trouble spots that turn him into a great escapologist. The author of The Indian in the Cupboard and The Return of the Indian has slipped into the hide of the hamster and seems to understand these small creatures completely and creates a tantalizing journey. This is pure fun and full of slapstick exaggerationfor example, the father is a clownish bellower, especially when Houdini chews through pipes. There are dramatic moments and cliffhangers, but since this hamster's name is Houdini, readers can count on a grand finale. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“A winning, funny animal story; the broad appeal of its subject combined with its demanding style makes it especially appropriate for reading out loud.”–Kirkus Reviews, Starred

“Houdini’s adventures are amusing, and his vanity and puzzlement over the curious ways of humans endow him with a memorable and quirky personality.”–The Horn Book Magazine

“The author . . . has slipped into the hide of the hamster and seems to understand these small creatures completely and creates a tantalizing journey. This is pure fun and full of slapstick exaggeration. . . . There are dramatic moments and cliffhangers, but since this hamster’s name is Houdini, readers can count on a grand finale.”–Publishers Weekly on I, Houdini

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385730756
• ISBN-13: 978-0385730754
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,241,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lynne Reid Banks is a best-selling author for children and adults. Her classic children's novel 'The Indian in the Cupboard' has sold nearly six million copies worldwide. She was born in London in 1929 and worked as an actress, writer and TV news reporter. Lynne has written thirty books: her first, 'The L-Shaped Room', was published in 1960. She now lives in Dorset, where she continues to write. Lynne says that writing for children comes much more easily than writing for adults. Tony Ross was born in London in 1938. He has worked as an art director at an advertising agency, a graphic designer, a cartoonist, a teacher, a film maker and as a Senior Lecturer in Art at Manchester Polytechnic.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ever wonder what your hamster's thinking about?, March 21, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: I Houdini (Hardcover)

This is one of the most exciting books I have read this year.
Banks centers her story around the conflict between a hamster's desire for freedom and his master's desire to keep him in captivity.
Houdini is a self-educated hamster who loves to be free. But unfortunatly he is owned by a family of three boys, and their father and mother who wish to keep him in a cage. Houdini is constantly escaping,leading to his many adventures like getting trapped under the kitchen floor next to a hot water pipe, flooding the house, chewing everything in sight, and hiding from an angry father who wants to kill him.
Houdini yearns to be outside, but when he finally finds himself there he realizes how much more dangerous it is outside than inside. When he is caught in a fire,gets trapped under a trashcan lid,is used as a play toy for a cat,and sees a mouse devoured by an owl;Houdini decides to make a difficult decision: to live a long life in captivity or to be free and die at any minute.
I like this book because it is interesting to see things
from a hamster's point of view. I also like how Houdini is always having adventures. I really enjoyed the end;I never expected it to end the way it did.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what a hamster! what a story!, December 7, 2003

By 

Cindy Fefferman (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I, Houdini (Hardcover)

I love this book. As the parent of a child who reads a 5th grade level but that same child is only in 2nd grade, it was perfect. The story had enough silliness in it for a second grader, but it also had some nice life lessons that in a few years if he reads it again, he will notice.

The hamster notes at the end that the best way for people and animals to live together is for both sides to give. He suggests its the best way for people who live together too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I, Houdini; The Autobiography of a Self-Educated Hamster, February 6, 2002

By 

"eschlee" (Bromeswell, Suffolk ENGLAND) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Houdini (Hardcover)

As anyone who has owned a golden hamster will tell, the creatures are built for escape. Golden hamsters are also by nature solitary, so one ends up with a constantly escaping loner....
"I Houdini" makes it all seem like really good adventure, and is pretty sympathetic to the humans, as well. My 10-yr-old daughter (a very good reader) enjoyed it twice, and my 8 yr-old (not such a good reader) loves it enough for me to go on-line for another copy (the one we have is someone else's). The language is slightly Dickensian--great for the kids' improving diction-- and the action well-paced. One for the home library, for sure.