Sugary sweetness and a lot of fur, claws and cuteness

This is my Brain Candy (mmm candy…)

Kids will love Fuzzy’s Great Escape (Class Pets #1) by Bruce Hale. Me? I enjoyed it, even with the fact that there were a few holes in the story line for me. The story seems to start in the middle of a series. Perhaps there was another series that introduced Fuzzy and friends? There will be others in the Class Pets series, so perhaps he plans flashbacks. (There is a character mentioned that you have never meet as it “went to the farm” and Fuzzy knows what that means. Of course, the adult reader knows what that means, but a young reader will just assume it went to “the farm” and not what we know it means).  There will be Fuzzy Takes Charge (Class Pets #2), Fuzzy Freaks Out (Class Pets #2) and  Fuzzy Fights Back (Class Pets #4).

Even with this “hole” Fuzzy’s story is a fun read for second and third grade readers. In the style of the classic talking animal stories, Fuzzy and friends are brave, funny and typical kids. They have their jealousies, insecurities and unique personalities. Perhaps a few things are not realistic: the snake would eat the mouse regardless of them both being a class pets and of course, talking animals. But kids will suspend reality to just enjoy the story.

The story is: Class Pets of the School are their own club. They come from different grades, so their education is limited to that and their animalness. However, they all seem to be about a fourth (possible fifth) grade level. The main point is not that they take a field trip (and have to do an escape worthy of Steve McQueen and The Great Escape) but that they are friends and do things that “kids” do, think and feel.