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A review by bookishrealm
Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable
4.0
Oh this was so cute! Was I expecting this cuteness?!? Absolutely not. Honestly, I went into this book blind not really knowing what to expect. This story has such a unique twist on the idea of superheroes and supervillains that will appeal to a variety of readers.
Katie the Catsitter follows Katie right as summer break is approaching. While her best friend is heading to summer camp, Katie has to stay at home due to financial constraints. Luckily, she and her friends come up with the brilliant idea of Katie working to save up money to attend at least one week of camp. Although she fails at most of the jobs that she attempts, Katie is finally able to secure a job with Ms. Lang by cat sitting during the evening. However, these are no ordinary cats and Ms. Lang may or may not be the neighbor Katie thinks she is.
I was pleasantly surprised at the themes that this graphic novel ends up addressing including differences in socioeconomic status amongst youth, changing friendships, and perceived good vs. perceived evil. Katie learns a lot during the summer and it was nice to see it all covered in a way that didn't seem overwhelming and/or rushed. Also, as a comic book fan I enjoyed the incorporation of superheroes and supervillains that run Katie's city. This will garner some appeal amongst readers who are already fans of DC and Marvel characters. Fortunately, this book does address the idea that good and evil are not as black and white as people make them to be. This is often apparent in the character Mousetress who is often depicted as a villain, but ends up doing a lot more good than expected. And the cats.....I mean I'm not necessarily a cat person because I'm allergic; however, I loved that the cats all had a unique personality with unique abilities. Of course they weren't realistic; however, this isn't a book that is supposed to be grounded in reality.
I've seen some people pick this up based on their read of Kiss Number 8; however, I must caution that these two books are targeted at two different audiences. So while Kiss Number 8 was for more of a young adult audience, this book is definitely for a middle grade audience. I wouldn't go in expecting them to read the same way. Overall, I thought that this story was cute and I honestly can't wait to pick up the second volume.
Katie the Catsitter follows Katie right as summer break is approaching. While her best friend is heading to summer camp, Katie has to stay at home due to financial constraints. Luckily, she and her friends come up with the brilliant idea of Katie working to save up money to attend at least one week of camp. Although she fails at most of the jobs that she attempts, Katie is finally able to secure a job with Ms. Lang by cat sitting during the evening. However, these are no ordinary cats and Ms. Lang may or may not be the neighbor Katie thinks she is.
I was pleasantly surprised at the themes that this graphic novel ends up addressing including differences in socioeconomic status amongst youth, changing friendships, and perceived good vs. perceived evil. Katie learns a lot during the summer and it was nice to see it all covered in a way that didn't seem overwhelming and/or rushed. Also, as a comic book fan I enjoyed the incorporation of superheroes and supervillains that run Katie's city. This will garner some appeal amongst readers who are already fans of DC and Marvel characters. Fortunately, this book does address the idea that good and evil are not as black and white as people make them to be. This is often apparent in the character Mousetress who is often depicted as a villain, but ends up doing a lot more good than expected. And the cats.....I mean I'm not necessarily a cat person because I'm allergic; however, I loved that the cats all had a unique personality with unique abilities. Of course they weren't realistic; however, this isn't a book that is supposed to be grounded in reality.
I've seen some people pick this up based on their read of Kiss Number 8; however, I must caution that these two books are targeted at two different audiences. So while Kiss Number 8 was for more of a young adult audience, this book is definitely for a middle grade audience. I wouldn't go in expecting them to read the same way. Overall, I thought that this story was cute and I honestly can't wait to pick up the second volume.