Hot Rod Hamster and the Wacky Whatever Race! (Scholastic Reader Series: Level 2)

by Cynthia Lord, Derek Anderson (Illustrator)

Overview

A new early reader series from dynamic duo, Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling illustrator Derek Anderson, featuring Hot Rod Hamster!

Hot Rod Hamster LOVES to drive superfast. And today he's building a box car from scratch to race downhill in the Wacky Whatever Race. He needs to pick out a box, wheels, and a paint color for his car. 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 a fun-filled race day with a thrilling surprise at the finish line!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545626798
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/26/2014
Series:	Hot Rod Hamster Series
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	500L (what's this?)
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

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.
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.

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2014
K-Gr 2—A story based on Lord's picture book Hot Rod Hamster (Scholastic, 2010). Hamster and his friends work together to build a race car for the Wacky Whatever Race, as his old one does not fit the rules for this race: it has to be made from a box, and it can't have a motor. Throughout the story, children are asked for input, e.g., "High wheels. Low wheels. Fat wheels. Slow wheels. Which would you choose?" After a major setback in the race and a quick and effective solution by Hamster, he crosses the finish line first. The familiar characters and predictable plot should appeal to fans of Hot Rod Hamster, and the easy text will draw fledgling readers. Bright, bold cartoons of Hamster's animal pals, all set against ample white space, add to the fun.—Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa

School Library Journal

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

2014-05-14
Hot Rod Hamster makes his early-reader debut.On his way to visit Dog in the junkyard, Hot Rod Hamster spies a sign in the auto-shop window advertising a Wacky Whatever Race. He likes the idea of fun and prizes, and he really loves to go superfast. He signs up and accepts the list of rules. Enlisting the help of the mice and Dog, Hot Rod Hamster makes a dragster out of a box. After choosing wheels and a paint job, he's got his vehicle. Will it go fast enough? Can he win without letting his feet touch the ground? Of course he can, and finding out how will elicit giggles. Following in the recent footsteps of Pete the Cat and Fancy Nancy, among others, Lord's Hot Rod Hamster makes the jump from picture book to early reader. The tale is sufficiently different from his other adventures to give fans something new, but guarding against shock, it includes familiar characters and motivations as well as the signature line, "Which would you choose?" The rhythm of the rhyming portions is thrown a bit by speech bubbles, and the interior art by Paprocki is less detailed than the Derek Anderson originals on which it's based. However, Hot Rod Hamster fans comfortable with the conventions of comics will doubtless enjoy.A good addition to the shelves of familiar-character-based readers. (Early reader. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews