Cat Among the Pigeons (Cat Royal Adventures (Hardback)) [Hardcover]

Julia Golding (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Series: Cat Royal Adventures (Hardback)

MYSTERY, DISGUISES, AND A FIGHT FOR FREEDOM.

The second episode in the CAT ROYAL ADVENTURE series plunges readers into the underbelly of London in a mission for justice. Pedro’s old slave master wants him back, but his friends on Drury Lane won’t give him up without a fight. Disguised as a boy, Cat enters an aristocratic boarding school and scales the heights of London society before joining a street gang to probe its depths, all to secure the freedom of her friend. Like THE DIAMOND OF DRURY LANE, CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS features mysteries, theatrical spectacles, the evil Billy “Boil” Shepherd, and, of course, the irrepressible Cat, who never fails to stir up trouble and save the day wherever she goes. Coming in Spring 2009, Cat travels to Paris during the French Revolution in DEN OF THIEVES.

 

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–8—Readers once again find orphaned Cat backstage at Drury Lane, but she doesn't stay there for long. The slave master who owned her friend Pedro has returned to claim "his property," and Cat and her friends, who include a group of adult abolitionists, won't have it. While trying to protect him, however, Cat gets herself into trouble and must go into hiding disguised as a boy at the aristocratic Westminster School, described in the glossary as "supposedly a place of learning for young gentlemen; in truth, a den of floggers and bullies." As in The Diamond of Drury Lane (Roaring Brook, 2008), Golding spins a tale that starts with a bang. However, the quick start slows down after Cat enters the boy's school and the plot turns its focus there, and readers may be left wondering what happened to Pedro. Fortunately, our heroine finds her way back to her cause to save her friend, taking readers on an adventurous ride full of mystery, suspense, and history along the way.—Sarah O'Holla, Village Community School, New York City
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* Cat is back for another dramatic adventure at London’s Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. Coming quickly on the heels of The Diamond of Drury Lane (2008), this latest escapade features our heroine, Catherine Royal, desperately trying to protect Pedro Hawkins, a young former slave who happens to be an outstanding actor. Pedro’s ex-master, the villainous Kingston Hawkins, will stop at nothing to try to capture his “property” and return to the West Indies with him. Cat engages the whole theater company, along with the theatergoing public, in rallying to Pedro’s defense. After confronting some pro-slavery plotters, she needs to run for her own life and disguises herself as a schoolboy with the help of some allies at Westminster School. Golding weaves a fine historic tale about the antislavery battle in England in the 1790s by way of an ensemble of colorful characters, death-defying adventures, witty dialogue and narration, and lively action. Fans of the first book will not want to miss this sequel, but Pigeons also stands as an outstanding solo performance. Grades 6-9. --Anne O'Malley

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press; First Edition edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596433523
• ISBN-13: 978-1596433526
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #838,551 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

My journey to becoming an author has been a roundabout one, taking in many other careers. I grew up on the edge of Epping Forest (Essex, UK) and was that dreamy kind of child who was always writing stories. After reading English at Cambridge, I decided to find out as much as I could about the wider world so joined the Foreign Office and served in Poland. My work as a diplomat took me from the high point of town twinning in the Tatra Mountains to the low of inspecting the bottom of a Silesian coal mine.

On leaving Poland, I exchanged diplomacy for academia and took a doctorate in the literature of the English Romantic Period at Oxford. I then joined Oxfam as a lobbyist on conflict issues, campaigning at the UN and with governments to lessen the impact of conflict on civilians living in war zones - a cause about which I still feel very passionate.

Married with three children, I now live in Oxford between two rivers, surrounded by gargoyles, beautiful sandstone buildings and ancient trees. I plan my books while walking our dog, Caspar, on Port Meadow by the Thames or Isis.

My first novel, 'The Diamond of Drury Lane', won the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2006 and the Nestle Children's Book Prize 2006 (formerly known as the Smarties Prize). I was also chosen by Waterstone's in 2007 as one of their 'Twenty-five authors for the future'. 'Empty Quarter' was longlisted for the Carnegie Award 2009; 'Wolf Cry' in 2010. In the US, 'Secret of the Sirens' won the honor book medal of the Green Earth Book Award.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book Ever, June 4, 2010

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat Among the Pigeons (Cat Royal Adventures) (Kindle Edition)

This story of Cat and her friends is even better than the first. From living at a boys school to fighting slavery and saving one of her best friends Cats life is about to get very interesting.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great First Mystery for Spunky Girls, August 8, 2009

By 

J. K. Harrison (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat Among the Pigeons (Cat Royal Adventures (Hardback)) (Hardcover)

Love the series. Cat is a vivacious, street-smart heroine and the theater/historical facts are integrated effortlessly. Told from our heroine's perspective, this book is a great pick for the tomboy.