How's Harry?

Another series title in the current vogue for 'short novels for fluent readers', this 'Mammoth Read' tells of Kate's wish for a hamster and her gradual realisation of the animal's needs and her role in caring for it. You would have to be a pretty fluent reader for this novel - it is told in the joky style that seems to be prevalent in books aimed at the 'newly fluent' stage, with lots of digs at Mum and Dad, and Dad uses a number of idiosyncratic made-up words - 'I'm dadamant', 'I'll daddle well ...' which might prove confusing to the less experienced reader. The message about taking responsibility for a pet seriously, and actual basic information about caring for a hamster, come through clearly despite the jokiness, and Kate's determination to prove herself a fit pet-owner is well described.