Kiwi in Cat City Review!

Kiwi
Have you ever wished your cat could talk or wondered where he/she goes when you are not around?

Kiwi in Cat City is the first book in a series, of which there are six fun adventures so far. 

Kiwi seems like a typical moggie, content to nap in the sun and chase shadows, but she has a secret. She is a magical cat from a place called Cat City. With her two humans, James and Amy, Kiwi finds mysteries and adventures, dealing with catnappings, jewel thieves, giant rats, time travel, haunted houses, Father Christmas, pyramids and more. The fun stories contain positive messages about loyalty, friendship, honesty, bullying and the power of standing together. 

Book 1 opens on one dark night. Amy cannot sleep and she looks out of the window into the garden to see her cat, Kiwi, transfixed by the moon, which is glowing brightly like a cat's claw. Waking her brother, James, Amy suggests they follow Kiwi to see where she goes... whether it involves a hunt for mice or something else. Little do they know that with a flick of her tail, Kiwi is going to magically change the children into kittens and lead them on the adventure of their lives to a land they never knew existed in their wildest dreams. In the blue-lit world of Cat City, the budding detectives help Inspector Furrball to investigate the mysterious catnapping of Mr Katz and find out what happened to Madame Purrfect.

The books contain illustrations by Nikki McBroom

About me

Hi, I’m Vickie. I live in London, UK, and I’ve got a thing about fluffy cats, or rather fluffies in general. My day job has been working as a sub-editor on magazines, doing layout and editing. My favourite things include reading, writing, films, Frasier, The Walking Dead, The Closer, Supernatural, the sea, taking photos, art, rock music, animals, nature, dancing like an eejit, travelling, birdsong, custard tarts, sleeping (if it was an Olympic sport, I’d be a contender) and tea.

On to books, I love them and always had a nose in one when I was a kid. Back then my faves were Enid Blyton (I thought I’d find that big Faraway Tree one day, go on lots of adventures and live in a round house – ah, it didn’t happen), Hans Christian Anderson (The Little Mermaid, especially), the Brothers Grimm (amazing), Fantastic Mr Fox (I wanted to marry him – I just didn’t understand there would be a problem, what with him being an animal and all) and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (yep, I wondered why my wardrobe didn’t work like that – did I have the wrong coats?). I’ve always enjoyed writing stories and poems since I was a kid. Kiwi in Cat City is the first that I published.

This year, I also wrote my first horror story, which turned into a comedy somehow, forThe Gage Project, which is a book to raise money for children’s charities. My story is called Day of the Living Pizza and it’s about people turning into pizza zombies!

Book links

Where to buy my books on Amazon – http://tinyurl.com/7ecq8cj

I’m also on Twitter – @vickiejohnstone

http://kiwiincatcity.com/the-author/

My Review:
What would my cats say if they became people? I am not sure that I want to know, although there are so many different instances when I wished that I could talk to them. Not surprisingly Kiwi has a different language then "humans". I loved the different character names (furrball), and found myself laughing. My Niece read this book with me, and she did not know what the word mum meant. We explained that mum meant mom. There are cat paws throughout the book, and I loved this as a cat owner.
Once they travel it becomes clear that they are on an adventure. With younger kids I recommend doing the book in groups, and then talk about it, because it is great for their imagination.
Who catnapped Mr Katz? I liked that the cat is magical and it changed it's two child owners into kittens. It was funny to read about them in Cat City!
I liked them so much that I am included a list of characters from the Kiwi website:

Kiwi: little fluffy, black, magical cat aged about 4. She lives with Amy and James, but is more than she seems. There is a faint purple glow to her eyes and fur.

Amy: James’ sister, aged 12.

Ames: Amy as a kitten. Black and white with a fluffy white tail.

James: Amy’s brother, aged 9. He has a pet hamster, Hammy. He loves football and wants to be James Bond.

Jimster: James as a kitten. Tabby and small, with a pink nose. A bit clumsy, dribbles milk and likes chasing his tail.

Inspector Furrball: short, chubby, ginger tom with round spectacles. Wears a red waistcoat, from which hangs a gold watch on a chain.  He’s the Inspector at Cat Crime and head of the Cat Squad in Cat City. Good friends with Kiwi and Siam. He loves biscuits. Had a big crush on Madame Purrfect in the past.

Siam: Siamese computer whizz of the Cat Squad at Cat Crime. Young and intelligent, loves computers and maths. Slim cat with bent whiskers, round spectacles and crazy fur. Looks a bit like a mad scientist!

Madame Purrfect: the previous owner of Catskins Biscuits. A kind-hearted, blue Burmese with soft grey eyes. She is a real beauty in cat terms.

Georgy: chubby, white cat with a pink nose and a very small voice. Guards the entrance to Cat City.

Paws: clumsy, brown, tubby nephew of Inspector Furrball. A trainee member of the Cat Squad. Also loves biscuits. Bit stupid.

Kip: black with white paws and nose, and green eyes. A good friend of Kiwi and works at Cat Crime.

Dev: white cat with one black paw and piercing blue eyes. A crazy, bad cat. Also known as The Escapologist because he never gets caught… for long.

Ginger: bouncer tom cat, works for Mr J Catskins.

Mr J Catskins: old, grey cat with failing eyesight. Carries a stick and most of his whiskers are missing. He wears metal, wobbly spectacles and a green waistcoat. The owner of Catskins Biscuits.

Miss Kitty: tall, grey cat who wears a green dress. Inspector Furrball’s secretary.

Mr Dogg: skinny, brown, friendly, young cat, who wears black boots and a black cap. Works for Mr J Catskins.

Mr Eastwood: owns Cat City’s only cinema, The Catema, and he’s the city’s only film director.

This is the first of 6 Kiwi books, and I can not wait to share the rest with my niece. The last few pages gives an intro to book two, and I am hooked.  I am giving this book a 5/5! I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own!