Night of the Living Gerbil (Paperback)

by Elizabeth Levy (Author), Bill Basso (Illustrator) "Look at Extermie," shouted Robert to his brother, Sam, one Saturday morning..." (more)
Key Phrases: weird science, Night of the Living Dead

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Gr 3-5-This is the third story about the Bamford brothers. Robert has two gerbils-Terminator and Exterminator. One day Extermie looks rather listless and the vet doesn't hold out much hope for him. On the way home from the animal clinic, the boys and their mother stop at "Weird Science," a new store that has stuffed animals, fossils, and bones, and is owned by a taxidermist. After Extermie dies, Sam decides that they should have him preserved. Busy with museum preservations, Mr. Winston sends the body to his brother, who poses it in a fierce exterminator posture, which is nothing like the animal's true nature. Sam's dry sense of humor and bad puns lighten the story, but also get him into a lot of trouble. The boys' annoying seven-year-old cousin with her highly developed sense of right and wrong tries to walk Robert through the stages of grief. Their friend and baby-sitter likes to draw parallels between Mr. Winston and the zombie from the movie Night of the Living Dead. Children who liked the previous books are the most likely audience for this one.

Debbie Feulner, Northwest Middle School, Greensboro, NC

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. When his pet gerbil Extermie becomes ill and dies, Robert feels bereft and angry with his insensitive older brother, Sam, who tosses off jokes and one-liners. When their cousin Mabel outlines the stages of grief, and their babysitter tells them about zombies in the film Night of the Living Dead, Robert grows even more depressed. To make amends, Sam takes Extermie's body to Mr. Winston, a new taxidermist in town. Mr. Winston preserves Extermie in such a fierce pose that the boys fear the taxidermist is a zombie and has turned Extermie into a zombie, too. Readers will probably discern the relationship between the boys' divorced mother and Mr. Winston before the brothers, who eventually discover the truth in a wild and crazy scene. The recipe of one part fright and four parts silliness is just right for chapter-book fans of the Bunnicula books and Sam and Robert Bamford's earlier foolish frights Frankenstein Moved In on the Fourth Floor (1981) and Dracula Is a Pain in the Neck (1994). Linda Perkins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064421155
• ISBN-13: 978-0064421157
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,631,015 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Night of the Gerbil book review, March 22, 2007

A Kid's Review

I would recommend this book to a person that enjoys reading horror/comedy books. I didn't think that Sam was very helpful to his brother because Robert's gerbil had died and Sam was making jokes about it. Overall, I thought this book was alright because it wasn't very exiting or adventurous.