I Houdini

by Lynne Reid Banks

Book Overview

You may think Houdini is a strange name for a hamster, but if you've ever heard of the late Great Houdini, the most amazing escape-artist of all time, you'll understand how I got my name. I'm proud to... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385244827
• ISBN13: 9780385244824
• Release Date: April 1988
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers
• Length: 127 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Funny yet thoughtful book.

There is no doubt that Houdini is a most unusual creature, for this is a hamster with an advanced vocabulary and a terribly immodest opinion of his own superior brain power. Houdini believes without question that hamsters are a higher form of life than humans. He is, however, a kindhearted creature (generally speaking) and tolerates the bumbling ways of humans well enough.What is hard for him to tolerate is their tendency to want to lock him up in a cage. If there is anything Houdini does not like, it is to be locked up. It is in fact his amazing ability to escape his cage that got him his name. Houdini is an escapologist of the very highest order.Houdini also tends to reap chaos in his wake, which makes him most unpopular with the father of the boys who own him. Father becomes enraged when Houdini first chews electrical wire, carpeting and a door, and then finally causes a flood in the kitchen. It is all too much. Even Houdini has to admit that Father has just cause to be upset. So Houdini decides to stay with a friend for a while, until Father has time to cool off. Ben has a hamster called Oggi, a female who humiliates Houdini dreadfully. Houdini is soon on the loose and makes the most amazing discovery --- he finds himself in the great Outside.Never in his wildest dreams did Houdini imagine that the great Outside would be so wonderful. What he comes to learn is that Outside is also terribly dangerous and unpredictable. In fact, he could very easily become someone's lunch or dinner out there.In this funny yet thoughtful book, Lynne Reid Banks takes us into the mind, and heart, of a brilliant and delightful character who has flaws just like the rest of us. What is endearing about Houdini is that he is willing to admit his imperfections and mistakes. Using rich and complex language, the author never talks down to her readers but expects them to know what she means and understand what her wonderful, often grandiose hamster is saying. We cannot help but grow fond of this ambitious rodent, who discovers that there is a power far greater than even his own will to escape from every cage he is put into. --- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber (mjansengruber@mindspring.com) of Through The Looking Glass Book Review (www.lookingglassreview.com)

a great book for all ages

This is a hilarius book! It's an autobiography of a hamster named Houdini. He has all sorts of adventures. If you have ever read the Hank the Cowdog series, the humor in this book is something like that, so if you like Hank the Cowdog, you'll like this book. But even if you don't like Hank the Cowdog, you'll like this book.

I, Houdini; The Autobiography of a Self-Educated Hamster

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.

TERRIFIC I don't think a story could get any better.

Actually I've heard the audio tape which is a reading of the book. It is about as good as you can get. My daughter has listened to parts of it night after night for weeks as a bedtime story.The character of the hamster is absolutely wonderful. He is very intelligent and concerned about learning, a hard worker at developing the skills necessary for his "profession". He is philosophical and gives due consideration to his exploits with meticulious honesty and modesty despite his obvious enjoyment of posessing intellectual abilities far beyond those of normal hamsters. How the author got such a sophisticated character into such a fun story out to be the subject of a Phd. Thesis. Drama, humor, cute hamster stuff, life and death struggles as he explores the world, learns valuable lessons,develops a conscience, creates a philosophy of hamsterdom, finds religion,falls in love (hamster style), searches for his wild animal roots and more and more.My goodness there is so much and it's all such FUN, nothing particulary serious, nothing scary, just a great story about a hamster who, the truth be told, has a better, more balanced, more thoughtful and more enjoyable personality than most of the people that I know. The author's reading is perfect. Get the book and the tapes. You'll love 'em and so will your children.

It is fun!!!!

This book is a good book. This Book is about a hamster that can escape from any cage.Then the owner got a escape proof cage and it still escaped.The hamster jumped and made the cage tilt over then she ran out. For a while it escaped and one day she stopped then the owner thought it was a trick. Next morning he found 5 more hamsters in the same cage as her. This book was a great book I think I recomend this book to any one around this world.