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. Once you meet him, you will understand that his owners just couldn’t name him anything else, for his name is quite fitting. 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. But once he gets out, will he ever come back? Or will this be his final escape?
I, Houdini ANNOTATION A boastful hamster with exceptional talent as an escape artist recounts his experiences chewing, wriggling, or squeezing his way out of various closed areas in his quest for the great Outside.
FROM THE PUBLISHER 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 say that there hasn't been a cage built that can hold me. I can climb, dive, wriggle, squeeze, or gnaw my way out of any prison they came up with. I have to admit that sometimes freedom leads to a bit of trouble—like getting cornered by the cat, ending up in the dog's mouth, or being trapped in the freezing cold of a dark refrigerator. But I won't be stopped! With a whole big world out there to explore, who wants to be held prisoner in a hamster cage? Author Biography: Lynne Reid Banks was born in London. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she acted and wrote for the repertory stage. Later, she turned to journalism, becoming one of Britain's first female television news reporters. In 1962 she emigrated to Israel, where she married a sculptor, had three sons and taught for eight years in a kibbutz. She now lives with her husband in England. She writes, travels, and visits schools, at home and abroad, full-time. Among Lynne Reid Banks's popular novels for young readers are Angela and Diabola; Harry the Poisonous Centipede; The Fairy Rebel; The Farthest-Away Mountain; The Adventures of King Midas; The Magic Hare; Maura's Angel; and the award-winning Indian in the Cupboard books.
FROM THE CRITICS Publishers Weekly An errant hamster and his quest for freedom are the subject of Banks's fast-paced story. Ages 8-12. (June)
Publishers Weekly According to PW, "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." Ages 9-12. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Claudia Mills
In this reissue of the 1978 title, Houdini is a highly intelligent hamster, so named because of his amazing abilities to escape from any enclosure, to the discomfiture of his well-meaning but obtuse family. His repeated escapes lead him to establish temporary residences inside an upright piano, amid the soot in the chimney, under the floorboards beside a hot-water pipe, in the great—but dangerous—outdoors, and in the filthy home of an abusive alcoholic and his menacing dog, trapped inside their refrigerator. Each escape leads to a recapture, and then to yet another escape, and recapture, and escape. What carries along this series of somewhat repetitive events is Houdini's narrative voice, reminiscent of Toad of Toad Hall, alternatively boasting of his triumphs and bewailing their inevitable unfortunate outcome. First: "Free! Free! Free! I have already mentioned that I am not conceited, but if ever there was a moment for justifiable pride, it was surely now." Then: "was it not an irony of fate that that grand climax of my life should have been all but spoiled by the wretched, humiliating accident that immediately followed?" The chapter in which Houdini mates with a female hamster, while seemingly quite accurate in describing a male hamster's view of sex, may be a bit mature for middle-grade readers, with Houdini's lust for sexual conquest candidly confessed: "You're very beautiful and I'm going to mate with you whether you like it or not."! 2003 (orig. 1978), Dell Yearling, Ages 9 to 12. School Library Journal Gr 3-6Anyone who's ever had a hamster for a pet or dreamed of having one will be captivated by this story, narrated by the author Lynne Reid Banks. She has just the right note of superiority in her voice as she reads this first person narrative. Houdini is a precocious hamster who, because of his desire for freedom at all costs, faces some exciting and dangerous adventures. The human characters in the story may think that they own Houdini, but he is too independent a spirit to ever fully belong to anyone. The story is lively and imaginative, and Banks' narration more than does it justice. She makes all of the characters come alive through Houdini's eyes. Careful listeners will also come away with a greater understanding of a hamster's habits and life cycle.-Edith Ching, St. Albans School for Boys, Washington, DC
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