Obi, Gerbil on the Loose

by Michael Delaney

Obi the Gerbil is home alone! Obi?s owner is on vacation, and the neighbor feeding the pets has forgotten all about the gerbil tucked away in her cage. Obi loves her cozy home, but without food and water she must escape to survive. So, taking on the courage of her namesake ( Star Wars Jedi knight Obi-Wan), she breaks out and meets her fellow pets?cats up to no good, a maniacal tarantula, an insecure snake, a grumpy mouse, and a crotchety dog. Obi finds danger, but also makes new friends as she embarks on her great adventure. This hilarious novel about perseverance and pluck is enhanced with funny cartoon illustrations.

Genres: Childrens, Adventure, Animals, Fiction, Middle Grade, Humor, Juvenile

197 pages, Hardcover

First published June 12, 2008

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, my girls would give this book 5 stars but I gave three - sometimes the descriptions would go too long and repetitive , but still it was cute and a fun little adventure

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book - my 8-year-old liked it. For him, the most memorable scene was the snake and the tarantula arguing! I thought it started a little slow, but picked up speed as it went along, and the animal characters were well done.

[Erica Rubino · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dont know how to read it

[Diego · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was not bad but not too good either.

[Margo Berendsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter read this to me and it was a lot of fun... she's a reluctant reader but there were a few times she actually read a few chapters ahead because she was enjoying it so much. TYpical pet issues: Obi is female gerbil but her owner can't tell so thinks she's a male and names her after Obi-Wan-Kenobi. But what I liked about the story was how Obi learned to read from all the books that Rachel's father read to her every night. Yay for reading parents!

[Kendal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruby enjoyed this book once she got into it.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book to read. Since it is a short book it makes for a good read that you can finish in one day but the story feels incomplete and has too many details making it seem boring to read at certain parts. But overall it is an okay book.

[Chelsea Heath · Rating 2 out of 5]

An alright story, but moved at an extremely slow pace. So many words to say everything, could have been cut down quite a bit and accomplished the storytelling much more concisely. Some cute and fun moments throughout.

[Sara ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute, but definitely juvenile fiction. I still want to know what the life-expectancy of a gerbil is. They can't live THAT long... But whatever. I can suspend belief that much. I've got an imagination!

So this book is about a gerbil named Obi-Wan Kenobi (Obi for short)... She's a girl gerbil, but her owner, Rachel, doesn't know that, so she refers to Obi with masculine pronouns, which is quite funny, because all the other animals in the house (dad's dog and bird, mom's 3 cats, brother's tarantula and snake, and, presumably, the younger twin sibling's fish) all know she's a girl. But whatever.

So the family goes out of town on vacation and the older brother's friend (who is addicted to his iPod) is pet-sitting. The family has left very specific feeding instructions for all the animals, but for some reason, the kid doesn't feed Obi. So after a day or two or three, Obi's getting quite desperate for food... And has to bust out of her cage and find another way to manage...

She ends up meeting the brother's mysterious pets (she didn't know they were a snake and tarantula) and a mouse that lives in the house (NOT as a pet)... and tries to AVOID the cats, who are all bent on eating her. Lots of adventures ensue. Will she ever figure out why the punk iPod kid isn't feeding her? Will Obi be inspired by her namesake and become a super-amazing Jedi-gerbil? :)

Read the book and find out! 3.5 stars...

[Lika · Rating 4 out of 5]

The protagonist is a girl gerbil named Obi-Wan Kenobi. How awesome is that. Even though her namesake is the only Star Wars reference in the entire 197 page novel, Delaney keeps the reader smiling throughout Obi’s journey.

Every character has a unique personality which adds to the humor in the book. There is a gray squirrel who has had one too many nuts, a corn snake who thinks he’s a boa constrictor, and a tarantula that hates being called a mere spider . . . just to name a few.

Amid the adventure and laughs is the theme of family loyalty, making this a well rounded book. Obi is faced with many obstacles that make her question what is right or wrong as well as Rachel's love for her. Fortunately she is able to overcome her doubts with her positive attitude.

There are also many Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate type drawings throughout the book (two per chapter) that add to the book’s charm. They add to Delaney’s descriptions and make you laugh.

The final page hints at a sequel which I am eagerly anticipating. Obi: Gerbil on a Mission comes to stores on April 12, 2012.

The Bottom Line:

Younger animal lovers will cheer for Obi as she embarks on her adventure of self discovery. Reluctant readers will also enjoy the humor and the doodles.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me feel like Obi was really going to die of hunger. Of course, I knew in my head that since he was the main character, he wasn't going to die, but the way that the book was written, I was really sad.
This book is about a gerbil who breaks free from his cage. His name is Obi. When his owner's family goes on vacation, a friend comes and feeds all the pets. The friend forgets to feed Obi and poor Obi is left alone hungry.
Obi finds a note under the refridgerator that says that Obineeds to be fed. Turns out that the pet feeder didn't know about it and didn't even know he existed.
Obi finds a way to show him the note and get back in his cage before the pet feeder finds out that he got out of his cage.

[Marguarite Markley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute story about a Gerbil named Obi, after Obi Wan Kenobi, who is left at home when her owner goes on vacation. Mistakenly, the boy hired to care for the family pets doesn't feed Obi and she escapes from her cage. During her journeys through the house she encounters the family cats, dog, parrot, snake, and tarantula. The ending leaves the story open for a sequel. Give this to fans of Stuart Little and other "talking animal" books. Obi, Gerbil on the Loose is a very quick and easy read.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. After all, it is a story about a gerbil named after Obi-Wan Kenobi - what's not to love? But it fell short of my expectations. The story was slow to start, and I didn't think that it took nearly enough advantage of the cast of characters. After all, in a house filled with 10 pets, you'd think that there could be some interesting interactions between them once Obi gets out of his cage. But it's really just mostly Obi and the cats (and mostly one cat at that).

A fun enough read once it finally got going, but not exactly brilliant.

[Makayla Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a gerbil that got a boys name, by accident, and her family, the Armstrongs, went on a vacation. Obi thinks her adopted mother, Rachel, forgot to tell Tad, a person looking after the pets,to feed the tiny gerbil. The cats are always waiting far the opportunity to catch poor little Obi. After one week, Obi escapes and discovers an old mouse, watching her all her life. The kind Mr. Durkens, fed her and showed her a secret pass way. later in the story, Obi finds out....READ THE BOOK to find out the rest.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story of a gerbil named Obi (after the famous Jedi Knight Obi Wan Kenobi) who is left alone when her human family goes on vacation. Although someone comes in to feed the animals it appears that Obi's feeding instructions were left off the sheet.

Obi is now desperate to be fed as the days wear on so she decides her only choice is to escape her cage and seek help from the other animals of the house.

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a pet lover and definitely related to this book. A little Gerbil, named Obi, has been left at home while the family went on vacation. But Obi is not getting fed by the boy that is feeding the other family pets. So Obi must escape to find food. What an adventure Obi goes on! And while on that adventure learns some lessons and is able to help an old bitter mouse. Read about Obi and her adventure!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story young readers are sure to love! Obi, is such a lovable character. She is forces to be resourceful, creatice and brave when her family leaves for vacation and she has to set out to find her own food. Battling the families other pets, proves to be a challenge along with the rat who lives in the attic and the daunting squirrel just outside the window. Obi, lives up to her name... Obi Wan Kenobi!

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obi Gerbil on the loose is a cute story about how a gerbil (obi) find her way around while her owner is on a trip. the book was written simply, with easy words. One weakness is that this book is pretty boring and not much to it. But, it has some nice detail about what the scenes are like. This book isn't in a series but even if it was i wouldn’t have read the sequel. Maybe if i was younger I would. As I said before this book is boring for me so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are just not enough gerbil protagonists in literature. Sadly, this book is not about to cause any rush for gerbil stories. Although this is a cute story with some funny bits, it's been done before and done much better in Michael Bond's storytelling guinea pig Olga da Polga series. Also, the gerbil care information given is WRONG. Anyone keeping a gerbil in the conditions Obi was kept will soon have a dead gerbil.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story any animal lover will appreciate. Poor Obi is forgotten while her family is on vacation, so she must find a way to survive on her own until they return. It has a great message about being true to yourself and not just going with the crowd. Themes of love and allegiance are woven into the story as well. Plus, there's a squirrel for comic relief!

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little story about a gerbil who has to learn to help himself while his owner goes on vacation. A solid, light read with some deep themes that can be addressed or not depending on your mood. Going on the recommend list and I'm even looking forward to the sequel that is hinted at.

[mizz. crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best books i've ever read. an amazing heartfelt story of a little girl that forgets to take care of her gerbil when she goes away on a family vacation. i would recomend it to anyone that loves animals!

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I told Hannah I would read all the Sequoyah books with her this year. We started with this one because she thought it would be the most fun. It is like mind-candy compared to every other children's book that I have read. No wonder she loves it!

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

a house full of pets is left in the care of a neighbor boy while the Armstrong family is on vacation. All the pets get fed except - OBI! This gerbil lives up to her name Obi-Wan Kenobi with an adventureous spirit and bravery.

[Robert 11 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the cutest book about a gerbil on the edge trying to find food to survive. In this book Obi meets a lot of...err..umm... lets just say interesting characters such as a crazy squirrel and a spanish spider. You will love this book and if you do not read it you are missin out on a lot.

[Christine Rains · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute children's novel about a smart gerbil named Obi and how she survives being forgotten when her family goes on vacation. This is the first novel we've read with our five and a half year old son, and he loves it.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

its about Obi's adopted mother is going on a big trip and Tad Craig's friend is feeding them.so when their gone Tad is not feeding Obi so Obi has to escape to survive.

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute fun animal fantasy read! :)

[Flyp 2011 Tweens]

Sunshine State pick 2010-2011

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

cat's hait gerbils & gerbils hait cat's. >0_0> >0_0< <0_0< kirbe dance