by Susan Saunders
Preface
I'm not sure where we found this book. It may have been at the local library used book sale or at the Book Nook in Boyertown, PA. We couldn't resist the cover. The way the kitty is peeking through the shrubs is too adorable. The blurb on the back sealed the deal.
School has been busy lately so we've been reading mostly at night. So forgive our darker photos. :( Using the flash makes everything too bright and reflective and not using it...well, more natural, but also a bit darker.
The Girls
Grace
Oh, my goodness! The cover is so cute.
Mystery Cat or MC is adorable. Okay, we're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but sometimes that is just what gets us interested in reading. Mystery Cat is a nice chapter book. I read it pretty quickly because the action carried me along. I got scared at one point because the situation got really hairy for Hillary.
Haley
The kitty on the front cover is cute, but the blurb on the back is what got me to pick up this book.
The blurb is as exciting as the action inside. There is more to it though; two genuinely good-hearted girls care for MC and get to be good friends through him.
Kaya
Thankfully, no real cats were injured in the making of this book. Although MC certainly gets some bumps, bruises, and scrapes.
It's really nice the two families were adopted by MC, it's also good the girls try to keep him from harm. They learn some interesting skills and get very close to the old saying, "Curiosity killed the cat."
Kirsten
I really liked this story. It's great that Kelly Ann finds MC and opens her heart to him as well as his second family.
Things could have gotten really nasty had she not worked things out with Hillary. I read a comment from someone who said the characters were not well developed beyond noting one had money and the other did not. That's one of the beautiful things in this story, Kelly Ann and Hillary find out they are not that different. You can be friends anyway.
Lanie
Mystery Cat is a mystery within a mystery.
The first mystery focuses on the kitty and both Kelly Ann and Hillary want to know who is he, where does he come from and where does he go. The two use tracking skills to follow him and that brings us to the next mystery about the funny pieces of paper he brings to the house during his visits. Looking into that, well, that gets a bit more dangerous. This isn't quite story related, but I love the chapter headers. Each chapter starts with a portrait of MC. Cute!
Lea
One of the fun things about this book is it has pictures randomly placed through it.
As I read along sometimes the pictures my head is making gets support from the author illustrator. The drawings are pen and ink with nice detail. It only took a few days to read through and I really enjoyed it.
Melody
Second last here. Yikes. I'm glad you're sticking with us through all our thoughts.
I liked this story, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around MC meandering all over the neighborhood. All our cats are indoor only. When MC got hurt I understood why we do that. Some will argue it's not natural, but when you live near a busy street like we do... Anyway, if he were indoor only Kelly Ann would never have met Hillary. The adventure they face together is not simple. Their safety as well as MC's is at risk.
Xyra's Review
I really liked this little mystery. I would have given it higher marks if it hadn't been so reminiscent of Disney's That Darn Cat (1965). I thought perhaps this book was the basis for the movie, but the copyright is 1986 (and the Disney Wikia page notes it is based on That Darn Cat [Undercover Cat #1] by Gordon and Mildred Gordon [Oh. My. Gosh. Bones fans...Gordon Gordon...]).
The main premise of two families hosting one wandering Tomcat is interesting. I like that kitty brought two girls together who may have never met before. It showed that no matter where you are from you can be friends with someone outside your daily circles, if you get to know them. In this case a big grey tom was the connection.
The girls work together to try and figure out where MC gets his "toys" and in the end help the police.
Overall a fun, quick, read. Very nice story with action and adventure, a great budding friendship, and a unique feline. What more could one ask?
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We enjoy being able to share the books we read with others and with the hop we can reach out to even more book lovers than the ones who regularly follow our blog. We've also found some really great books to give add to our collection or give as gifts.
Happy Reading!
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