Chapter 1: Surprising News

I've learned a lot about school inthe short time I've lived in one.

As a classroom hamster, I get to see and hear everything that goes on in Room 26.


One thing I've learned is that it's important to listen to our teacher, Mrs. Brisbane. She is super smart. She's a good  teacher, too.

I've also learned that it's important to listen to Mr. Morales, the principal. Mr. Morales is the Most Important Person at Longfellow School.

One Monday, when he came into our classroom, he said something VERY-VERY-VERY important. It  was also quite surprising.

One thing I've learned is that it's important to listen to our teacher, Mrs. Brisbane. She is super smart. She's a good  teacher, too.

I've also learned that it's important to listen to Mr. Morales, the principal. Mr. Morales is the Most Important Person at Longfellow School.

One Monday, when he came into our classroom, he said something VERY-VERY-VERY important. It  was also quite surprising.


"As you know, class, the Longfellow School Fair is coming up on Saturday," he said.

My friends got very excited.

"Will there be cotton candy?" Heidi Hopper asked.


She forgot to raise her hand. I think of her as Raise-Your-Hand-Heidi because Mrs.  Brisbane always has to remind her to do it.

Mr. Morales smiled. "I think so," he said.


A.J. remembered to raise his hand, and Mr. Morales called  on him.

"WILL THERE BE CUPCAKES?" A.J. asked.

A.J.'s voice is very loud, so I call him Lower-Your-Voice-A.J.

Mr. Morales said there would be cupcakes. There would also be games and crafts and things that sounded like hamster-iffic fun.

"Yippee!" I shouted.

Of course, all that my friends heard was a very loud "Squeak!"

"This year, we are adding something new," Mr. Morales  told us. "And everyone will be part of it."

"Are you listening, Og?" I squeaked to my neighbor.

Og is a frog. He lives in a tank right next to my cage on a long table by the window.

Since I can't see his ears, I'm never sure if he's listening or not.

"BOING-BOING!" he answered in his funny voice.

I guess he really was listening.

"During the fair, each class will march around the playing field," Mr. Morales said.

"Oooh," my classmates said.

"You'll all make signs that will show what makes Room Twenty-six special," Mr. Morales explained. "There will be a prize given for the best class spirit."

"Oooh," my classmates said again."Do you think Room Twenty-six will win the prize?" Mrs. Brisbane asked the class.

Every student shouted "Yes!" including me.

Og splashed around in the water side of his tank.

After Mr. Morales left, I was so happy, I hopped on my wheel for a fast spin.

I should have listened to the teacher, but I couldn't stop thinking about the school fair.

Og and I were alone during recess. "The fair sounds great, doesn't  it?" I asked.

"BOING-BOING!" Og answered.

"Cupcakes sound yummy. And games are fun!" I squeaked.

"BOING-BOING-BOING!" Og said.

"I just have one question, Og. What is a school fair?" I asked.

Og dived into the water and swam away from my cage. I guess he didn't know what a school fair was, either.

But I wasn't worried. I knew I'd find out VERY-VERY-VERY soon.

My friends were all talking when they came back to the classroom.

I heard them say some very odd things.

"Beanbags," Garth said.

Gail giggled and shouted, "Sponges!"

Gail loves to giggle, but I had never heard her laugh about sponges before.

Sayeh, who hardly ever speaks, smiled and said, "Face painting!"

"Class, we have work to do," Mrs. Brisbane said. "We need to think about our signs. What do you think makes our class special?"

Lots of hands went up.

"We learn a lot of important things in Room Twenty-six," Mandy said.

I agreed with that. I'd even learned to read and write in Room 26, which is unusual for a hamster.

"We've got the best teacher," Richie said.

That made Mrs. Brisbane smile. "But other classes have nice teachers and learn a lot," she said. "Is there anything that sets this class apart from the others?"

Miranda Golden raised her hand. I think of her as Golden-Miranda because of her golden hair.

"We have the nicest students," she said with a smile.

She was RIGHT-RIGHT-RIGHT! I was lucky to be in a class with such nice humans.

"Here is a different way to look at it," Mrs. Brisbane said. "What do we have that no other class has?"

I looked around the room.

There was a colorful bulletin board with pictures of important people on it. I didn't know who they were, but I was sure they were important.

I looked some more and saw books, pencils, paper and maps.

My friends glanced around the room, too.

Suddenly, Heidi said, "Humphrey!" (She forgot to raise her hand again.)

Then A.J. shouted, "And Og!" The class was buzzing with excitement.

Mrs. Brisbane clapped her hands to quiet everyone down. "Quiet, please," she said. "I agree, no other class has a hamster like Humphrey and a frog like Og. Should we use them on our signs?"

I was too surprised to squeak up, but my classmates all cheered.

Even Og said, "BOING!"

"We will start working on  them tomorrow," Mrs. Brisbane said.

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Excerpted from Humphrey's School Fair Surprise by Betty G. Birney
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