Today we bring you a review of a delightful book for younger readers. Trouble at the Cat Café, by Katrina
Charman, is a story of family and friends pulling together to accomplish the
unexpectedly complicated task of opening a brand-new cat café. It’s a story of
not giving up even in the face of difficult obstacles. And most importantly
from our perspective, it’s a story about people who really love cats and want
to help them.
The story
Our main character, Isla, is just entering secondary school—you know
that age, when it’s so easy to dream big. Isla’s dream is to open a cat café,
and she has her whole family—her mum, her gran, older sister Tilda, and younger
brother Milo—on her side. Poppy’s Place is to be a sort of refuge where people
can relax and mingle with cats while enjoying tea or coffee and some of Gran’s delicious
baked goods. And who knows, some of the guests might just decide to adopt one
of the cats they meet.
The only trouble (well, the first bit of trouble) is that everyone is
just so busy. Starting secondary school is no easy thing, and Isla worries
about whether she’ll make new friends—this is complicated when some mean girls
(you know the ones) make fun of her for liking cats. She has to wonder if her
sister’s “just be yourself” advice is going to work out. Plus, Mum is so tied
up with her work as a veterinary nurse, she barely has time to start on all the
paper work that has to be done before Poppy’s Place can open.
About that paper work (the second bit of trouble)… There are just so
many forms to fill out, so many boxes to tick. And the “to-do” list always
seems to grow faster than the “done” list. So many things to buy, things to
clean, things to paint, things to plan. There’s a garden to clean up, a cat
playground to build. For Isla, there’s a new friend to make. And then there’s
the official inspection (the third bit of trouble), just days before the grand
opening.
Isla and family get through it all with teamwork—and with plenty of
help from friends, too.
Caring for cats
Our favorite part of this book was how Isla demonstrates her intuitive
cat-care skills and her love for cats. She doesn’t just hang up cute cat
posters in her room; she makes a plan to help cats and gets her whole family
involved in making it happen. We love that!
We also enjoyed Lucy Truman’s illustrations, of which the cats were
our favorite part (of course) because they are just so cute.
This book is the second in a series, but it stands fine on its own;
you can enjoy this volume even if you haven’t read the first.
Recommended!
A note on the "Paws Up" system: Miss C gives
either one or two paws up. One paw is for a good read; two paws is for a great
read. She never gives three or four paws because that would require her to lie
on her back...and Miss C does
not do that!
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