Hamster in a Handbasket

Animal Ark [GB Order] #13

by Ben M. Baglio (Creator)

James and Mandy are looking after the school hamster for the summer. When it disappears, who's to blame? The city kids from the caravan park -- or someone closer to home?

Genres: Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Mystery, Chapter Books

145 pages, Library Binding

First published February 12, 1996

About the author

Ben M. Baglio created the brief for two series of children's books - Dolphin Diaries and Animal Ark. Dolphin Diaries features a girl and her family from Florida, who travel around the world as marine biologists and study dolphins. Animal Ark features two children who work together to help animals and solve animal-related mysteries. The books were written by commissioned writers in the UK under Baglio's instruction using the pseudonym Lucy Daniels. Each ghostwriter is named with a 'Special Thanks' on the copyright page.

Using his real name he also wrote the book series The Pet Finders Club, featuring a group of three children who search for peoples lost pets.

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

🐹
I continue to pick up Animal Ark books when I find them. They are sweet and simple and I enjoy reading the easy-going mysteries. They always centre around a particular animal, in this case a Hamster. Mandy is a fun and likeable heroine motivated by her compassion for animals. The title of the book does give away the outcome of the book though!

[Sammy]

I was completely obsessed with this series of books when I was a child and my aim was to read every single book. They are a really good children's series.

[Stephanie Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libby made me read this as apparently she bought it for me from a charity shop 😅 it's exactly the sort of book I would have really enjoyed when I was a child. It was enjoyable enough for me to read, but I'm pleased I've read it and can go back to my "normal" books!

[Xyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute! I think I want to read more from this series. I know I have one more at home.

Here is one book where I didn't really care what was inside the cover is ADORABLE. Thankfully the story and mystery inside was too. It's an easy read for an adult and a nice chapter book for younger readers...especially those that love animals.

This is the first book I have read in the series; it is book 13, but I did not feel as if I was missing much. The story stands alone well.

Set in an English country village we see Mandy and James and their friends finishing up the school year. The biology teacher needs a helper to take the class hamster, Henry the Eighth (cue Herman's Hermits), home for the summer. In other parts of the village, a small group has decided to protest the arrival of a temporary summer school camp setting trailers up on one of the local farms (think the Fresh Air program). Mandy, James, and Henry connect the two story lines.

I really enjoyed this story because the author captures hamster behavior very well. Mandy is a strong character. I think some might find her a bit cheeky, but overall her attitude and actions are quite respectful of all. Mandy and James had the most character definition, but the secondary characters were not entirely flat. The tertiary ones were, but that was perfectly acceptable.

[A.R. Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, the most special part of this book is the commemoration of my primary school days stuck to the inside cover by the school secretary in 1996; then, as now, I was disappointed that I couldn't like the story more. Mandy and James's care of Henry the hamster is highly questionable, from fat-shaming him with unnecessary comments to taking him out on excursions, while the wider plot involving the city kids vs. prejudiced locals (particularly the vastly overused Mrs Ponsonby) is both predictable and overstated.

Even so, it was okay. I found the last couple of chapters, in which the plot strands all come fairly neatly together, quite engaging; I was also glad to see Imogen Parker-Smythe continuing to improve as a human being after Bunnies In The Bathroom proved a turning point for her. But what really secured my two-star rating was this: it's not nearly as bad as Owl in the Office!

[KPGINNY · Rating 5 out of 5]

James is given the school hamster for the summer holidays to look after and he and Mandy are having a great time but then James's garden gets vandalized and the hamster taken. Who was it, was it the city children on a caravan holiday or someone local? I think the hamster, Henry, sounds really cute from the description. Henry was a bit podgy from all the crisps the people keep giving him. This book had great description and I liked the few pictures that were put it in.

- review written by my 9 year old

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little quick read. A good series for any young animal lover. There are a few facts about hamsters in this one, as all the books have some about the main animal featured. This also shows the importance of taking responsibility.

[Tessie Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jak já milovala Archu zvířat,Mandy a Jamese a spoustu zvířátek,co se tam objevila.Knížka je od 9 let,je to nádherný dětský příběh plný zvířátek,přátelství a důvěry.Jako malá jsem ji přímo ''žrala'' a přečetla jsem celou sérii. ;)

[Louise Marshall-jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books they really remind me of my younger self and are a fab read

[Domi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgie z dětství, v minulosti čtena x-krát… a furt je to zlaté. :))

[Lianna Kendig · Rating 4 out of 5]

(LL)
Another cute book on animals for kids! Solid storyline and good information on hamsters.

[Rebecca Tudor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgia reread

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a review of the 1996 Hodder edition. In America, it would be published by Scholastic under the title of Hamster in a Handbasket, because apparently Scholastic thought American kids were completely unable to learn English. No matter what the author's name is on the cover, the real author was Jenny Oldfield, who wrote the majority of the first 40 or so books in the series.

This book is relaxing and nicely silly. It doesn't take sillness to an unbelievable level, yet it also doesn't take itself too seriously. There are bad people in here, and they are dealt with accordingly. Most importantly, there's Henry VIII, the Syrian or golden hamster. He's overweight, silent, and seems to love giving everyone around him mild heart attacks.

Like most Animal Ark books, this has an A and a B plot which eventually intersect. The A plot is James and Mandy trying to care for Henry. The B plot is too complicated for me to try and summerize. I'll just say that it involves lower class kids being allowed to spend summer camp, of sorts, in Welford.

I think this was one of the last books to mention Mandy's three pet rabbits. By book 16, they're gone for good, with absolutely no explanation. Poor bunnies. Mandy loves all animals ... but apparently not her own rabbits. (EDIT: The bunnies reappear in the 1999 Christmas book, Pony in the Post or, in America, Pony in a Package.)

This book is definitely not a good book to start the series with. Just about everybody from the pervious books show up here. Try to read at least Kittens in the Kitchen and Bunnies in the Bathroom before this.

This would be one of 13 Animal Ark books turned into a short-lived UK TV series of the same name in 1997 and 1998. I have not seen this episode, so I do not know how it compares to the book.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

there were kids coming into the town were mandy lived and then there was some trouble with the new kids thatmoved into there gramas houseand everyone thought it was the new kids but then they found out that it was the other new kids

[Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was about a little hamster that ran away for home!

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little kiddie mystery that I probably would have adored at about eight! As it is, not a series I'd chase up more from nowadays, but if one happened to fall in my lap then yeah, I'd read it.

[Rea]

I really enjoyed this whole series as a child. Back then I'd devour each of the books as soon as I could get my hands on them.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the very first Animal Ark book I got. I loved this series when I was younger. It's great for kids who are in late elementary/early middle school or for kids who love animals.

[Taylor Troncin]

Loved this series when I was younger. Still a huge animal lover and would like to read the rest of this series!