Devin Scillian - Memoirs of a Hamster

Memoirs of a HAMSTER By Devin Scillian and Illustrated by Tim Bowers Text Copyright 2013 Devin Scillian
Illustration Copyright 2013 Tim Bowers All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews and articles. All inquiries should be addressed to: Sleeping Bear Press 315 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Suite 200 Ann Arbor, MI 48108 www.sleepingbearpress.com Printed and bound in the United States. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Scillian, Devin.
Memoirs of a hamster / written by Devin Scillian ; illustrated by
Tim Bowers. cm. cm.

Summary: A pet hamster is enticed by the family cat to venture outside his well-equipped cage to the sunroom only to very quickly discover life outside his cage is not the best for him.Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-58536-831-0 [1. HamstersFiction. 2. CatsFiction.] I. II. Title. Title.

PZ7.S41269Mfh 2013 [E]dc23 2012033693 Night One My life is perfect.
I have a bowl full of seeds, a cozy pile of wood shavings, and room to run.
Im never leaving here. Question: Whos the luckiest hamster in the world?
Answer: ME!Night Two I was just telling myself, Seymour, youve got it made, when my exercise wheel was delivered. (I like to work out.) Its the best model around, the FuzzyBoy 360, shiny as a new dime and fast as lightning. I dont know how many miles I put in, but I was on that wheel all night! Night Three It took me a while to get the hang of my new water bottle, but its great. Its important, too. A hamster has to stay hydrated.

Back to my wheel; Ive got another hour to put in before daylight! Night Four Little Girl came by and gave me a kiss on the nose. Nasty. Hello? Ever hear of germs? But she also gave me two yogurt drops. Question: Whats better than a yogurt drop? Answer: TWO yogurt drops! I ate one and tucked the other in my cheek to save for later. This hamster has it going on. Night Five I was just climbing onto my wheel tonight when Pearl the Cat came by.

You know, she said, you run for miles every night, but you never leave that cage. Whats it all for? I dont know, I said. Its what hamsters do. What a complete waste of time, she said. Have fun in your cage. Sunroom? Whats a sunroom?Night Six Little Girl woke me up to clean my cage today. Sunroom? Whats a sunroom?Night Six Little Girl woke me up to clean my cage today.

She kissed me on the nose again. Barf! She needs to knock that off. But while she was carrying me around, I realized theres a lot of house around me that I havent seen. It seems to go on forever! I tried as hard as I could, but I couldnt see a sunroom. Little Girl gave me a yogurt drop, and I completely forgot about the sunroom. Whatever a sunroom is, is it better than a yogurt drop? Answer: NO!Night Seven I planned on running a marathon tonight, but my FuzzyBoy 360 is a little squeaky.

Pearl came over to the cage looking a little annoyed. You really need to get yourself out of there, she said.
But why? I asked. Ive got my wheel, Ive got my seeds, Ive got yogurt drops
You wouldnt need a wheel out here, she said. Theres plenty of room to run. The staircase is made of sunflower seeds. And the sunroom is filled with yogurt drops.

As she was walking away she turned around and said, Watch out for Hoover. Hoover? Whos Hoover?Night Eight I didnt sleep a wink all day. Little Girl came by and kissed me on the noseYUCK! And then I had a terrible workout. I just couldnt focus. How could I concentrate knowing what I know? Imagine ... a whole staircase made of sunflower seeds! And the sunroom? Dont I deserve to be in the sunroom? Buck the Dog came by to give my cage a sniff, and I said, Buck, do you like the sunroom? Big, goofy Buck said, I love the sunroom.

Its so sunny. And he trotted away. Night Nine No workout tonight. I spent the whole evening putting together a plan. I went over every square inch of my cage, and I think Ive got it figured out. Operation Tasty Treat is set for tomorrow night.

Hello, staircase! Hello, sunroom! Night Ten Good ol Seymour is one smart hamster! My escape went like clockwork. I moved the seed dish. Then I was able to muscle the FuzzyBoy to the front of the cage. I had a little trouble climbing the outside of the wheel. It kept spinning and I wasnt getting anywhere. But sweet Pearl suggested I jam a sunflower seed at the side of the wheel, and it worked! After that, it was easy.

I shimmied up the wheel and popped the lid right off. Question: Whos going to eat every yogurt drop in the sunroom? Answer: ME!Night Eleven Note to self: Cats are big, fat liars. Im writing this from under the sofa. One wrong move and Pearl will have me for dinner. For starters, the staircase is