Bad Kitty [Paperback]

Michele Jaffe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 2007

Meet Jasmine,¹ forensic supersleuth,² aspiring Model Daughter,³ and friend to animals.⁴ One second she's trying to enjoy her Vegas Vacation,⁵ the next she's tangled up in an outrageous adventure and has to outwit a crazed killer before he ends ten lives, one of them her own.⁶

¹ Hi! That's me!
² I. Wish.
³ Emphasis on aspiring. Current status: failing.
⁴ If friend means "unsuspecting victim" and animals means "one very bad kitty."
⁵ And meet the cute guy at the Snack Hut. I have priorities.
⁶ Meep! But I guess it winds up okay since Kirkus Reviews says: "Inventive, witty, and laugh-out-loud funny, with an enjoyably twisty ending." They wouldn't say that if everyone died, right? Right?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Jasmine Callihan, her father, and stepmother are vacationing in Las Vegas at the posh Venetian Hotel. All the 17-year-old really wants to do is sunbathe by the pool, write in her journal, and attempt to be a Model Hallmark Card daughter, all the while avoiding her perfect cousin Alyson and her Evil Hench Twin, Veronique. Her plans go awry, however, when a small boy and his cat make Jas a central character in a murder investigation. Soon Jass best friends come from LA to join her adventure and all attempt to solve the murder of Len Phillips, business manager of world-famous photographer Red Early. Teens will enjoy Jas and her friends hilarious dialogue and will be entertained by Jaffes inclusion of footnotes to the plot twists on each page. While the story is somewhat convoluted and often defies credulity, the book does offer some fascinating characters and plenty of amusement for fans of this genre.–Kathryn Childs, Morris Mid/High School, OK
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. Seventeen-year-old Jasmine (Jas) has wanted to be a detective since first grade, but her nose for trouble, as well as her penchant for dusting for fingerprints with eye shadow, drives her father crazy. He forces her to leave a plum police internship behind to go to Las Vegas for the family's summer vacation, but the city turns out to be "an EXCELLENT place to engage in amateur crime fighting." It isn't long before Jas and her three vacation-crashing friends are embroiled in a mystery involving a famous model, her family, and a three-legged cat. Jas, who narrates in breezy first person, is likable, quick-witted, and extremely funny. Her friends are dazzling, quirky quipsters; though they occasionally blend together, as their dialogue is limited to flippant comments, they provide amusing, if sometimes distracting, running commentary. Don't look for plausibility here--everything is irrepressibly larger than life--but readers able to check their disbelief at the door will have a great time. Krista Hutley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (May 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060781106
• ISBN-13: 978-0060781101
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Mysteries

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars go for the ride, May 25, 2006

By 

LizB (SF Bay Area, Ca) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bad Kitty (Hardcover)

I normally don't read teen chick lit, but I was intrigued by the title (having experienced badly behaved kitties myself), so I read it. I'm glad I did. It was one of the best books I've read in years--fabulously well-written, ferociously intelligent, and very, very funny.

This is not a typical action-driven, slyly plotted mystery. At times it is as much farce as mystery. Its charm lies in Jas and her friends, their unique personalities, and Jas's inimitable voice in telling her story. If you understand that, you'll like this book.

Don't expect depth in this book, just go for the ride.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best thing since a BeDazzler, August 13, 2006

By 

Alexandra (Medford, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Kitty (Hardcover)

Jasmine is trying to enjoy her family vacation in Las Vegas. All this would require would be avoiding her cousin, Alyson, and her friend, Veronique, prove to her dad that she is indeed a Model Daughter, and, oh yeah, meet the hot guy she spotted across the pool. Then all of a sudden, Jas is thrust into the middle of a Las Vegas mystery. Luckily, she enjoys amateur sleuthing, and her friends come into town to help her find a murderer, save a little boy and a woman, and maybe themselves, in an experience that is so totally Mastercard (priceless). And just for the record, it's all the cat's fault. Michele Jaffe's debut novel for young adults will not disappoint fans of Meg Cabot and Louise Rennison. Humor, intrigue, and a hot guy: what more could a reader want?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely hilarious!, March 17, 2006

By 

teenbrarian (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Kitty (Hardcover)

This book had me laughing so hard, I almost snorted my beverage out of my nose. I am a Teen Librarian, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to any teen girl.