Hamster and Cheese (Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye Series #1)

by Colleen AF Venable, Stephanie Yue (Illustrator)

Overview

There's a sandwich thief in Mr. Venezi's pet shop.

Everyone is a suspect, from the chinchillas to the goldfish. Never fear! The world's fluffiest detective on the case: Sasspants, PI(G).

By day, Sasspants is your average book-loving, gizmo-inventing guinea pig. By night she solves pet shop mysteries with the help of her sidekick, Hamisher the hamster. Our furry little heroes will stop at nothing to find the sandwich thief! This is the first book in the Guinea PIG, Pet Shop Private Eye series.

"Absolutely adorable drawings, blended with witty dialogue in a way that makes this comic a perfect read for all ages . . . and Owly would like to add that 'little Hamisher and his drawings are equal to awesome.'"—Andy Runton, author of Owly

"Move over Miss Marple, never mind the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, here's the real mistress of the whodunit. She's sharp. And she's furry. This one's a keeper."—Mark Siegel, illustrator of To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761354796
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2010
Series:	Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye Series , #1
Pages:	46
Sales rank:	374,151
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	GN510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 11 Years

About the Author

Colleen AF Venable lives in New York and is the author of several acclaimed graphic novels, including National Book Award Longlist selection Kiss Number 8.

Stephanie Yue grew up in the United States, China, and Hong Kong, and went to New York to study illustration. Currently, she lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and spends her days drawing, practicing kung fu, and making stuff.

Editorial Reviews

"[An] electrically charged comic-book story.'"
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Gr 2–4—Children will love Sasspants, a guinea pig who reads in her pet-shop cage using a thimble recycled as a reading lamp. She is the only animal properly identified because she's made her own sign using tiles. When the "G" at the end of "PIG" falls off, Hamisher the hamster mistakes Sasspants for a private investigator ("PI"), and enlists her help to find who's stealing Mr. Venezi's sandwiches. So begins this humorous mystery. Children who are just beginning to read graphic novels independently will enjoy solving the case with Sasspants. The full-color cartoons enhance the comic appeal. Two funny informational pages about the pet store denizens follow the story.—Marilyn Ackerman, Brooklyn Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

There is skullduggery afoot at Mr. Venezi's Pets & Stuff: Someone keeps stealing his sandwich, which he puts outside the koala cage every day. No, he doesn't sell koalas; they're really hamsters, but Mr. Venezi is both shortsighted and incompetent (though very kind). The only cage that's correctly labeled is the one holding the guinea pig-but someone has stolen the G, so little Hamisher the koala, er, hamster has decided that guinea pig Sasspants must be a P.I. and therefore can crack the case. Venable's series opener just gets loonier. The irascible Sasspants would rather be reading, but, seeing that Hamisher won't leave her alone, she swings into action. The actual mystery plays second fiddle to the over-the-top characterizations and snappy dialogue: The goldfish are thoroughly brainless, Gerry the corn snake is inscrutable, the chinchillas are prima donnas (one of them has a pet white mouse). Yue's graphic panels, colored by Hi-Fi Design, make the most of the comic potential and extend it with plenty of visual slapstick. Middle graders will close this and ask right away for Detective Pants's next caper. (animal facts) (Graphic mystery. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews