Tag Archives: Cats

Amazing Cat Books for Readers Ages 6 to 8

Blogger's Favorites, Chapter Books (6-8), Lists, , , , ,
Amazing Cat Books for Readers Ages 6 to 8

Amazing Cat Books for Readers Ages 6 to 8

If you’re a returning reader on The Story Sanctuary, you will probably not be surprised to learn we are cat people around here. I have two cats at home for the sole reason that my husband will not permit us to have three. We love our boys. One came to us through our vet’s office, when someone brought in a litter of feral kittens. The other came to us through an animal shelter. They’re both sweet snuggly furballs. One is a pretty constant reading buddy to me, but both of them love to sit with my daughter and me for whatever we happen to be reading aloud at bedtime.

We don’t only love cats, we also love cat books around here. My littlest is seven, and these are some of her favorite titles or series. A few of these are graphic novels (Catstronauts, Cat Ninja, Cat & Cat Adventures, and Sue & Tai-Chan) and the rest are chapter books. The chapter books range in wordcount/chapter length. The two with the biggest font and shortest chapters are The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe and the “Itty Bitty Princess Kitty” series.

Enjoy the list, and let me know if there are any titles I missed that are worth adding to our reading list!

Note: This post contains affiliate links that do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. Thanks for using them to do your shopping.

Amazing Cat Books for Readers Ages 6 to 8

Catstronauts: Mission Moon by Drew Brockington

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Cats. In. Spaaace! This silly series follows four cats tasked with various space missions to save the earth. Super cute. Contains some science references, but really the focus is on the cats and their roles in the missions.

Published April 18, 2017 | 7 Books | Ongoing Series

Cat Ninja by Matthew Cody and Yehudi Mercado

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: We’ve only read the first book in this series about a housecat with a ninja superhero alter ego, but it is packed with action and adventure. Our hero faces off against a hamster mastermind who controls a robot.

Published October 13, 2020 | 6 Books | Ongoing Series

Zoe and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows by Asia Citro and Marion Lindsay

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Not only does this series feature Sassafras, an adorably helpful, curious cat, it also models the scientific method. In each installment, Zoey sets up a science experiment to help her magical animal friends with their problems. This is such a brilliant way to engage kids with science.

Published March 14, 2017 | My Review to Come

Song of the Court by Katy Farina

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This is one of my daughter’s favorites. It’s a sweet story about friendship with a work-life balance lesson thrown in there as well. The author has gone on to work on a Babysitters Club Graphic Novel series spin-off, so I suspect we’ll be adding those to the reading list.

Published October 6, 2020 | Standalone

The Princess in Black and the Kitty Catastrophe by Dean Hale, Shannon Hale, and Leuyen Pham

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This series targets readers at the younger end of my age range. The text is large and chapters are short, so this is perfect for more reluctant readers. It’s a silly, fun book series about a princess with a secret superhero identity. In this installment, a kitten mysteriously appears on Princess Magnolia’s doorstep, and she tries to figure out its name and help it adjust to living in her castle.

Published September 3, 2024 | 11 Books | Ongoing Series

Kitty and the Moonlight Rescue by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: Kitty inherited her mom’s superhero catlike powers which she uses to help her community by rescuing kittens, stopping a literal cat burglar, and salvaging a garden. This is one of our favorite series.

Published September 10, 2019 | 16 Books | Ongoing series

Sue & Tai-Chan: Volume 1 by Konami Kanata

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: This adorable graphic novel follows an older cat, Sue, and the way a new kitten changes her life. The same author also created the Chi’s Sweet Adventures and Chi’s Sweet Home series. My seven-year-old cannot get enough of them.

Published July 28, 2020 | 5 Books | Ongoing Series

Itty Bitty Princess Kitty: The Newest Princess by Melody Mews and Ellen Stubbings

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: In the first book of the series, Itty becomes a princess and begins her adventures helping the residents of Lollyland. This has a little more text than The Princess in Black series books, but is still larger print with illustrations every page or two.

Published February 4, 2020 | 15 Books | Ongoing Series

Cat & Cat Adventures by Susie Yi

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

What you need to know: These short volumes follow two cats who journey to a fantasy world and solve various problems there. It’s cute and easy to read. These are another favorite in our house.

Published September 7, 2021 | 5 Books | Ongoing Series

What other amazing cat books have you read?

Shout out to Verity Vox and the Foxfire Curse by Don Martin for inspiring this list. That book is a young adult fantasy novel, though, so it doesn’t quite fit the criteria here. I may create a YA cat book list soon so I can include that one!

What other books featuring a cat have you read and loved? Leave a comment here so I can add them to my reading list!

Review: Layers: A Memoir by Pénélope Bagieu

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Memoir, Nonfiction, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Layers: A Memoir
Pénélope Bagieu
Translated by Montana Kane
First Second
Published October 17, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Layers: A Memoir

Following the Eisner-award-winning Brazen, Pénélope Bagieu pens her first autobiographical work in this hilarious and bitter-sweet graphic memoir.

Pénélope Bagieu never thought she’d publish a graphic memoir. But when she dusted off her old diaries (no, really―this book is based on her actual diaries), she found cringe-worthy, hilarious, and heartbreaking stories begging to be drawn.

In Layers, Bagieu reflects on her childhood and teen years with her characteristic wit and unflinching honesty. The result is fifteen short stories about friendship, love, grief, and those awkward first steps toward adulthood.

My Review

I have to agree with the endorsements calling this book “hilarious.” Pénélope’s recollections about her childhood and transition to adulthood are so relatable. She’s awkward and earnest, and I both laughed and cried reading this memoir in vignettes.

The book opens with a chapter about when her parents got her and her sister two kittens. Her cat is exceptionally clingy and causes all sorts of mayhem, but Pénélope absolutely loves her. She recalls the phases of cat ownership, and how hard it is when we have to say goodbye to our furry friends. She captures the emotions of pet ownership so perfectly.

Several of the chapters or stories focus on Pénélope’s adventures in romance. She has unrequited crushes, friendship betrayals, and a wild week with an early boyfriend, which culminated in her hitchhiking to see a gynecologist. She has an incredible way of showing that confident naïveté that feels so classic to a teen experience. I felt so much nostalgia reading this book.

This is the first book by Bagieu that I’ve read, but after reading about her other work in her author biography, I’ve already got more of her books on my reading list. I’m pretty sure I’m going to need sources of joy in the coming year.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Brief, strong swearing.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing and references to sex. A couple of panels show topless ladies (one image references something shown on TV on certain days when the author was growing up). One scene shows Pénélope and her boyfriend nestled together. We infer that they’re having sex based on body positions, but there’s no graphic nudity other than the above.

A couple of scenes reference sexual assault. It’s two stories told side by side, one when Pénélope was a child and one when she was older. In the younger scene, she spends the night with friends, and a boy gets out of bed and comes to her in the middle of the night. All we see are their eyes, but it’s clear Pénélope is scared and uncomfortable. She sneezes loudly and wakes up her friend, and the boy goes back to his own bed. Similarly, in the later scene, she’s gone to sleep, and a man touches her. She tells him to stop, and he acts entitled to her body. When she refuses him again, he kicks her out of his apartment. In both instances, she worries about telling someone else and being blamed for what happened.

Spiritual Content
A loved one promises Pénélope that she’ll sense her presence with her after she dies. Pénélope imagines or senses arms wrapped around her later when she feels sad. One image shows two angels who’ve sent the translucent, hugging arms.

Violent Content
References to unwanted sexual advances and feeling unsafe.

Drug Content
Pénélope and her friends smoke cigarettes in some scenes.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Cats of Silver Crescent by Kaela Noel

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , ,

The Cats of Silver Crescent
Kaela Noel
Greenwillow Books
Published April 30, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Cats of Silver Crescent

In this stand-alone novel with themes of friendship and family, eleven-year-old Elsby discovers a family of talking cats living in the house next door and must help them harness the magic that made them that way. From the author of the acclaimed Coo, The Cats of Silver Crescent is for fans of Kathi Appelt and Katherine Applegate. With her mother busy traveling for work, Elsby isn’t thrilled to be spending a few weeks with her great-aunt Verity. Luckily, she has her notebook and a lush garden to sketch to help pass the time.

But a visitor takes Elsby by a cat standing on its two hind legs and dressed like a sailor dashes across the garden and into the neighboring woods! Elsby can’t believe her eyes, and Aunt Verity doesn’t seem to believe Elsby, either. But that night, the cat and three of his cat companions approach Elsby. They need Elsby’s help. While the cats can talk, think, and behave like humans, the magical spell that made them that way will revert if it’s not renewed soon. Elsby might be the only one who can save them—but every enchantment comes at a price.

A contemporary fantasy about family, friends, trust, and the magic that’s inside everyone, The Cats of Silver Crescent will captivate animal lovers and fans of Jenn Reese’s A Game of Fox & Squirrels.

My Review

First of all, I love Elsby’s name. I’ve never heard that as a nickname for Elisabeth before, but I love it. (In the book, it’s something Elsby has made up, which is even better!)

I also enjoyed the fact that Elsby is a young writer. She has a problem, though, where she only writes the first chapter of a story before getting stuck. I love the way the story resolves this.

I also like the cat characters. They’re a bit whimsical with their Victorian clothes and Marzipan’s love for poetry. They were very cute.

Elsby has a hard time connecting to others. She keeps to herself a lot and doesn’t seem to trust her feelings. I really identified with that and the obstacles it presented in relationships. That said, I thought it was really cool the way her aunt builds a relationship with her, and even the way Elsby connects with Penelope.

The playful storytelling and magical elements of the story reminded me a little bit of The Hunt for the Hollower by Callie C. Miller. I think readers who enjoy that kind of magical adventure with some nonhuman characters will enjoy The Cats of Silver Crescent.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Elsby is white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Some characters can perform magic. In the book, there’s a difference between a magician, a sorcerer, and a witch. The cats have some magic on them that needs to be periodically renewed, or they’ll lose the ability to speak.

Violent Content
Situations of peril.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: The Absinthe Underground by Jamie Pacton

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,

The Absinthe Underground
Jamie Pacton
Peachtree Teen
Published February 6, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Absinthe Underground

Moulin Rouge meets Holly Black in a thrilling sapphic friends-to-lovers romantasy!

For Sybil Clarion, the Belle Époque city of Severon is a wild, romantic dream, filled with cafés, cabarets, and glittering nightclubs. Eager to embrace the city’s freedom after running away from home, she’s traded high-society soirées for empty pockets and barren cabinets. At least she has Esme, the girl who offered Sybil a home, and maybe—if either of them dared—something more.

Ever since Esme Rimbaud brought Sybil back to her flat, the girls have been everything to each other—best friends, found family, and secret crushes. While Esme would rather spend the night tinkering with her clocks and snuggling her cats, Sybil craves excitement and needs money. She plans to get both by stealing the rare posters that crop up around town and selling them to collectors. With rent due, Esme agrees to accompany—and more importantly protect —Sybil.

When they’re caught selling a poster by none other than its subject, Maeve, the glamorous girl doesn’t press charges. Rather, she invites Sybil and Esme to The Absinthe Underground, the exclusive club she co-owns, and reveals herself to be a Green Faerie, trapped in this world. She wants to hire thieves for a daring heist in Fae that would set her free, and is willing to pay enough that Sybil and Esme never have to worry about rent again. It’s too good of an offer to pass up, even if Maeve’s tragic story doesn’t quite add up, and even if Sybil’s personal ties to Fae could jeopardize everything she and Esme have so carefully built.

Jamie Pacton, author of THE VERMILLION EMPORIUM, dazzles in this lavish and decadent LGBTQ+ fantasy romance that will leave readers utterly enchanted!

My Review

I don’t know how Jamie Pacton does it, but both times I’ve read her fantasy books, I’ve fallen deeply into them and not surfaced until the story concluded. I love this immersive fantasy world inspired by 1890s Paris.

The chapters alternate point-of-view, flipping back and forth between Esme and Sybil’s perspectives. Esme is organized and orderly. Sybil is pure creative chaos, but somehow, the pair really works. I liked the differences between them and watching them navigate those differences in their friendship and as participants in a dangerous heist.

The girls pine for one another a lot throughout the story, which was okay, but sometimes felt a little bit distracting from the other elements. The romantic arc progressed perfectly, though. I loved that– it’s so sweet.

The Fae elements felt both magical and otherworldly, which I find I really like as well. The magic elements were used in very cool ways in connection with the plot.

All in all, this is another hit for me with this author. I think fans of Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fae series or Roshani Chokshi’s The Gilded Wolves books will very much enjoy this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Sybil, whose family is wealthy, has had past romantic relationships with people of all genders. Esme, who grew up poor and in an orphanage, would like a romantic relationship with a girl.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Mild profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls. The story hints they slept together but does not show this.

Spiritual Content
Contains Fae and characters who can use magic.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. References to physical abuse. Two characters get into a fight, and one is stabbed with a knife.

Drug Content
Characters drink a strong alcoholic drink called absinthe.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions my own.

Review: Lightfall: Shadow of the Bird by Tim Probert

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Graphic Novel or Adaptation, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

Shadow of the Bird (Lightfall #2)
Tim Probert
HarperAlley
Published April 26, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Lightfall: Shadow of the Bird

In the second installment of the Lightfall series, Bea and Cad continue their quest to stop Kest, the mythic bird who stole the sun.

After a battle that nearly cost them their lives, Bea and Cad awaken in the hidden settlement of the Arsai, mysterious creatures who can glimpse into the future. The Arsai’s vision paints a dire picture for their planet, as the bird Kest Ke Belenus–now awoken from a restless slumber–threatens to destroy all the Lights of Irpa. Desperate for a solution, Bea and Cad seek out the help of a water spirit known as Lorgon, whose ancient wisdom may help them find a way to take down Kest and save Irpa from utter destruction.

But when their time with Lorgon presents more questions than answers, Bea and Cad must decide what’s more important . . . stopping Kest or uncovering the truth.

My Review

After I finished the first book in the Lightfall series, I couldn’t WAIT to read the second one. Originally I bought the first one to share with my nephew and niece who are into graphic novels. My nephew read the first one and was pretty excited about it. He is looking forward to reading this one, too.

I thought SHADOW OF THE BIRD was a little scarier than the first book in the series. There are some scenes that are a little more intense where Cad and Bea confront a powerful enemy. Just as with THE GIRL AND THE GALDURIAN, though, Cad’s upbeat attitude keeps things lighter than they might be otherwise. Bea continues to wrestle with fear and anxiety, shown in the panels as a dark cloud that wraps around her when she gets scared and anxious.

There’s a great balance between Cad and Bea, too. Though Cad is the intrepid explorer and warrior, Bea is the one who thinks things through carefully, the one who notices things Cad would otherwise overlook. Also, I love that her cat Nimm comes along on the journey with them!

I’m a big fan of this series so far, and really looking forward to the release of the third book. Since book one came out in 2020, and this one in 2022, I’m guessing book three won’t be out until next year.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Cad is a Galdurian, which means he looks a little bit like a giant axolotl?? There are minor characters with brown skin.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Cad and Bea search for a spirit of the sea to ask for his help. They learn some information about another spirit, too.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Battle scenes.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog.

Review: Ghostcloud by Michael Mann

Blogger's Favorites, Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , ,

Ghostcloud
Michael Mann
Peachtree
Published October 7, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Ghostcloud

Twelve-year-old Luke Smith-Sharma shovels coal under a half-bombed, blackened power station. With his best friend Ravi he keeps his head down, hoping to one day earn his freedom and return to his family, while avoiding the wrath of the evil Tabatha Margate. When he tries to help new girl Jess, Luke is punished and sent to clean the sewers of the haunted East Wing, a place from which few return.

Whilst serving his punishment, Luke realises he can see things others can’t in the power station: ghostly things. He befriends a ghost-girl called Alma, who can ride clouds through the night sky and bend their shape to her will.

But when Luke discovers the terrible truth of why Tabatha Margate is kidnapping children and forcing them to work in the power station, Alma agrees to help him and his friends escape. Will Alma convince the ghost council to help their cause? And can Luke find his voice, while trying to find a way home?

My Review

I liked the story world a lot. GHOSTCLOUD is set in London, but an alternative London, one ravaged by war and pollution. One in which children disappear. I liked Luke right away. He’s the guy who knows he should keep his head down so he can win a ticket home to his family. Instead, he risks everything to help a girl who clearly has no idea what she’s doing.

So much happens in this book. Adventures in the air with ghosts. Adventures exploring ventilation systems with Jess and a precocious cat they call Stealth. Luke is determined to win not only his own freedom, but to help Jess and Ravi and the others, too. He can’t help but care about everyone he meets, and I love that about him.

Something about the writing and the mysterious/magical story world reminded me of THE SONG FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE by A. F. Harrold. Both stories have that fantastical feel to them and kids with big hearts at their centers. I think readers who love magical realism or are looking for a story about courage will find a lot to love in GHOSTCLOUD.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Luke is half white and half Indian.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
A girl kisses Luke on the cheek.

Spiritual Content
Luke meets a ghost named Alma who introduces him to other ghosts. Because he was dead for a moment at birth, he can see and interact with ghosts himself. Alma tells him this makes him “half-ghost”.

Violent Content
Luke and other children are forced to labor in a factory for a woman named Tabatha and her guards. She punishes them severely if they make mistakes or do something she doesn’t like. Brief references to torture and abuse.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy o GHOSTCLOUD in exchange for my honest review.