School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Join Hot Rod Hamster as he exchanges his racing jacket for a blue Mohawk and guitar in this Halloween-themed special. When Hot Rod Hamster is invited to a Halloween party, he and his friends choose rock star-themed costumes and even create their own band complete with instruments and original songs. On their way to the party, however, they run into some trouble when their car breaks down. Luckily, a group of friendly ghosts come to their rescue, and the grateful musicians invite them to be their backup singers, resulting in great delight for all. The familiar "Which would you choose?" that we have come to expect from Hot Rod Hamster books will make a great question when read aloud to children. However, there is some confusion between narration and speech bubbles. Dialogue between characters often throws off background text, particularly when a rhyme spans more than one page. VERDICT Busy words and pictures may make this a challenging book for some readers, but children will greatly enjoy the vibrant colors and animated expressions of the friendly and familiar characters.-Maria Alegre, The Dalton School, New York City © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
In their third book for new readers, Hot Rod Hamster and friends are psyched for an upcoming Halloween party, but a broken-down hot rod slows the gang until friendly ghosts come to their aid. As usual, rhyming verses engage readers with choices: "Carve time? Sweet time? Drink time? Meet time? Which would you choose?" Brightly colored illustrations are filled with affable pumpkins, ghosts, and costumed party guests. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
This third early reader in the Hot Rod Hamster series (Hot Rod Hamster and the Wacky Whatever Race, 2014) finds the likable rodent and his crew of pals planning costumes for a big Halloween bash. Hot Rod Hamster convinces Dog to attend the upcoming Halloween party, but first they must acquire the perfect get-ups in order to win either the "best" or "spookiest costume." The duo, along with a few enthusiastic mice, searches for the perfect thing to wear. "Ghost fun. Clown fun. Star fun. Crown fun. / Which would you choose?" This familiar phrasing, though utilized in previous Hot Rod titles, is less than effective here in creating a rhythm, since dialogue bubbles are interspersed throughout the text irregularly. When the group settles on dressing up as a rock band, they must come together to write a song to sing, build a stage, and integrate a ghostly choir to add pizzazz to their musical debut. Guess who wins? Unfortunately Paprocki's illustrations have a mass-produced cartoon quality that do not quite match Derek Anderson's more painterly style, seen in the picture books in the series. No doubt fans of the previous titles will appreciate the story of friends cooperating on such an exciting venture, but overall this offering falls a bit flat. (Early reader. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
