FREDDY IN PERIL

Freddy, an overly intelligent golden hamster, Sir William, a civilized tomcat, and Enrico and Caruso, a pair of theatrical guinea pigs, share the residence of German teacher and translator Mr. John. Freddy’s extraordinary abilities allow him to communicate via computer as he types his thoughts to Mr. John by day and writes his stories by night. Boldly posting his biography on the Internet alerts the villainous Professor Fleischkopf of his unique genius and the perilous adventure begins. Freddy must outwit his enemy, escape, and be rescued before his brain is dissected in the name of scientific experimentation. Brownjohn’s smooth translation captures the sophisticated and witty first-person narration flaunting a writer’s flair complete with dramatic, nail-biting phrases such as “I’D NEVER LOOKED INTO A COLDER MORE SINISTER PAIR OF EYES” set in a larger, boldly wacky print. The more-graphic-than-usual book design includes a few black background pages with white text to emphasize the darkness of Freddy’s plight. Cepeda’s wonderfully expressive, simple ink cartoons surround the text on almost every page, adding to the histrionics. A cliffhanger written with literary polish. (Fiction. 8-10)