BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSHumphrey is a golden hamster who was bought by a substitute teacher named Ms. Mac and brought to live in Room 26 at Longfellow School. When Ms. Mac leaves to travel the world, Humphrey is stuck with the returning regular teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, who calls him a rodent and wants to get rid of him. But Humphrey has a secret: the latch on his cage door doesn't lock, so he can get out whenever he wants. As he settles into life as a classroom pet, he quietly begins noticing the problems the kids around him are dealing with, and starts coming up with plans to help, one small hamster adventure at a time.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The World According to Humphrey
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The World According to Humphrey. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a teacher say you can learn a lot about yourself by taking care of another species?
✓ Answer
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
Ms. Mac says this to her class pet on the way home from the pet store. It becomes a kind of motto for the whole story as the rodent ends up teaching his classmates and teacher far more than they expected.
- First half
In what book does a hamster compare climbing onto an overhead projector to climbing Mount McKinley?
✓ Answer
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
After scaling the wastebasket, the chair, and the bookcase, the narrator boasts that reaching the projector was like climbing the tallest mountain peak in the United States. He even credits Mrs. Brisbane for teaching him geography.
- First half
In what book does a girl teach her mom English using a hamster as practice?
✓ Answer
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
Sayeh brings her class pet home for the weekend and uses him to gently coach her mother through her first English greetings. By Sunday her mom is ready to start English class.
- Second half
In what book does a girl line books along her desk edges so a tiny pet won't fall off?
✓ Answer
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
After Clem nearly noses open the cage door, Miranda feels so terrible that she lets Humphrey explore her desktop. She lines up books along the edges as a safety wall so he can sniff her pencils without tumbling off, but she keeps him out of the paper clips and rubber bands.
- Second half
In what book does a small pet sneak behind a TV cabinet and yank the plug out of the wall?
✓ Answer
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
To bring quiet to the noisy Thomas household, Humphrey slips out of his cage, scampers around the room, and pulls out the TV's plug. He calls it one of the most difficult feats of his life, but the silence afterward is blissfully silent.
- Near the end
In what book does a man in a wheelchair build a hamster obstacle course from boards and bricks?
✓ Answer
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
The morning after the catch-me-if-you-can game, Bert wheels in from the garage with his lap full of boards, bricks, and other things. He and his wife spend the day building a coffee-table obstacle course with ramps and treats, and they all have a wonderful time.
