Book no 1 of the 16 cat books

http://theliteraturevixen.booklikes.com/post/835048/the-16-cat-books

Varjak Paw is the only one in his family of noble Mesopotamian Blue cats whose eyes arent green and he is constantly teased and ridiculed for this reason.His older brother even claims this is the reason their owner-the Contessa has stoppedvisiting them and only stays in her room.

One who doesnt make fun of him is his grandfather the Elder Paw and Varjak loves to listen to him tell stories about their ancestor Jalals adventures.

One day a strange Gentleman arrives with two ominiously black cats and takes the contessa away. Varjak and his grandfather are the only ones who thinks to question the weird events,but the others thinks things are just fine-as long as the gentleman keeps feeding them.

The Elder Paw tells Varjak that he needs to go find something called a dog,because its the only thing that can scare the Gentleman away so while the Elder Paw distracts the black cats Varjak sneaks over the wall but he knows they killed his grandfather.

In the end Varjak makes it to the city where he makes friends with two cats who teaches him the ways of the city.But even the city has dangers like rival cat gangs and cats mysteriously going missing.And he still needs to find a dog.

And then there are the Dreams....

This was a great book with actual depth to it and not just a cutesy books about cats.For a middle grade book it actually had some dark themes.

Maybe its not as dark as Felidae but it does feature some unsettling things that had you wonder even at the end of the book what was going on. The fact you only see the story unfold from a cats viewpoint makes some things unclear and makes the villain the Gentleman seem even more twisted than if we had viewed it from a human characters viewpoint.

Varjak was a symphatetic character even if he was far from forceful in his actions and when he finally through his experiences in the city takes charge of things he does suffer a lapse towards the end of the book and falls back into his old role.He gets better though. So its a coming of age story too.


The others characters are cats with some human traits but I never felt they were humans in cats bodies.There were just enough catlike qualities to make them interesting.



There is a sequel called Varjak the Outlaw wich I plan to read.
( )

Maria Fidélia Pissarra (CFCAS2020): "A associação de um gato com um cão revela-se profícua, permitindo trabalhar a colaboração como fator de pertença a um contexto. Dramatizado, permite igualmente trabalhar as emoções relacionadas com os desafios da adaptação a novas realidades e contextos. Este é um bom livro para ler com adolescentes que revelem dificuldade na gestão das emoções e no acomodamento social." ( )

Varjak Paw is a cat. Not just a cat, but a Mesopotamian Blue. A royal breed in the cat world, with a long and glorious history. He lives in the Contessa's house on the hill with his Father, Mother, Aunt Juni, brothers Julius, Jay, Jethro, Jerome, cousin Jasmine and Grandfather Elder Paw.

Varjak Paw loved listening to Elder Paw tell of the adventures of Jalal Paw, the family's ancient ancestor. The rest of the family had no interest, but Varjak Paw dreamed of becoming like Jalal Paw. It is told that the way Varjak Paw's family came to live in the Contessa's house was it was where Jalal settled when he travelled from Mesopotamia. Elder Paw also tells of The Way - a secret martial art for cats and how Jalal was the master of it.

Life is very the same. Varjak Paw wants to go outside and explore, but his parents forbid it. They stay inside where there is food, water and comfort; away from the dangers of animals and dirt of the outdoors.

The an abrupt change comes to the household, when the Gentleman arrives with his two black cats. He begins feeding the cats caviar, which the family feels it reinforces that they are of the finest pedigree cats. Elder Paw feels otherwise and calls a family council. The parents and young cats don't agree with Elder Paw, except for Varjak. The Father ousts Elder Paw from being head of the family, and tells all that things are just fine.

Elder Paw tells Varjak that he must leave the house on the hill and learn to survive the outside using The Way. Survive the dangerousness of man, gangs of cats and the mysterious Vanishings. Elder Paw forsees a bad future for the family. The Gentleman and his cats are evil things are not right in the house. If Varjak can, he is to find a dog and bring it back to the house to scare the Gentleman away from the house.

Varjak escapes to the Outside. There he sees the Monsters that make terrifying noises and are constantly moving. He also finds that it is dangerous and not like what he was used to living in the Contessa's house. He also meets Holly, a spiky black-and-white furred cat with mustard-coloured eyes; and her friend Tam, a shaggy chocolate-brown furred cat who is not as confident as Holly.

The three become a sort of group and seek to solve the Vanishings. Along the way, Varjak has dreams where he finds himself walking along a river late at night. The air smells of cinnamon and dates. There is an old cat walking with him, who has silver-blue firt and amber coloured eyes. His name is Jalal and they are in Mesopotamia. In these dreams, Varjak learns about The Way and what it can do to help Varjak get through life.

I enjoyed the book and the illustrations that added to the story. The way that Varjak had the ambition to become brave and make it through life. Where he was willing to take on challenges. Adults and kids can both get something out of it, and enjoy the reading along the way. ( )

Cute story of a young cat who leaves his comfortable home and close family to try and enlist a dog to help them. During his quest he has dreams featuring an ancestor named Jamal who teaches him the skills needed to survive in the wide world. ( )

Talking cats isn't the only fantasy element here, but Said somehow did a good job of helping me suspend disbelief. ?áGood audiobook - my husband enjoyed listening to it on our road trip, too. ?áI'd like to find a paper copy so I can skim for the bits I missed, and to review the Seven Skills that make up The Way that the Yoda-like cat taught Varjak.

Would be a good book for those folks who love that whole Warriors series about feral cats, and for fans of Joan Aiken, too, I think.

I do like the motto Jallahl (sp?) teaches Varjak during the lesson on hunting: ?áEnough and no more."" ( )