Obi, Gerbil on the Loose!

by Michael Delaney

Overview

Obi the Gerbil is home alone!

Obi's owner is on vacation, and the neighbor feeding the pets has forgotten all about the gerbil tucked away in her cage. Obi loves her cozy home, but without food and water she must escape to survive. So, taking on the courage of her namesake (Star Wars Jedi knight Obi-Wan), she breaks out and meets her fellow pets?cats up to no good, a maniacal tarantula, an insecure snake, a grumpy mouse, and a crotchety dog. Obi finds danger, but also makes new friends as she embarks on her great adventure. This hilarious novel about perseverance and pluck is enhanced with funny cartoon illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440633881
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	06/12/2008
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	10 Years

About the Author

Michael Delaney, author of Deep Doo-Doo and other novels, lives in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3-5

Obi is content with her simple life in a cage-or apartment, as she likes to think of it-cared for by her human owner, Rachel. Then one day, Rachel's family leaves for vacation. Tad, a neighbor, comes to feed their many pets, but he seems to have forgotten that the gerbil exists. Obi doesn't know how long the Armstrongs will be gone, and she's starving. Thus begins her quest for freedom, food, and to find out if Rachel really cared enough to leave Tad a note to feed her. Along the way, Obi hilariously confronts three sadistic cats, a harebrained parrot, a menacing tarantula and snake, and a paranoid squirrel who thinks Obi is a jailed criminal. The house also holds a surprise-a wise old mouse who has been keeping an eye on Obi through all of her escapades. He offers to help her, but at the expense of her loyalty to Rachel. Throughout each new challenge, readers feel Obi's terror, joy, and surprise, which are all written with a sense of fun. The chapters are peppered with black-and-white illustrations and are very short, which adds appeal for younger and reluctant readers. This is a laugh-out-loud story.-Jane Cronkhite, San Jose Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

Obi the gerbil has it made. She has a beautiful apartment-"cage" sounds so distasteful-an exercise wheel, plenty of food, an adoptive mother named Rachel who dotes on her and a secret talent: Obi can read! All is well until Rachel and her family go on vacation, and the boy who comes over to feed the pets-which include three cats, a snake, a tarantula, a dog and a parrot-completely overlooks poor Obi. As a result, Obi goes without food and begins to wonder if Rachel has neglected to leave instructions for her care. Famished, Obi has no choice but to embark on a grand (for a gerbil) adventure to get herself fed; in the process Obi puts her secret skill to good use and develops some brand new ones to boot. If the cast of characters falls a little flat and the story line feels forced and too simplistic for its intended audience, this is still a fun frolic that will draw in those devoted fans of all things furry. (Fiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews