We've had this nonfiction chapter book for a while and it's pretty popular with kids, when it's displayed. Nobody goes looking for chapter books in the 600's. When I started reading it, the author said that she was always being asked by kids why she didn't write a story about her pets, since she was a writer.

"Huh, she's an author?" I thought. "I've never heard of her." Ironically enough, this nonfiction title that she wrote after her other books seems to be the most popular thing she did. Her other titles are mostly Apple paperbacks and midlist, out of print selections.

Each chapter tells about a different pet she's owned, with sections in between like "Some of the best things about prairie dogs" and "The stupidest thing I've ever said about an animal." The stories are funny, gross, sad, and heartwarming in turn. Some of the animals die, some of them cause problems. She makes mistakes in trying to rehabilitate some wild animals and worries about purchasing exotic species.

This isn't a "how to" book for keeping pets. It's more an autobiography focusing on one aspect of the author's life; her beloved animals. Personally, it isn't the type of book I'd pick up. I don't like books about pets, and my own very unsentimental approach to animals makes me suspect that we are not kindred spirits. I also found the narrative to have a rather strong "and THEN" plod to it. However, kids who are obsessed with the care and keeping of animals really adore this title. There aren't a lot of nonfiction chapter books about this subject for kids and it's certainly funny and has a lot of variety.

Verdict: I don't know that I'd recommend adding this one unless you've got a really large population of older kids wanting pet stories, but if you have it I'd keep it!

ISBN: 9780805079746; Published 2007 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library (before my time)

My son and I read this together. It's a memoir of the author's large and varied collection of pets, from the run of the mill cats and dogs, to more exotic animals like sugar gliders and an unhappy bulbul.

The House of a Million Pets was enjoyable for both of us, with my middle school-aged daughter joining us for several chapters. Because each chapter was the self-contained story of a specific animal, it was perfect for summertime reading, when there are lots of interruptions. And the stories were honest, some amusing and some heart-breaking. Hodgman begins her adult life collecting all those exotic pets that parents automatically say no to, and she's honest about how fun it was to get to know about them first-hand, but also how much work it is to care for an animal that isn't really a housepet and how they would be happier in their natural environments. She has also adopted a fair number of animals rescued from unhappy situations and there's a heart-breaking chapter about putting a beloved cat to sleep that had both my son and I crying a bit (this chapter is difficult to read, but should be read by anyone who has a pet they love and it sparked a great discussion about the cat we have buried in the woods). Mostly, what comes through the pages is how much joy Hodgman gets from her menagerie and how each animal is an individual (well, except for the pygmy mice and the finches, who tend to be mistaken for one another). ( )

An appalling book with only marginal redemption - fine writing perfectly attuned to middle-school audience, experiencing loss (of a pet) and cautionary information about making wild animals into pets. BUT Hodgman has far too many pets, quite a number of which are taken in at least temporarily from the wild and not necessarily because they are in need of rehab. Her rationale for the size and mix of her menagerie could easily be stretched - as she does herself - to approve virtually any acquisition. No animal should live its life in a human basement regardless of how much bedding it's given or how frequently that bedding is changed. Pets are great - but this is an over-the-top encouragement to compulsive behavior. ( )

Learn about Ann and her life with all her pets.