Hot Rod Hamster and the Haunted Halloween Party! (Scholastic Reader Series: Level 2)

by Cynthia Lord, Derek Anderson (Illustrator)

Overview

The early reader series from the dynamic duo of Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord and New York Times bestselling illustrator Derek Anderson now features Hot Rod Hamster in his spookiest adventure yet!

It's Halloween and Hot Rod Hamster is going to a party! But first, he must come up with a costume that's fun and spooky enough to win the contest. Can you help him?With the same bouncing rhythms, fun choice rhymes, and daredevil antics that made the picture books so popular, this original Level 2 reader will be a sturdy stepping-stone for Hot Rod Hamster fans as well as series newcomers as they move on to independent reading. The years Ms. Lord spent as a first-grade teacher have given her the perfect sense for what language and storylines work best for emerging readers. This new adventure skillfully emphasizes word families and rhyming structures with pedal-to-the-metal flare! Little boys and girls will race to collect this latest story from their favorite furry friend.Hop into the early-reading driver's seat and join Hot Rod Hamster and his buddies for loads of spooky fun!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545815307
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/28/2015
Series:	Hot Rod Hamster Series
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	360L (what's this?)
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Derek Anderson is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of the Little Quack series by Lauren Thompson as well as the Hot Rod Hamster series by Cynthia Lord. He is also the author and illustrator of Ten Pigs: An Epic Bath Adventure and Story County: Here We Come! He writes and paints in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit him online at www.derekanderson.net.
Cynthia Lord is the award-winning author of Rules, a Newbery Honor Book and a Schneider Family Book Award winner, as well as the critically acclaimed Half a Chance, A Handful of Stars, and Because of the Rabbit. She made her picture-book debut with Hot Rod Hamster, which won several awards, including the Parents' Choice Award, and is the author of the Shelter Pet Squad chapter book series. She lives in Maine with her family. Visit her at cynthialord.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for HOT ROD HAMSTER:A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the YearA Parents' Choice Award Recommended TitleA Wyoming Buckaroo Award WinnerA Children's Choice Book Award FinalistA Buckeye Children's Book Award Nominee (Ohio)A Colorado Children's Book Award Nominee A Goldfinch Award Nominee (Iowa)A Magnolia Award Nominee (Mississippi)"Junior racing fans will get a vicarious thrill with this story of a tiny driver who dares to burn rubber with the big boys. . . . Anderson's acrylics are boisterously large, colorful, and off-kilter—just like his swaggering protagonist."—BOOKLIST"Newbery Honor author Lord's picture-book debut is a rollicking, roaring read. . . . Anderson's fluffy, jaunty illustrations are as full of energy as the rhymes. Young car enthusiasts won't be the only ones enamored of this hot-rodding rodent and his big canine buddy."—KIRKUS REVIEWSPraise for HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HAMSTER:A Bank Street College of Education Best Children's Book of the Year"Loud, exaggerated acrylics burst off the pages, and the plump, cuddly characters look like stuffed animals come to life. Children will enjoy the opportunity to participate and make choices throughout the book leading up to Hamster's surprise party."—SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNALPraise for HOT ROD HAMSTER: MONSTER TRUCK MANIA!:"Lord and Anderson reteam for a third fun-filled, rhythmic jaunt with Hot Rod and his friends. Returning to what he loves best—things that GO—Anderson's bright-eyed, expressive acrylics extend Lord's enthusiastic rhyming tale to perfection. A treat for Hot Rod fans as well as lovers of trucks and carnival rides." — KIRKUS REVIEWS

From the Publisher

09/01/2015
; pap. $3.99. LC 2014038852.K-Gr 2—Join Hot Rod Hamster as he exchanges his racing jacket for a blue Mohawk and guitar in this Halloween-themed special. When Hot Rod Hamster is invited to a Halloween party, he and his friends choose rock star-themed costumes and even create their own band complete with instruments and original songs. On their way to the party, however, they run into some trouble when their car breaks down. Luckily, a group of friendly ghosts come to their rescue, and the grateful musicians invite them to be their backup singers, resulting in great delight for all. The familiar "Which would you choose?" that we have come to expect from Hot Rod Hamster books will make a great question when read aloud to children. However, there is some confusion between narration and speech bubbles. Dialogue between characters often throws off background text, particularly when a rhyme spans more than one page. VERDICT Busy words and pictures may make this a challenging book for some readers, but children will greatly enjoy the vibrant colors and animated expressions of the friendly and familiar characters.—Maria Alegre, The Dalton School, New York City

School Library Journal

2015-07-15
This third early reader in the Hot Rod Hamster series (Hot Rod Hamster and the Wacky Whatever Race, 2014) finds the likable rodent and his crew of pals planning costumes for a big Halloween bash. Hot Rod Hamster convinces Dog to attend the upcoming Halloween party, but first they must acquire the perfect get-ups in order to win either the "best" or "spookiest costume." The duo, along with a few enthusiastic mice, searches for the perfect thing to wear. "Ghost fun. Clown fun. Star fun. Crown fun. / Which would you choose?" This familiar phrasing, though utilized in previous Hot Rod titles, is less than effective here in creating a rhythm, since dialogue bubbles are interspersed throughout the text irregularly. When the group settles on dressing up as a rock band, they must come together to write a song to sing, build a stage, and integrate a ghostly choir to add pizzazz to their musical debut. Guess who wins? Unfortunately Paprocki's illustrations have a mass-produced cartoon quality that do not quite match Derek Anderson's more painterly style, seen in the picture books in the series. No doubt fans of the previous titles will appreciate the story of friends cooperating on such an exciting venture, but overall this offering falls a bit flat. (Early reader. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews