Hot Rod Hamster and the Wacky Whatever Race!

by Cynthia Lord

AR Test

At A Glance

Interest Level

5-7

Entertainment
Score

Reading Level
2.1

Number of Pages
32

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 book 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 Cynthia Lord spent as a first-grade teacher have given her the perfect sense of 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!

Join Hot Rod Hamster as he builds his race car with help from his friends, Dog, and three mice. To keep readers engaged, they are asked to help Hot Rod Hamster decide what items he should use to build his race car. For example, which type of box should be used—a big box, a long box, a tall box, or a small box? Which would you choose?

On the day of the exciting race, Hot Rod Hamster’s car starts to slow down. Young readers will love how the creative hamster finds a way to stay in the race.

To make the story accessible to young readers, the story uses simple sentences and illustrations on every page. Each page has a large illustration that uses primary colors. Humor is added through the characters’ facial expressions. Hot Rod Hamster’s three mice friends also appear on every page. Even though they’re small, they help build the car and cheer for Hot Rod Hamster as he runs the race.

Hot Rod Hamster will win the hearts of young readers as he races to the finish line. The fast-paced story teaches readers about shapes, sizes, and colors in a way that makes learning fun. Young readers will be eager to read all of the books in the Hot Rod Hamster Series. For more hamster fun, check out Pets on the Loose! by Victoria Jamieson and Max & Mo Make a Snowman by Patricia Lakin.

Sexual Content 