The Great Pet Escape

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy Library, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: June 7, 2016

Review

The scene: Daisy P. Flugelhorn Elementary School. The heroes: three fluffy friends who have been trapped and turned into school pets. The villains: one snarky mouse (also a school pet) and her mice minions. The time: after hours. George Washington the hamster, GW for short, is a 2nd grade school pet, but he longs for freedom and to reclaim his life on "the outside" with his two best friends, Barry, a rabbit, and Biter, a guinea pig, also relegated to the embarrassing status of school pets. GW does bust out and he's off to jail-break his friends, but his actions are not met with the joy and gratitude that he anticipated. Barry and Biter are comfortable, even happy, with their new lives. Unfortunately, their reunion is cut short by Harriet the evil, and very bossy, 3rd grade pet mouse and her mice minions. With the help of the 5th grade pet, Lucinda the snake, Harriet is looking to make mischief and has no time for the three friends. She locks them up and heads to the cafeteria to wreak havoc on tomorrow's lunch. Chaos and silliness ensue and elementary readers will be on the edge of their seats as the friends try to stop the ill-intentioned rodents. Filled with humor, action and plenty of cute, fuzzy mammals (and one mouse-hoovering reptile), this graphic novel is a hit. Hopefully, there are more adventures in store for these pets on the loose.

Overall Book Score: excellent