Synopsis Humphrey delights his friends again with his latest tales of Room 26, Longfellow School and this time he’s in trouble with a capital ‘T’.

Review Humphrey is a loveable hamster who lives in a cage in a classroom. He spends his days doing the same work as the children secretly in his own notebook and making observations about the children and teacher to his next door neighbour Og the Frog.

‘Trouble According to Humphrey’ sees Humphrey enjoying being the inspiration for a class project who are creating a model community. As the children create facilities for their project and assume new responsibilities such as energy monitor and animal keeper, Humphrey and Og look on with pride. However, when Humphrey decides to leave his cage to try to help his classmates little does he realise it will inadvertently get one of his favourite human friends into trouble.

Weekends are never dull during this book since Humphrey is taken home by a different class-mate each time, having little adventures and solving many domestic problems, children and grown-ups included.

A highly readable, charming school story, ideal for newly independent readers moving away from picture books. The gentle humour appealed to my Year three children and they were keen to re-read for themselves and visit the other titles in the series too.

2008-06-17