Class Pet Heroes

Classroom pets are popular in elementary classrooms.  It's a great way to teach children responsibility and friendship.  Pets are seen as ordinary animals to their classmates, but here are two special classroom pets who go above and beyond.

Malcolm at Midnight by W.H. Becky
You have heard these expressions: dirty rat, rat on someone, rug rat, pack rat. What do they have in common? They're all about rats and they are all negative.  Malcolm the rat is the popular new class pet at McKenna School.  He's determined to change people's images of rats.  Because he is small, he is often mistaken for a mouse, but when people learn he is a rat, they quickly change their opinion of him.  After coming to the school, Malcolm is initiated into the Midnight Society-a secret organization for class pets.  When the leader of the group goes missing, Malcolm is the first suspect.  Not all rats are dirty, rotten scoundrels!  Malcolm is a sweet, charming hero.  This book includes footnotes, defining vocabulary words that the narrator adds to the story.  Recommended for grades 4-6.

The Humphrey Series by Betty G. Birney
From Humphrey's first day at Long Fellow School, he has been helping his classmates.  Every weekend, he gets to go home with a different student or teacher, and he sees where they need assistance.  The children and their families have no idea that the little hamster is getting out of his cage and doing them favors.  Humphrey's books are about friendship and how little things can often make a very big difference.  The story is from Humphrey's point of view with lots of humor and observations on humans. There are eight books in the series, starting with The World According to Humphrey.  The newest title, Mysteries According to Humphrey features Halloween stories from Room 26. Recommended from grades 2-4.

--Angie R., Headquarters