dustytiger29's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book was captivating in a way that I'd never experienced. The simplicity of the time was well portrayed by the author but so was the complexity of life in a town a long way from the theatre of War. Although written for a younger audience I would often stop at the end of a chapter or paragraph and ponder the hidden meaning of what I'd just read for almost as long as it took me to complete a chapter. Brilliant.
littleelfman's review
3.0
Atmosphere. That's where this book excels. If you want to step back into a dreamlike state of what life for a child in Sydney might have been like in 1942 during the war, this book is perfect. Beautifully written.
sean67's review
4.0
Another Dubosarsky and this is for older readers and is the story of a friendship of a young Australian girl and a Jewish refugee boy during world war two.
Told without revealing everything, and with remarkable illustrations which are actual pictures of things of the time, this book is very effective in telling a story and learning about the time period.
Beautifully written and very effective, with a satisfying ending.
Told without revealing everything, and with remarkable illustrations which are actual pictures of things of the time, this book is very effective in telling a story and learning about the time period.
Beautifully written and very effective, with a satisfying ending.
jaynecm's review
4.0
Note: 3.5 stars
The Blue Cat is set in Sydney, Australia, in 1942. Singapore has fallen, bombs have been dropped on Darwin and it seems as though the Japanese may reach Australia.
We see the war through the eyes of three children, Columba and Hilda who live in Sydney and Ellery, who is a refugee from Germany.
Like all this author's books, the writing is beautiful. I particularly liked the inclusion of photographic source material - the author wanted us to see things through the eyes of the children, things that they would have seen themselves at the time. So there are photos of Sydney Harbour with the battleships, movie posters, illustrations from books they were reading. I think this really added to the story, especially for children reading the book.
I was just not sure where this book was going. There seemed to be no particular storyline, it was more like vignettes into the childrens' lives. And it ended quite abruptly.
Still an interesting look into wartime at home from a child's perspective.
The Blue Cat is set in Sydney, Australia, in 1942. Singapore has fallen, bombs have been dropped on Darwin and it seems as though the Japanese may reach Australia.
We see the war through the eyes of three children, Columba and Hilda who live in Sydney and Ellery, who is a refugee from Germany.
Like all this author's books, the writing is beautiful. I particularly liked the inclusion of photographic source material - the author wanted us to see things through the eyes of the children, things that they would have seen themselves at the time. So there are photos of Sydney Harbour with the battleships, movie posters, illustrations from books they were reading. I think this really added to the story, especially for children reading the book.
I was just not sure where this book was going. There seemed to be no particular storyline, it was more like vignettes into the childrens' lives. And it ended quite abruptly.
Still an interesting look into wartime at home from a child's perspective.
allymccudden's review
2.0
2.5 stars
I have never read a World War Two book set in Australia. There were two things I liked about this book. 1. The cat was a Russian blue and my old cat Smudge was a Russian blue and it made me happy thinking about him. 2. It made me think about what my nan would have lived through as a young girl in Australia during the war - she only sometimes mentions things, but this made me try to viscerally think about what it was like for her.
It was also pretty cool to read about Luna Park, a place that still exists and has much similar to its old self.
I have never read a World War Two book set in Australia. There were two things I liked about this book. 1. The cat was a Russian blue and my old cat Smudge was a Russian blue and it made me happy thinking about him. 2. It made me think about what my nan would have lived through as a young girl in Australia during the war - she only sometimes mentions things, but this made me try to viscerally think about what it was like for her.
It was also pretty cool to read about Luna Park, a place that still exists and has much similar to its old self.
midnightlibrarymouse's review
3.0
Disclaimer: I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, however, the review is entirely my own opinion on the book and was not influenced in any way. I liked this book. I think for the age group it's aimed towards, it's really well written and a really interesting story. I will say though that the ending came faster than I expected and it ended really suddenly, which was the only thing I didn't quite like about it. Overall though, it was a really good book and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.
juliemiaholmes's review
4.0
A beautifully written story of Sydney during 1940s wartime through the eyes of a schoolgirl with just a light peppering of magic realism. My kind of book. :)
ozshark's review
3.0
What an unusual book! I was quite enjoying it - the gentle, emotive style, the nostalgia, whether Columba would discover Ellery's story etc. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of all the source material throughout the book, and the brief explanation of primary sources at the end. I also loved the part set in Luna Park - which apparently had changed very little between the 1940's and my memories of it in the early 1980's!
But then (a bit like the Wild Mouse at Luna Park), it took an extremely abrupt left turn into fantasy, and then unexpectedly stopped short, with little resolution and many unanswered questions. Feels like it needed to be one-third longer.
But then (a bit like the Wild Mouse at Luna Park), it took an extremely abrupt left turn into fantasy, and then unexpectedly stopped short, with little resolution and many unanswered questions. Feels like it needed to be one-third longer.