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ridgewaygirl's review
4.0
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).
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).
lizlogan's review against another edition
4.0
A cute book from a woman as obsessed with animals as I am. At times I forgot she was writing to children because she didn't spare details such as death or injury of animals. It would be a good read for an older grade schooler, or one with whom you wouldn't mind discussing matters of life and death in the animal kingdom.
livsorlander's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book was very cute and it had a lot of tips to own a pet successfully
bibliokris's review
4.0
This book made me laugh REALLY hard. The author really does have close to a million pets in her house. Sugar gliders, birds, pygmy mice, you name it. My problem with the book is who her audience is. The book has been published and marketed as a children's book (middle grades) but her voice and tone are often more appropriate for someone from 20 and up, and definitely female. It's a great book--I just wish an editor could have worked with her to publish this one for adults (maybe with a little more adult content) and then published the children's version too, with less stuff that wouldn't click with kids.
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