1. The book opens with the students of Room 26 sharing “wonderful stories about what they’d done over the weekend.” (p. 1) Let’s kick things off by doing the same. What did you do over the weekend? Was it wonderful?
2. Humphrey notes that Raise-Your-Hand-Heidi has gotten better at speaking out of turn, but she still slips up every now and then because “she’s only human.” What does that mean? Is it possible to completely break a habit? Are we doomed to always slip up?
3. Humphrey felt left out of some of the activities at Kirk’s house. If you were able to take Humphrey home for the weekend, how would you include him? What hamster- friendly activities would you do? How might you adapt some of your favorite activities to make them hamster-friendly?
4. The last question was about including Humphrey, but what about Og? Humphrey notes that he’s luckier than his froggy friend because he gets to visit students’ homes for the weekend. Later, he gets to join the students on their trip to the library while Og remains in Room 26. How might Og be included in more activities? Is it feasible to have him visit homes over the weekend? What about moving about the school?
5. Mrs. Wright is a rules person, and she’s intent on making sure everyone follows them. Why are rules important? Must they always be followed? Are there times when it’s okay to bend the rules? Are there times when it’s okay to break the rules? Have you ever bent or broken a rule for what seemed like a good reason at the time? Are there any rules that you would like to see changed?
6. Should hamsters be able to visit the library? Should animals in schools ever be allowed out of their cages?
7. Humphrey closes his eyes, crosses his toes, and makes a wish. Do you make wishes? What rituals do you do before making wishes? What scenarios open doors for wishes to be made? Breaking a wishbone? Blowing dandelion seeds? Shooting stars? Repeated numbers on an analog clock? Any others? And Humphrey’s wish comes true! Have you ever had a wish come true? Tell us about it!
8. Humphrey admits he’s a bit jealous of Og’s ability to swim, but he then thinks about some of his perceived advantages over his amphibian friend. Who has it better? Would you rather be a classroom hamster or a frog? Now think about animals in the wild—hamster or frog? Did your answer change?
9. Gail says she’s going to paint Humphrey. What do you think she means by this? What does Humphrey think it means? Are there times when you’ve heard someone say something and thought it to mean something else? Share examples.
10. Gail and her mother have different ideas about what Gail should wear. Who should get to decide? Who gets to decide this in your house?
11. Humphrey usually loves carrots; however, he wasn’t able to eat carrots at the Morgensterns’ because when he saw them, it made him think about being painted orange. Have you ever had an experience that “ruined” a food you loved? Have you ever been too nervous to eat a favorite food?
13. Last chapter it’s clothes. This chapter it’s room décor. Gail wants one thing, but her mother has a different idea. What else do you think Gail can do to get her mother to hear her? How might they be able to compromise?
14. Humphrey thinks about “how hard it is for a very small hamster to get around in a human-size world.” Imagine you had to navigate the world as a hamster. What do you think that would be like? What if things were flipped? Would you rather be a small hamster in a human’s world or a large human in a hamster’s world?
15. Gail didn’t seem to like having her mom come to school to give artistic advice to all of her classmates. Would you like having a parent come to your classroom? Other than her mother leaving, what do you think would put Gail in better spirits? Could it be possible for her mom to stay and for Gail to be in a good mood?
16. Just like Gail Morgenstern, Bert Brisbane—Mrs. Brisbane’s husband—was there to advise the students, too. What was different about his approach than Mrs.Morgenstern’s? Whom would you rather have offer help to you? Why?
17. On Humphrey’s second secret library visit, he seems bummed that instead of a movie, there’s an educational program about the human eye. He’d rather watch Treasure Island! What’s your favorite movie to watch again and again?
18. Kirk isn’t giving Richie much opportunity to help with their partner project. What do you think Richie should do about this? If you were Richie, would you rather let your partner do all the work, or would you want to participate, too? Have you ever been in a situation like this? Were you a Kirk or a Richie?
19. Gail thinks there’s nothing “more peaceful than a sailboat with white sails.” Do you agree? What other imagery do you find peaceful?
20. This chapter is called “Wright Is Wrong.” But she’s just making sure rules are followed. Do you think that this is wrong? If following the rules isn’t wrong, then what is wrong about Mrs. Wright in this chapter?