November 1, 2020
Grades 3-6 It's the end of the school year, and Katie's well-to-do friends are excited to be leaving for summer camp. Although her friends' parents offer to pay her way, Katie decides to earn the money for camp herself by doing odd jobs. After crashing and burning at carrying groceries and watering plants, Katie finds the perfect job, cat sitting her upstairs neighbor's 217 cats. With talents ranging far beyond the usual hissing and scratching, these cats are experts in everything from mixed martial arts to 3-D rendering. What is up with these amazing cats, and how are they connected to the notorious super villain The Mousetress? The team behind the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series has created a believable world in which families struggle, friendships change, and superheroes have Yelp ratings. Sight gags, sly humor, pop-culture references, and a dollop of animal-rights activism combine to make Katie's story a fun one. Readers will pore over the illustrations of the various cats and their specialties while waiting for the planned sequel to be released.
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Starred review from November 30, 2020
Neko Atsume meets The Tick in this laugh-out-loud funny, well-paced series starter from the creators of the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series. Katie Spera, a preteen white New Yorker with a teal streak in her hair, longs to attend summer camp with her friends. Her single mother can’t afford it, though, so Katie takes a job cat-sitting for Madeline Lang, a stylish Black woman who lives in their building. If $30 an hour seems like an excellent rate, Katie is surprised to learn that Ms. Lang has 217 cats. They’re “evil”—tearing the place apart every night, ordering pizzas, and stealing furniture—and they’re capable: each has a specialty, among them computer hacking, lock picking, soap opera expertise, and talent scouting. Meanwhile, as “supervillain” Mousetress strikes city businesses, the city pins its hopes on self-absorbed superhero Eastern Screech. Katie starts to suspect that Ms. Lang may be Mousetress, and realizes that her deeds have a specific target. Venable develops her themes—appearances can be deceiving, no one is all good or bad—while opening the door for further developments down the line. Yue’s expressive cartoons complement this enchanting story, the first in a series with a promising cast of characters—feline and otherwise. Ages 8–12.
December 1, 2020
A summer job unexpectedly leads to heroic hijinks--with the assistance of many, many cats. Katie wants to go to camp with her friends instead of spending another summer at home in New York City, but money is an obstacle. When Ms. Lang in her building offers Katie a job catsitting, it's the perfect opportunity to raise camp funds. Katie is surprised to discover Ms. Lang has a whopping 217 cats! These are not normal cats either: They have surprising skills and interests, such as computer hacking and martial arts. Clues lead Katie to wonder if Ms. Lang moonlights as the Mousetress, one of the city's supervillains...who maybe isn't such a villain after all. This series opener blends the drama of realistic fiction with the action of superhero stories and ties it all together with a heaping amount of humor. Evolving friendships are a main component, but that plot thread feels left open for resolution in future installments. Animal rights activism forms the core of this story, with rescue of and advocacy for various types of animals in peril. Readers are encouraged to consider who is deemed a hero and why. Colorful, cartoon-style illustrations are eye-catching and playful, and the setting is portrayed in vibrant detail. Katie appears White, Ms. Lang is dark-skinned, and other characters have a range of skin tones and fur colors. A little evil and a whole lotta fun. (Graphic fiction. 8-12)
COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2021
Gr 3-6-Katie Spera, 12, lives in an alternate New York City where Yelp-related superheroes abound, but all she cares about is attending summer camp with her best friend, Bethany. Her mother can't afford it, so Katie tries job after job, all ending in comedic disaster, until she finds work caring for her neighbor's 217 genius felines. Herding cats is tough, but Katie figures it out, leaving her time to take part in fun activities in the city with her mom, worry that she and Bethany are growing apart, and wonder if her friendly, glamorous new employer is secretly the supervillain Mousetress. This middle grade comic from the creator of "Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye" is light and fun. Reminiscent of Raina Telgemeier's work, the art features a warm palette and lively, graceful linework that matches the upbeat characters and plot. While the story never gets too serious, there's a lot going on-friendships form and fade, Katie turns her love of animals into a plan for action, and many of the adults around Katie are not who she expected them to be. The book's final pages reveal that there will be a sequel; readers will also find a hilarious secret dossier on the 217 cats and brief bios that show how Venable and Yue used their passions as inspiration for the plot and design. Katie and her mother are white, Bethany is brown-skinned, and Katie's neighbor is Black. VERDICT A winsome mix of adventure, humor, and realistic middle grade problems, ideal for readers seeking the whimsy of Dav Pilkey's "Dog Man" tempered with the reassuring tone of Raina Telgemeier's work.-Amanda Charles, Los Angeles P.L.
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2021
To join her two best friends at a pricey sleepaway camp outside of the city, plucky Katie, star of this entertaining graphic novel, puts up a flyer in her apartment building to advertise her entrepreneurial talents and earn some quick cash. Unfortunately, Katie is no match for spry Mr. Quinn, who can carry his own groceries up the stairs, or Mrs. Bell's plants, which require complicated watering instructions. Katie finds her perfect job cat-sitting for Ms. Madeline Lang, who has somehow kept her 217 felines a total secret from the building's snoopy super. These not-so-average cats have varied, impressive skills and intellects that they use to test Katie, so much so that she starts to suspect Ms. Lang might just be a supervillain...but things aren't that simple. Yue's drawing style will remind readers of Raina Telgemeier's work (most recently Guts, rev. 9/19), and the occasional departures from standard paneling keep the visuals feeling fresh. Venable includes a cast of supportive adults who provide Katie with scaffolding to grow out of old friends and into new hobbies that complement her love of animals. This enjoyable book (for which a sequel is promised) will pique the interest of readers who like their masked heroes with a penchant for animal activism. Niki Marion
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
January 1, 2021
Color by Braden Lamb. To join her two best friends at a pricey sleepaway camp outside of the city, plucky Katie, star of this entertaining graphic novel, puts up a flyer in her apartment building to advertise her entrepreneurial talents and earn some quick cash. Unfortunately, Katie is no match for spry Mr. Quinn, who can carry his own groceries up the stairs, or Mrs. Bell's plants, which require complicated watering instructions. Katie finds her perfect job cat-sitting for Ms. Madeline Lang, who has somehow kept her 217 felines a total secret from the building's snoopy super. These not-so-average cats have varied, impressive skills and intellects that they use to test Katie, so much so that she starts to suspect Ms. Lang might just be a supervillain...but things aren't that simple. Yue's drawing style will remind readers of Raina Telgemeier's work (most recently Guts, rev. 9/19), and the occasional departures from standard paneling keep the visuals feeling fresh. Venable includes a cast of supportive adults who provide Katie with scaffolding to grow out of old friends and into new hobbies that complement her love of animals. This enjoyable book (for which a sequel is promised) will pique the interest of readers who like their masked heroes with a penchant for animal activism.
(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)