“Okay class, settle down! Let’s start the book: The Adventures of Humphrey. Chapter one,” my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Miller said. She told us the story of Humphrey the hamster, an adventure class pet. After chapter one was over, we started to hear a squeaking noise. “What was that?” Hannah, a girl in my class, asked. Suddenly we heard the spinning of a hamster wheel.  “Hang on, I heard something!” Jake exclaimed, looking around. “Well, it seems we have a guest,” Mrs. Miller announced. She turned around and pulled out a small cage, containing a hamster. “Oh my goodness!” I gasped. His fur was a golden color, with little bits of white. “Now I’d like to introduce you to Humphrey, our new class pet.” He was a lovely animal, and we all enjoyed feeding him. Soon we came to know that he loved eating carrots. “Let me feed him next!” Ellie said excitingly. “No, it’s my turn!” Jake called out. “Listen, class, you can all feed him when you take him home on the weekend. I have a sign-up sheet right here.” Before she even set the sheet down, people were crowding around her, then signing up. I didn’t get there until nearly all the students had signed up the next available spot, but I was all right with that. I was so lucky! I got to take him home over winter break!

It was great- I fed Humphrey, cleaned his cage and watched tv with him. My family liked having a temporary pet, especially one as cute as that hamster. My mom even bought him a new ball to roll around it.  He was so cute, rolling around our house in this little ball!

Everything was great, until the last day of winter break. My family went out to a nice dinner, at some fancy French place downtown. Before we went out, I picked up Humphrey, kissed him on the head, and just as I was about to close the door, my mom called out, “Honey, it’s time to go!” I closed the cage and ran out to the car.  

The dinner was lovely. We had pasta and dessert, but once we got back to the house, the door to Humphrey’s cage was wide open. “Humphrey!” I called out. Then the search party began. We looked under the couches and tables, behind the bookshelf, and behind potted plants, but he was nowhere to be found. I started to panic: what if I didn’t find the class pet? I’d be dead meat!  Finally, my dad had the idea to look behind the chair in our living room. There Humphrey was, chilling on the floor. We all breathed a sigh of relief. “We found him!” my brother called out. “Oh my goodness, there you are!” I said, picking up the hamster and kissing him on the head.

The next day at school I returned the hamster, safe and sound. I walked into class and put the hamster cage on a desk, and talked to my friend, Jane. “How was your break? Was it nice having Humphrey with you?” I smiled and replied, “Oh yeah. It was a piece of cake!”