Sebastien really enjoys reading Humphrey books! Or at least, he enjoys having them read to him. He gives this book 5 stars for sure! I'm not exactly sure what it is that Sebastien finds appealing, but I know that he thinks the picture of Humphrey on the cover is super cute. More than once, when we read a particularly well-described scene, he lamented the lack of pictures in the book.
This book is the third in the series, but we read it first because it was the earliest book in the series available at our local library. It does make mention of people and events from the first two books, and though we weren't by any means confused, I think it would be more fun to read the series in order, starting from the beginning.
I really appreciated the empathy and compassion that Humphrey showed for the children in his classroom. What a great way to introduce young readers to a wide variety of individual troubles and family dynamics. I love the idea that some readers may see themselves in the book's characters, while others may have their eyes opened to what other kids might be going through.
Probably one of the most appealing things about this book, for me, is that it teaches life lessons while keeping the reader entertained. Young readers of this book may learn a thing or two about kindness and caring from the way Humphrey looked out for his friends. Also, Humphrey went through quite an ordeal as he came to realize the importance of taking responsibility for his own actions.
Still, I must admit, I feared that perhaps Humphrey was TOO concerned about his friends! The poor hamster didn't eat, for all his worrying over Miranda! As a chronic worrier myself, I'm not sure I liked the idea of any young readers finding validation in the act of worrying. Maybe I would have preferred it if Humphrey cared, but just didn't dwell so much - if he didn't experience so much anxiety. True to its title, this book is about all sorts of "troubles", and at times, the trouble seemed to go on just a little too long, making it kind of a downer.
I especially liked that this book explored the difficulty of doing the right thing, even when you already know what the "right" thing is. I liked how, in the end, Humphrey made the right decision, even though it meant sacrificing something very important to him. I thought it was unfortunate, then, that after Humphrey made the sacrifice, it turned out that everything worked out so that actually, no sacrifice was necessary. The sequence of events certainly made for a happier ending in the book, but given that this Humphrey series is big on teaching real world lessons, it seems like it would have been a worthy lesson to learn that real world sacrifices are not so easily replaced. If Humphrey had been forced to live with his sacrifice for just a little while - it could have been restored in a later book - I think it would have made for an even better lesson.
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