Night of the Living Gerbil - Hardcover

Levy, Elizabeth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060285885 ISBN 13: 9780060285883

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2001

Synopsis

Robert is worried. His pet gerbil, Exterminator, is lying on the bottom of his cage, not moving. A trip to the veterinarian's office doesn't help, and soon, Extermie is gone. Robert is so crushed that he can't even talk about it. It doesn't help that his bossy cousin Mabel keeps telling him how he should feel. Or that his older brother, Sam, can't seem to stop telling bad dead gerbil jokes.

Things get even worse when Sam comes up with a plan to cheer Robert up -- a plan that involves a creepy store called Weird Science and its even weirder owner. And one dark stormy night, Sam and Robert find themselves right in the middle of ...the night of the living gerbil!

About this title

About the Author:

Elizabeth Levy loves to tell stories that combine serious issues with humor. She has proven it with her award-winning books for young readers, including My Life As A Fifth-Grade Comedian, Keep Ms. Sugarman In The Fourth Grade, and other best-selling books in the Sam and Robert series, including Frankenstein Moved In On The Fourth Floor and Dracula Is A Pain In The Neck. She lives in New York City.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 3-5-This is the third story about the Bamford brothers. Robert has two gerbils-Terminator and Exterminator. One day Extermie looks rather listless and the vet doesn't hold out much hope for him. On the way home from the animal clinic, the boys and their mother stop at "Weird Science," a new store that has stuffed animals, fossils, and bones, and is owned by a taxidermist. After Extermie dies, Sam decides that they should have him preserved. Busy with museum preservations, Mr. Winston sends the body to his brother, who poses it in a fierce exterminator posture, which is nothing like the animal's true nature. Sam's dry sense of humor and bad puns lighten the story, but also get him into a lot of trouble. The boys' annoying seven-year-old cousin with her highly developed sense of right and wrong tries to walk Robert through the stages of grief. Their friend and baby-sitter likes to draw parallels between Mr. Winston and the zombie from the movie Night of the Living Dead. Children who liked the previous books are the most likely audience for this one.

Debbie Feulner, Northwest Middle School, Greensboro, NC

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0060285885
• ISBN 13: 9780060285883
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96
• Illustrator: Basso Bill