Improbable Cat

By Allan Ahlberg

Book Overview

The Burrell family could never have foreseen the consequences of adopting the tiny stray kitten that appeared when David was twelve. But the sweet cat is not as harmless as it seems, and soon has them completely under its sinister spell. The only one unaffected, David concocts a plan to rescue his family - but will it work?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0141314907
• ISBN13: 9780141314907
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Puffin
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.21 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.3" x 5.1"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Cats

Great book for any cat lover author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

I've often seen a cat without a smile, but a smile without a cat?

Atmosphere is a difficult thing to create in a children's book. Because of the nature of writing for children, most authors give their stories a kind of one-dimensional feel. I best knew of Alan Ahlberg as a picture book writer, prior to finding this tale. He wrote adorable stories like (I kid you not), "The Little Cat Baby". Weirder still, "The Little Cat Baby" came out at the same time as "The Improbable Cat". It's as if Ahlberg wanted to tell the same story but through two entirely different lenses. "Cat Baby" is all sweetness and light and cuddly adorablenesses. "Improbable Cat", on the other hand, is made up of darkness and insanity and mood and horror. In spite of its small size, this is a book for kids between fourth and sixth grade. It's an exercise in atmosphere. Writing years later, our hero in this book is twelve-year-old David Burrell. He lives a pretty normal life with his librarian father, part-time teacher mom, and typical annoying little sister Josie. One day, while the rest of the family is outside, a small kitten limps into the backyard looking oh-so-cute. David is allergic to cats and during its arrival he stays in his room. He cannot help but notice that there's something odd about the animal. Once the family has petted it and taken it inside, it stops limping. It never meows or purrs, "or, as far as I could see, even washed itself". There's something definitely wrong with this cat. There's something wrong with Billy's family too. They start to change. They spend all their free time buying the cat elaborate meals, stroking it, and playing television shows that it likes. When they aren't doing these things they're distracted, acting like hypnotized goons rather than a real loving family. So when David leaves for camp for a week, he is entirely unprepared for the horror he comes back to find. This book would make an excellent writing exercise for kids, since much of the book is left shadowy. The true nature of the cat (or, more accurately, cat-like creature) is never fully explained. Whatever it might be, our best view of it comes from David's opening statement that, "...most kittens become cats (if they live long enough), don't they? The odds on a kitten not becoming a cat are huge, but not impossible maybe". Whatever it is, this book is best described as a light horror-fest. If you have kids that gobble down "Goosebumps" books and you want to put something with a little more meat and depth on their plate, try this title. Actually, I'm a little surprised "The Improbable Cat" isn't better known. It's very British (there's lots of talk about "lorries") and contains far more swearing than the average kiddie fare. I don't think this is particularly damaging as I personally find violence far more damaging than "s***" and other dirty words. Still, parents overeager to ban whatever doesn't strike them as pure and innocent would undoubtedly be delighted to burn this shadowy title if it ever came to th

The scariest 'children's' book I read in a while!

I read this book because my five-year-old brother was reading it and my mom told me it was scary. I had finished it in less than a day. It is such and intrancing and wierd story and told with such atmosphere that I couldn't stay away from it! I must admit, however, it is not for young readers. I had to warn my mom of all the places to skip when reading it to my brother since he would not stop reading it either. It is about a cat that is hypnotising a family, all except for their son who sees the cat for what it is. Then the boy goes to camp. When he comes back... the house has been entirely diskept, the cat the only thing people are caring about and the cat-I will say no more. This book is probably for ages eight and up-not for five-year-olds. It is really creepy though and worth the read...if you dare!

Scary, well written and very nicely illustrated

A disturbing tale, in which humans are terrorized by a malevolent cat. High quality writing, somewhat reminiscent of a Stephen King tale. Dog lovers will like the outcome; cat lovers may find the story a bit biased against felines. The drawings are exquisite, displaying marvelous crosshatching technique.