5 comments about Catwatching.

1. ive read this book in 4th grade and i was amazed, the way he describes things makes learning addicting. today, at 24 years old, id reccomend this book to everyone and have purchased multiple copies over the years to give as gifts. you are at a loss if you dont read this book, as well as the second book in its series "Catlore"



2. This book is full of interesting facts about cats. It was a fun read, and I read it in one evening.
   
   I only have two complaints about it. First, there are no footnotes. Morris doesn't cite any of his sources.
   
   Second, he doesn't tell us why we say, "Cat got your tongue?" He answers several similar questions. He explains why we say, "Let the cat out of the bag," and "It's raining cats and dogs," but he doesn't tell us why the cat has our tongue. That's really important, you know.
   
   Anyway, I would recommend this book just because it's entertaining to read. I also read his book on Horse watching, which is just as good.



3. Well, my toes are being hunted. Somehow, his mayfly attention span has settled on those wiggling things at the end of my leg. His killer instincts awaken, he crouches for his approach, and ...
   
   ouch. I've just got to trim the little beggar's claws.
   
   This enjoyable book describes and explains a lot of what goes on in those furry little minds. If you're among the many fascinated by these familiar, even friendly little aliens, you're sure to enjoy this illustrated series of one-page observations.
   
   //wiredweird



4. I'm a fan of Desmond Morris and this book represents some of his lighter work. However, it is full of interesting facts that any cat owner would find interesting.
   
   It is consists of 2-3 page sections organized by subject. It addresses questions like, why cats purr, what effect catnip has on them, how cats find their way home, etc.
   
   Desmond Morris is a zoologist and he has a deep knowledge of many subject areas. This is a simple read, but it is quite interesting and a nice gift book for cat owners.



5. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R3PO5LTOSL56RB Key points of my review: One of my favourite non-fiction books. This illustrated cat bible is full of fascinating facts and beautiful photos. Five stars. This review also available at youtube.com/amazonreviews

5 comments about Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler.

1. If your from Queens, or you have listened to 90's rap, then this is a good book for you. It explains the litany of characters(criminals) mentioned in so much gangster rap. It is also gives excellent accounts of the "crack" years of NYC in Queens. There were so many locations in Queens, that I was stunned to find out the history of. Well worth the cheap purchase price!



2. I read this book in its entirety today. It bought back a lot of memories and pain. As a 38YO husband, father of 3 beautiful children, with a wonderful wife and 18 year IT career, I grew up during the 80's crack epidemic. I sold drugs. I was a crack addict. I watched childhood friends involved in the drug game die. I saw beautiful women become crack addicts. Even then, as a teenager, I wondered why something so small could cause so much destruction. This book reveals a lot. How drugs almost destroyed Urban America, in particular NYC. This book should serve as a history lesson to young people who view rappers as gangsters. "Real gangsters move in silence". This book should also serve as a reminder to people who survived the devastating decade that was the 80's. "Never forget where you come from".
   
   It's easy for privileged people to dismiss the urban population; however when you have people that are disenfranchised, suffer abject poverty, and lack educational, creative, and/or financial opportunities; the majority will do whatever necessary to create opportunities for themselves, even if it means hurting their own. It's unfortunate that the crack epidemic was largely ignored until children of White America started dying.
   
   Although the author highlights the exploits of particular South Queens drug gangs, I think the overall context of the book should be reviewed in a larger perspective: From the Civil Rights inequality, to government disenfranchisement, as a result of Vietnam, subsequent escapism via drug abuse, to opportunities via drug sales, to capitalism/exploitation via urban music.
   
   This book should serve as a guide for kids that want to get involved in hip-hop/rap music (STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF. STOP BEING SOMEONE ELSE).
   
   It should serve as a wakeup call to those (Music companies/Law Enforcement/Religious organizations) that want to exploit kids in the music game (STOP EXPLOITING OUR CHILDREN).
   
   It should serve as a warning sign to all Black youth that murder each other for nonsense (STOP KILLING EACH OTHER. THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT US TO DO).
   
   As long as there's a mongoose, there'll be a snake. As long as there's an audience, there'll be a minstrel. It's sad how life chooses you....



3. Excellent Book, I read the entire book in less than 5 days, and I don't read many books. I lived in the south Jamaica Queens in the 80's, so I can relate to the story of the hustlers and gangsters that were roaming around during that time. The book gives you a peep at a underworld few people actually lived to tell. It blends the drug hustlers of that era with what is going on in Hip Hop these days. The book brillantly captures the rise and fall of the drug lords running Queens in the 80's. This book is hard to put down. Hopefully a lesson will be learned for whom ever reads this book.



4. Great book and great body of work documenting the origins of much of what commercial hip hop currently reflects. A must have for any rap music aficionado. Although rap was created in the Bronx the successful blueprint for the business of rap was drafted in Queens. While Bronx artists like Afrika Bambaata and The Furious Five were inspired by Funk and Soul acts of the time such as Parliment Funkadelic the rappers in Queens were heavily influenced by some of NY's most notorious hustlers and gangsters. Men like Lorenzo "Fat Cat" Nichols and Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff who also hail from Queens. Essentially, the legendary criminal figures of Queens influenced an entire generation worldwide through the pop icons who emulated them and also called Queens home. From Fat Cat to 50 Cent... Queens Reigns Supreme!
   
   [...]



5. The book Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler really depicts the inner circle of the 80's drug culture in South Side Queens. Growing up in Bedstuy,Brooklyn and hanging out in Jamaica, Queens gave me a whole new prospective of the "suburbs". I thought growing up in the projects in Bedstuy was bad enough and it was a condition you could not help. From murders, robberies to stick up kids, you name it, we had it. So when I went to high school in Queens I never thought that kids that grew up in houses, parents with the high paying city jobs could be be so dubious, cut throat and down right murderous all in the name of the almighty dollar from drugs sales. This book slices the cake straight down the middle and lets you taste the filling inside!

5 comments about GMAT CAT: Answers to the Real Essay Questions--Teacher-Tested Strategies, Techniques for Scoring High (Third Edition) (Arco GMAT Answers to the Real Essay Questions).

1. I ordered this book online. When I received the book, I was surprised to find that no questions are available in the book. I followed the instructions in the book to download the questions, but it 's a dead link!!! I could not find any other information on publisher's site. Do not buy this book unless you can find the questions to match the essays.



2. This book gives one a thorough insight into the essay questions for GMAT. It is a must read for anyone giving the GMAT. It gets one thinking on the lines of the GMAT test setters. On the day of the GMAT one has to type one's own ideas but this book definitely prepares one for it.



3. By reading this book you can really understand exactly what the examinators (including computer examinator) are expecting and looking for in a GMAT essay.
   You must have your own writing skills, but this book can definitely help with the format and key-phrases.



4. Given the fact that the average writing score is around 4 out of 6, it is safe to assume that most test takers can write somewhat decent essays. The drawback of this book is that it needs to be updated to include the essay topics that GMAC has been adding to the question pool each year. It also would be nice to have the essay questions in the book. It can be time consuming to try to match up the essay topics, which are listed somewhere else on the web, to the essay answers in the book. But this book does teach people how to organize their thoughts and express them effectively. The sample essays might also give people fresh ideas on which stand to take for issue topics and what to look for in the argument topics.



5. The truth of the matter is some Grad Schools do not care what score you receive on the essay section of GMAT BUT some do! If the school of your dreams has an essay score requirement I recommend this book. If you actively read through 1/3 to 1/2 of each section(analysis of an issue, analysis of an argument) you will have a great understanding of what it takes to get a 5.0-6.0 on each essay. I read 50% of each section, took notes on transitions, introductory phrases,conclusion phrases, and memorized the recommended formats. This exercise took me about six hours,and was well worth it! It gave me an idea of the key topics GMAT tests on and what level of vocabulary I had to use to get a 6.0, and on test day I implemented their suggestions and got a 6.0! The last thing you want to do is prepare for the essay section, after long hours of Math/Verbal prep, but if you put six hours aside to work through this book,the weekend before your test it will be well worth it!Getting the GMAT score of your dreams is possible you just need time and right study guides.

1 comments about Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up?.

1. This adorable story traces a mother and child as they move from waking up, to getting dressed, to eating breakfast, and to leaving for school, with other adventures mixed in along the way. The star is a little mouse who participates in the fun!

5 comments about The Cat Who Blew the Whistle (Cat Who...).

1. In the 17th book in the Cat Who Mystery series, James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", is thrilled to be able to enjoy the latest economic development to hit Moose County (400 miles north of everywhere). It seems that a prominent local businessman, Floyd Trevelyan, has purchased and restored an old steam locomotive, and has plans to use it as a new attraction in town. Floyd has made money in both the building and banking industries, and when Floyd goes missing with the bank's funds right before a large audit, everyone assumes he has fled to avoid prosecution for fraud. Floyd has been seen around town with his beautiful secretary, leaving his ailing wife at home alone, and absconding with the money could give him a way to start a new life. But Qwill's suspicious mind does not immediately believe that this case is as simple as it sounds, and he is determined to poke around in the lives of the Trevelyan family. Hiring a friend from Down Below, Celia Robinson, to work with the sickly Mrs. Trevelyan, Qwill and his feisty felines put the pieces of this family puzzle back into place and solves yet another mystery in Moose County.
   
   This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. Many fans enjoy the homey, familiar feel of the town and the characters themselves. I just love the character of Celia, and was glad to see a kindly elderly "replacement" for the dear Mrs. Cobb. I was shocked with the health issues of Qwill's love-interest, Polly Duncan, and touched to see his reactions to her health scare.
   
   If you are looking for a hardcore thriller, this would not be the series for you. However, if you are a fan of small town cozies, give this series a try. You might just find that you have become an avid "Cat Who" fan before the book is even finished.
   
   This is a great series by my favorite author!
   
   The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!



2. In the 17th book in the Cat Who Mystery series, James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", is thrilled to be able to enjoy the latest economic development to hit Moose County (400 miles north of everywhere). It seems that a prominent local businessman, Floyd Trevelyan, has purchased and restored an old steam locomotive, and has plans to use it as a new attraction in town. Floyd has made money in both the building and banking industries, and when Floyd goes missing with the bank's funds right before a large audit, everyone assumes he has fled to avoid prosecution for fraud. Floyd has been seen around town with his beautiful secretary, leaving his ailing wife at home alone, and absconding with the money could give him a way to start a new life. But Qwill's suspicious mind does not immediately believe that this case is as simple as it sounds, and he is determined to poke around in the lives of the Trevelyan family. Hiring a friend from Down Below, Celia Robinson, to work with the sickly Mrs. Trevelyan, Qwill and his feisty felines put the pieces of this family puzzle back into place and solves yet another mystery in Moose County.
   
   This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. Many fans enjoy the homey, familiar feel of the town and the characters themselves. I just love the character of Celia, and was glad to see a kindly elderly "replacement" for the dear Mrs. Cobb. I was shocked with the health issues of Qwill's love-interest, Polly Duncan, and touched to see his reactions to her health scare.
   
   If you are looking for a hardcore thriller, this would not be the series for you. However, if you are a fan of small town cozies, give this series a try. You might just find that you have become an avid "Cat Who" fan before the book is even finished.
   
   This is a great series by my favorite author!
   
   The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!



3. In the 17th book in the Cat Who Mystery series, James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", is thrilled to be able to enjoy the latest economic development to hit Moose County (400 miles north of everywhere). It seems that a prominent local businessman, Floyd Trevelyan, has purchased and restored an old steam locomotive, and has plans to use it as a new attraction in town. Floyd has made money in both the building and banking industries, and when Floyd goes missing with the bank's funds right before a large audit, everyone assumes he has fled to avoid prosecution for fraud. Floyd has been seen around town with his beautiful secretary, leaving his ailing wife at home alone, and absconding with the money could give him a way to start a new life. But Qwill's suspicious mind does not immediately believe that this case is as simple as it sounds, and he is determined to poke around in the lives of the Trevelyan family. Hiring a friend from Down Below, Celia Robinson, to work with the sickly Mrs. Trevelyan, Qwill and his feisty felines put the pieces of this family puzzle back into place and solves yet another mystery in Moose County.
   
   This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. Many fans enjoy the homey, familiar feel of the town and the characters themselves. I just love the character of Celia, and was glad to see a kindly elderly "replacement" for the dear Mrs. Cobb. I was shocked with the health issues of Qwill's love-interest, Polly Duncan, and touched to see his reactions to her health scare.
   
   If you are looking for a hardcore thriller, this would not be the series for you. However, if you are a fan of small town cozies, give this series a try. You might just find that you have become an avid "Cat Who" fan before the book is even finished.
   
   This is a great series by my favorite author!
   
   The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!



4. We have read all of the Cat Who series several times and never tire of the antics of Ko Ko and Yum Yum. Being disabled and also with limited "reading" vision, my husband reads to me and the troubles of my world are lifted ten times over! Thank you Ms. Braun!!
   
   Through the years we have loved many many cats. Ms. Braun's excellent description of the antics of the cats is so right on target! If you didn't understand cats before, you will after reading her books.



5. Celia Robinson moves to Pickax and become Qwill's secret agent. Qwill rides the train. It is a steam engine restored and very elegant set up as a fundraiser for the college. The man who restored the stram engine disappears with all the money from his bank.
   
   Qwill, Koko, and Celia Robinson solve this one. Polly stays in the background and we find out why at the end of the book.
   
   I enjoyed this enstallment of, "The Cat Who..." series. You will too!

5 comments about Widget.

1. By my estimates, there are roughly one million "just be yourself" picture books available on the market today. These range from Madonna's uber-hokey "The English Roses" to older and far more adept books like Leo Lionni's classic, "Swimmy". In the case of "Widget", author Lyn Rossiter McFarland and her illustrating husband Jim McFarland have taken a slightly different route. By using a story in which being true to one's own self (apologies to W. Shakespeare) is not only desirable but also necessary, they have written a truly sweet story. Cat and dog lovers alike should be pleased.
   
   Widget is a small white dog and if I knew my dogs better I could probably tell you his breed. Possibly a terrier. A stray, he finds warmth and shelter in the home of one Mrs. Diggs. Unfortunately, Mrs. Diggs (having not yet reached "crazy cat lady" status, but certainly on her way there) owns six finicky felines that don't like dogs at all. Noting their disapproval, Widget sets out to show one and all that he can be just as cat-like as any of them. If they meow, he meows. If they puff up and hiss, he puffs up and hisses. In fact, Widget is so complete in his cat-like activities that he even purrs, plays with toy mice, and (I'm sure many dog lovers would kill for their pets to learn this one) uses the litter box. Stunned, the cats accept him and Widget eventually forgets that he's a dog at all. One day, however, Mrs. Diggs has an accident and Widget comes to the unarguable decision that sometimes being a dog is a very useful thing indeed.
   
   Anyone familiar with that old Disney cartoon about "Lambert, the Sheepish Lion", in which a lion tries to pretend to be a sheep and ends up saving the flock from a wolf? This isn't exactly that story, but it's pretty darn close. The difference here, however, is the clever turn in events. When Widget decides that barking is the only way to get the neighbors attention (and help for his fallen mistress), the cats decide to bark too. This is a far more satisfying ending than one in which the dog, who has capitulated to the desires of his fellow pets, is alone in acting like his natural canine self. After pretending to be a cat for so long, it's only fair that the kitties should eventually follow his lead and become like a dog too (when necessity calls, that is). Lyn McFarland's text is nice and clear. It is fortunate, however, that her husband Jim McFarland is the illustrator. This tale could easily have been given to an artist less adept in the ways of cats and dogs. It could have become hokey or, worse still, sacchrine. Fortunately, you're in safe hands here. Widget is cute without being cloying. And the cats are disapproving without ever becoming nasty or cruel. McFarland's watercolors perfectly compliment a story in which an adorable animal finds shelter, love, and (eventual) acceptance. I was impressed with his delicate lines, his subtle gradations of colors, and even his ways of displaying the tenderest of emotions on a face of a faithful pet.
   
   "Widget" really hasn't been recognized formally by the picture book community. As it stands, it has not won huge prestigious awards or garnered worldwide attention. Instead, it is a soft subtle little tale that makes everyone reading it happy. If you're a cat or dog lover, I can't imagine you wouldn't take to it. If, instead, you just want a well-written picture book to read to your kids, this is an ideal choice. It's a top notch book all around. Well done, McFarlands.



2. If you enjoy tales in which cats bark and dogs meow, this a cute book for you. Widget is a fun read aloud picture book for your special youngster who will surely appreciate the short fantasy. The book's real strength, though, lies in the colorful and entertaining illustrations of Jim McFarland. Have fun!



3. My 5 yr old grandson was delighted with Widget and the Puppy (from the library). He read it over and over and was especially interested in the pictures and could always find something funny that he had missed the previous reading. I bought him his own copy, along with Widget, for his sixth birthday. He loves both books! Both make wonderful bedtime reading.



4. Absolutely darling. Widget saves the day after being saved himself. Its cute to see what he'll do to stay with the little lady and her funny cats. The story is great and the drawings are wonderful. Great for reading to all youngsters.



5. I was working the reference desk one evening in my local branch library. It was time to make my rounds to pick up stray books to reshelve. I found "Widget," more than a stray book, a stray dog. I took it to the counter to look at it (always on the prowl for children's books to use in my day job as a children's librarian). After the first few pages I started howling aloud with laughter. A co-worker came over to investigate. She, too, started howling because I turned back to the front and we read it together. We laughed until tears rolled and bellies hurt. (This is a working library where people are allowed to talk quietly; our noise did not disturb.)
   
   I checked out the book and took it next day and read it to first and third grades, my classes for the day. I continued that week until I had read it to grades K-5. They all loved it. One class even wanted me to read it again and I did.
   
   What is so funny? So delightful? Widget is a little stray, a Westie another reviewer said, who finds a cat door one cold evening, wanders in, finds six bowls of food, and six beds on the floor. The lady of the house, Mrs. Diggs feels sorry for the little dog and says he could stay except for the six cats who would be unhappy with a dog. He says, "Meow." The six girls puff up. Widget puffs up. The girls hiss and spit. Widget hisses and spits. If you are a cat person, you can imagine this cat behavior and a dog imitating it. And you can imagine the hilarity of seeing the fabulous illustrations that go with these behaviors. Mr. McFarland obviously knows cats to get these behaviors so perfectly. And their faces! Each cat has a different personality!
   
   Other reviewers covered the rest of the story. What I want to share is the joy and recognition of cat behavior, great artwork, a clever story, and the moral of adaptive behavior and true personality. I told my library children that this is one of my new favorite books. After our copy came in, it stays checked out, with children asking for it. It is one of their new favorites, too.

No comments about Skippyjon Jones Sing-A-Song Puzzle Book (Skippyjon Jones).

5 comments about Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier.

1. There is a certain subgenre of literature about the Third World that insists on reminding the reader of the heat, bugs, filth, poverty, and misery on every page, turning the problems of the developing world into a sort of fetish. Scribbling the Cat epitomizes the style. In this book full of vivid images, very little actually happens; the protagonist, "K", is a crazed, violent pseudomystical freak on page ten and a crazed, violent pseudomystical freak on page 250. Two stars not one due to Fuller's strong, vivid prose.



2. "Scribbling the Cat" feels like an excuse that a bored married woman gave her husband to go have an adventure. Never before have I been so acutely aware of (or speculated on) a writer's ulterior motives in the telling of her story.
   
   It felt as if she was censoring her writing. Was this to protect husband/children? Was this because she was being dishonest with herself? Whatever the reason, I felt as though she was being dishonest with me, the reader.
   
   The story of 'K' is laid bare across the pages of her book in, at times, painful reading. Fuller claims that she undertook this journey with 'K' to confront her own Rhodesian past and tell 'K's story. Yet, at the end, I know as little about Fuller as I did in the beginning. She reveals nothing of herself -- other than the occasional "thin" explanation that to me felt more like rationalization than anything else.
   
   I find the work fundamentally disingenuous, although Fuller is undoubtedly a skillful word smith and creates a compelling narrative.



3. This is one of the must amuzing and informative books I have read about Africa and being African. I started to read it one night for an hour before sleep and didn't put it down untill well after dawn. Fuller brings to life a vibrant late twentieth centure Africa. Lets Not Go to the Dogs Tonight blossoms in both style and content. It is brilliant.



4. A well written and fairly well researched book... and an immense disappointment. A married woman, happily undertaking an "adventure" in landmine-ridden Mozambique with a man who is clearly in love with her. Sadly this, together with the fact that yet another unmarried man also falls for her charms, completely detracts from the story. Furthermore, I am a displaced Zimbabwea, and my father and husband both fought on the wrong side of that war. Their memories of that time are somewhat different to Ms Fuller's, and it's very doubtful that a man as tragic and scarred by his internal demons as K would open his heart to this relatively unknown woman. Having read Peter Godwin's excellent "Mukiwa" and "When the Crocodile Eats the Sun" I can honestly say this book falls a distant way behind those two.



5. I liked this as a follow up to her original! It was very informative of how african soldiers lived etc. I listened to both on audio and was pleasantly surprised at a cold pick I had chosen!

5 comments about Geronimo Stilton #8: Attack of the Bandit Cats.

1. The big G Geronimo has done it again with a great adventure story, Attack of the Bandit Cats. The illustrator of Attack of the Bandit Cats is Matt Wolf. Can't imagine it? Well believe it the writer of a book with a mouse had a guy with wolf in his name illustrate. Also captured by cats was probably Geronimo, Thea, Trap, and Benjamin's the five main mice worst nightmare.
   
   Thea, Benjamin, and Trap convince Geronimo Stilton to go with them to Silver Island,but instead they get captured by cat bandits. The bandit cats want to cook Geronimo and his friends so they can eat them for dinner. They manage to set a fire and scare the cats so bad that they forget that the ship was made of metal and they still jump off their ship. Geronimo, Thea, Benjamin, and Trap discover the treasure room were they find the first quarter to mouse kind. Then they become famous, but they don't keep all the money.
   
   This book is great and I can't believe this book wasn't out already when I was born. It has great illustration with fancy words. Incredible gold or even platinum sentence fluency.[She sounded as if her tail was stuck in slobbertooths high speed blender!]This book is out of this world and can't be beat,five star not three or four five!



2. It all started when Trap invited Geronimo to solve a mystery on Pirate Island. So they used this hot air balloon. Before long, they realize that they are being shot by...CATS!



3. This was a Christmas gift for my niece. I read another book in this series and enjoyed it.



4. My daughter is 9 going on 10 and is tearing through all the Stiltons, including this one. We love them.



5. I'm "ghost-writing" this review for my 9 year old daughter:
   "I LOVED this book and I think its really funny when Geronimo misses four good vacations (the beach, the mountains, an adventure, and Egypt) and when he got stuck in a half a cheese slice hotel! I read all the Geronimo Stilton books in my school and local library I can find and I have to say I can't choose a favorite because they are all so good!!"

5 comments about Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen (Sammy Keyes).

1. sammy keys and the psycho kitty queen was one of the best books I have ever read. If you haven't read it READ IT! I have read it over and over again and each time it gets better. Other sammy keys books are good but this one is the best. I cannot wait for the next book to come out.



2. The book Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen written by Wendelin Van Drannen is an exciting adventure! I would give this book 5 stars because it was a page turner and there were exciting events in every chapter. I just couldn't put this book down.
   Join Sammy on a quest to find a mischievous cat killer. On the way she is chased down an alley by a man with a butcher knife and gets hosed down by a psycho kitty queen. If that isn't enough her archenemy Heather Ascota has the same birthday as her! Heather's brother gives Sammy a lucky horseshoe and Heather will do anything to get it back- even fight Sammy for it.
   If you're looking for a story filled with adventure, laughs, and a psycho kitty queen, this is the book to pick!



3. The book Sammy Keys and the Psycho Kitty Queen written by Wendelin Van Drannen is an exciting adventure! I would give this book 5 stars because it was a page turner and there were exciting events in every chapter. I just couldn't put this book down.
   Join Sammy on a quest to find a mischievous cat killer. On the way she is chased down an alley by a man with a butcher knife and gets hosed down by a psycho kitty queen. If that isn't enough her archenemy Heather Ascota has the same birthday as her! Heather's brother gives Sammy a lucky horseshoe and Heather will do anything to get it back- even fight Sammy for it.
   If you're looking for a story filled with adventure, laughs, and a psycho kitty queen, this is the book to pick!



4. Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen was written by Wendlin Van Draanen. It all started when Sammy found a dead cat in the dumpster. She thought a lot about the cats after she found another one in the garbage. After her own cat went missing, Sammy had to see what was going on.
   This book was exciting and suspenseful because of all the action. I liked the ending because the problem was solved. Sometimes I find myself a lot like Sammy and I can picture myself as her in the book. The main problem was very unique, weird, and interesting because the author used dead cats. The characters seemed very real to me because the whole book was realistic fiction.
   Wendling Van Draanen uses a deep voice throughout the book. Very few of the words she used were unknown to me. It was interesting that every time I came to an unusual word she described it. Unlike other authors, Wendling ended every chapter in a suspenseful way. I think she has a lot of creativity to come up with this great book.
   Out of all the books I've read, this one is one of my favorites. I liked it because between the rising action there are many problems. Every time Sammy solved a problem, I thought the book was going to be over. I recommend this book because it's suspenseful, thrilling, and funny.
   Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen might be a little weird at the beginning. You'll want to stop reading because a couple of cats died and there's a weird wrestler that doesn't take off his cat suit. There's a reason to all that, and you need to find out.



5. This book is written very well and the end is, as always pretty surprising. Now to the story...Sammy's life is a disaster: She lives in her Grams' apartment which is only for seniors, so she always has to sneak up the fire escape. Her mom left her for a career in Hollywood and then suddenly she shows up on Sammy's birthday. She came to tell Sammy that she isn't turning fourteen, she's turning 13 because her mom had made a fake birth certificate. Sammy is really upset but then she and her friend Holly find dead cats all over town in garbage cans and they start solving the mystery. At a new wrestling school, Slammin' Dave's,(where Sammy also learns some nice wrestling moves) there's a wrestler, El Gato who looks very scary since he always has a cat mask and costume on and never takes it off, so Sammy and Holly become very suspicious. In the end El Gato turns out to be someone totally different than they would have thougt. How they solve the mystery and find out who the cat killer was, will grab you and make you want to keep reading and reading. I really enjoyed the book and read it in only two days and I recommend it to anyone who likes mysteries. The characters are described good and likable except for Heather and her friends,Sammy enemies. The book is also a real page-turner and i would recommend the other Sammy Keyes books as well. I hope this review helped and that you enjoy the book as much as I did.