Hammy and Gerbee: Mummies at the Museum (Family Comic Friday)

It's time for another edition of Family Comic Friday! Today we'll be taking a field trip to the science museum. It's all part of the fun in Hammy and Gerbee: Mummies at the Museum.

This graphic novel/chapter book hybrid was created by Wong Herbert Yee. Noted for his Geisel Award winning Mouse and Mole series, Yee is both the writer and illustrator of what is promised to be a new series based on the best friends duo of Hammy and Gerbee.

Hammy is a hamster while his best bud Gerbee is a gerbil. The pair are known for getting into mischief. Their rivals at school, the mice twins Anna and Hanna, always seem to get the better of the boys. This often results in the boys getting into more trouble.

But how much mayhem can Hammy and Gerbee get into at the science center? Thanks to an exhibit on mummies and a whole lot of toilet paper in the little boys room, the answer is A LOT!

The characters of Hammy and Gerbee were rather funny and I really liked the ending. But this is a series that won't exactly appeal to the entire family.

The target audience of readers 6-9 years of age are going to love this book. But once you get to ages 10 or 11 and up, this book will be way too young for those readers.

This book also lacks a universal appeal that helps rope in the adults who might read this with their kids (or younger siblings, cousins, etc…) This book is missing a hook like those that have reeled in generations of Dr. Seuss readers and made lifelong fans. Hammy and Gerbee are memorable but they need a little more work, especially in their illustrated depictions, to make them unforgettable.

One thing parents will like is the educational aspect of this book. There’s a couple of informative segments such as a spelling bee as well as a terms to know section in the back. I am all for books that inform as well as entertain and Hammy and Gerbee do both! One thing to keep in mind is that since this was a book about mummies, the terms in the back are all Egyptian words. Some of which might be too advances for readers under the age of 6. So a grown up might be needed to help translate.

Mummies at the Museum a fun read. The target audience will love it. The first of a new series of books, it’s got great potential but still has some kinks in the formula to work out. With a noted children’s author like Wong Herbert Yee at the helm, I have no doubt that book 2 will be much more polished.

Hammy and Gerbee: Mummies at the Museum was published on January 16, 2018. It’s available on Amazon and booksellers everywhere.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.