Olly Brown, God of Hamsters

Olly Brown adores hamsters but is flabbergasted when a horde of them appear in his bedroom, after crash-landing their spaceship in his neighbour’s garden pond. The small, furry rodents, led by chief hamster Tibbles, are super intelligent, can follow written instructions and, curiously, seem to worship Olly like a god. Although initially delighted with his new houseguests, Olly becomes increasingly stressed as he tries to keep them hidden from his dad and little sister Martha.

Compounding his anxiety is the imminent Year 6 Leavers’ Party, which he has promised to help organise. This fills him with dread, as Olly is intensely shy and any form of social interaction induces furious blushing, sweaty palms and a dry mouth, so he can’t get his words out. However, when he discovers that the hamsters – and the Earth – are in grave danger, Olly must push himself out of his comfort zone and find his inner strength to save the day. 

Full of humour, this hugely entertaining sci-fi adventure demonstrates the importance of friendship and having the courage to face your fears. The chapters are interspersed with black-and-white illustrations, contributions from Tibbles and snippets from an online alien conspiracy chatroom, which add to the hilarity.

Mae Olly Brown wedi gwirioni ar fochdewion ond mae wedi’i syfrdanu pan mae haid ohonyn nhw’n ymddangos yn ei stafell wely ar ôl i’w llong ofod syrthio i’r ddaear yn y pwll dŵr yn ngardd ei gymydog. Mae’r cnofilod bach blewog, y mae’r prif fochdew Tibbles yn eu harwain, yn hynod ddeallus, yn gallu dilyn cyfarwyddiadau ysgrifenedig ac, yn rhyfedd iawn, yn ymddangos fel petaen nhw’n addoli Olly fel duw. Pan mae’n darganfod bod y bochdewion – a’r Ddaear – mewn cryn berygl, mae’n rhaid i Olly oresgyn ei orbryder dwys a dod o hyd i’w gryfder mewnol i achub y dydd.

Yn llawn hiwmor, mae’r llyfr antur ffug wyddonol, tu hwnt o ddifyr hwn yn dangos pwysigrwydd cyfeillgarwch a bod â’r dewrder i wynebu’ch ofnau.