A Cat Called Dog 2 - The One with the Kittens by Jem Vanston
| A Cat Called Dog 2 - The One with the Kittens by Jem Vanston | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: It might be a sequel but it reads brilliantly well even if you haven't read A Cat Called Dog. The story's delightful and this dog lover fell in love with a gang of cats. Please don't tell anyone. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 194 | Date: August 2017 |
| Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers | |
| ISBN: 978-1786293398 | |
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George, Dog the cat and Eric the stray were indulging themselves with a philosophical discussion when they heard some strange mewing. Three kittens had found their way into the garden and told the resident cats that their mother had told them to run away when a two-legs cat catcher came for them all. Mother couldn't run as she had a sore paw, but Daisy, Maisie and Boo had run and run and run. They'd no idea what happened to her - or how to get back home again. George is getting on in years and wouldn't like to upset his two legs, The Lady, by being away from home for too long, so he appoints Dog as leader of an expedition to reunite the kittens and their Mother.
Dog has got over most of his puppyish ways: he used to constantly wag his tail and bark, but the fact that he can still speak dog is going to come in handy as he leads the expedition. Francois, the French cat from next door, has a watching brief and George decides that he will go part of the way to check that all is going well. He's the one who's suspicious when they all encounter a 'helpful' Siamese cat called Hettie, who seems to know where Mother can be found: will Dog be able to retain leadership of the group if the going gets difficult? Is he mature enough to make the right decisions? And then there are the two celebrity cats, dancer Christopher and TV star, Doris. Doris in particular might well need to be looked after: she can't even groom herself properly and has no claws.
When I started reading I didn't realise that this was a sequel, but it really didn't matter. Author Jem Vanston gives us just enough to fill in the background (and to tempt me to go back and read A Cat Called Dog) and despite the fact that I'm a dog lover who's had little to do with cats I found myself falling for the gang. They've all got their own characters: I never forgot that they were cats and it was delightful to feel that I would know them if I met them.
What I wasn't expecting was a thriller which had me on the edge of my seat as the gang encountered killer slugs and dinosaurs. There were a couple of points at which I really didn't see how any of them could escape: Vanston has the pacing exactly right and I was relieved when I could finally breathe out. It's pretty obvious to the reader that Hettie has an alternative agenda, but fascinating to watch the different reactions to her: Eric, in particular is rather smitten. Bless him.
It was a good read and I finished it in one sitting: I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
Jem Vanston also writes as P J Vanston.
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You can read more book reviews or buy A Cat Called Dog 2 - The One with the Kittens by Jem Vanston at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy A Cat Called Dog 2 - The One with the Kittens by Jem Vanston at Amazon.com.
