By Sonya Hartnett and Ann James
This book is about Hannah, and her mischievous hands Sadie and Ratz. When her brother, Baby Boy, makes Hannah upset, Sadie and Ratz go nuts and "try to rub his ears off." Eventually, Baby Boy is tired of getting his ears rubbed off, and gets street smarts; when he draws on the walls or breaks something, he blames Sadie and Ratz. Of course, Hannah's parents know how her hands behave, and she gets into trouble. When Baby Boy pulls a leg off Hannah's pet bug, Hannah has had enough! She decides to put Sadie and Ratz in timeout to claim her innocence. Her parents realize it was Baby Boy, and Hannah is free of charge.
I think this book would be perfect for a class, because most everyone, as a child, had an imaginary friend. Even though Hannah's hands are not imaginary, she gives them separate personalities, thus them becoming imaginary individuals. She sees her hands as separate beings, and at one point in the book even discusses what they want to be when they grow up. Also, children can relate to having younger siblings that irk them, and having to deal with the frustration, and the punishments as a result of acting out on that frustration.
Overall, I think this book was very entertaining, and shows children that you can stick up to your parents if they are wrong. Hannah shows this by planning and proving to her parents that she was innocent, not by yelling and screaming.
