Teddy vs. the fuzzy doom

An eruption of evil hamsters at school throws up gut-wrenching challenges for new student Teddy Tyler-Meier in this series opener. Formerly known to all as "Pukey Bear" after chronic anxiety issues caused him to vomit onstage before his entire school, Teddy hopes to make a fresh start at Ravensbarrow Elementary, deep in the Canadian pine woods. But his arrival coincides with that of a horde of hamsters with the terrifying power to turn everyone into mind-controlled zombie puppets. As it turns out, being doused in milk can turn them back into cute, harmless rodents--but, alas, even a slight taste or mention of the revolting stuff gives Teddy monumental heaves. Fortunately, Teddy finds ready allies in a remedial class of, as he puts it, "oddly inclusive weirdos," including blue-haired Tienna, who has "impulse control" issues, and Shane, who insists that he "can read, just slowly." Unfortunately, the invading hamsters turn out to be crafty as well as evil, and when push comes to shove, there's only one way to stop them--or as Tienna repeatedly puts it, "Sometimes you've just gotta drink the milk!" Hallett floods the pages with monochrome views of pop-eyed, comically terrified students, menacingly toothy hamsters, and glassy-eyed victims; the results of Teddy's frequent upheavals are, happily, confined to soggy puddles and outsized sound effects. Teddy reads white; supporting characters present as racially diverse. Buckets of fun and spooky doings. (Comic horror. 8-11) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.