SOLVED. Middle Grade book about a class that has two pet mice (or hamsters). They feed one junk food and the other healthy food. [s]

[Penny]

Middle grade book about a class that has two pet mice (or hamsters). They feed one junk food and the other healthy food. The teacher says that whichever mouse/hamster is healthiest at the end of a certain amount of time will determine what kind of food is served in the school cafeteria.

The class wants to have junk food like white bread and orange soda pop served in the cafeteria. They feed one mouse whole-grain bread, water, and vegetables. They feed the other mouse orange soda and white bread. The children soon notice that the mouse eating junk food is getting sickly and weak. The children smuggle healthy food and vitamins to the sickly mouse. The mouse starts to improve, but the teacher realizes what the class has done.

I read this book in approximately 1993. It seemed a little old fashioned, as the vitamins were called "vitamins pills." The book was written in english.

The main character was a boy. He really wanted to have junk food served in the cafeteria, so he smuggled healthy food and vitamin pills in for the sickly mouse. He realized at the end of the book that other children had done the same.

Any help finding the title is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

[Orsolya Könyvtáros (formerly Memp)]

This is from Otis Spofford by Beverly Cleary.

"This week we are going to talk about good food. These two baby rats are exactly the same weight. Each weighs forty grams. We are going to feed one of them the same food we eat for lunch in the cafeteria. The other we will feed white bread and soda pop. We will weigh them once a week for three weeks to see which one grows faster."

[Penny]

Oh, yeah! Thank you so much!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Penny.

"Ellen & Otis" series by Beverly Cleary - https://www.goodreads.com/series/4486... - Memp's find