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Catcall
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Orion Childrens (2006-10-19)
ISBN: 1842551256
EAN: 9781842551257
Hardcover: 192 pages
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Customer Reviews
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Catcall
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-02-17
Newbury's writing style is accessible and yet deep and `empathetic'. Within moments, I was in the book and the lives of Jamie and Josh.
The novel is written in first person, which I always admire when an author handles this well. We see the story take place through the eyes of Josh, the elder brother. Josh and Jamie live with their mother and step-father as well as their `new' baby step-sister, Jennie. Their father lives further in London with his girlfriend, Kim and her teenage son Kevin. The story is a very interesting insight into personal territory and one boy's fight to try and keep his identity while the world around him changes for the worse.
Josh's younger brother, Jamie, after a visit to a zoo, seems to become possessed by the spirit of a lion that they see caged up. As the book progresses, Jamie becomes more and more lost and the spirit of `Leo' increases. Josh and his family look on in horror as they see Jamie's persona disappear behind an angry cat-mask. It is only the person who is closest to him, his big brother Josh, who can pull him back from the darkness of acceptance.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked the whole idea of the story of `one boy's refusal to accept change in his family'. Newbury seems to effortlessly create thoughtful and well-painted characters whose dialogue and actions are easy to imagine and a joy to soak up. The book is interspersed with cut-outs from Josh's Catbook where we learn fascinating facts about cats throughout history and science. The themes of the story are ones that children, for whom the book is aimed at, can either relate to or at least empathise with
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Retail Price: £9.99
Amazon.com's Price:£0.14
That's 99% Off!
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