The Cat Who Got Carried Away (Hardcover)

by Allan Ahlberg (Author), Katharine McEwen (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-3-The nutty but charming Gaskitt family is back, and this third installment is the best yet. The humorous incidents revolve around pet thefts, a mom who spends much of her time in bed, a teacher who falls out of the window trying to find the missing class rat, and a ridiculous substitute teacher. McEwen stays in step with the author with her dynamic watercolor-and-crayon illustrations on white backgrounds. Text and art flirt playfully with one another, often trading jobs. The book is loaded with fun elements such as timetables and aerial-view maps. There's more than a bit of slapstick, understated humor, third-grade-style sarcasm, and characters contradicting the author in thought bubbles. Specific references to popular culture are tossed off, as when the family cat, riding the city bus home after being abducted, daydreams that he's the lead in the movie The Incredible Journey. These elements put The Cat at the sophisticated end of its genre and the rich end of the literary-experience spectrum. It's a romp on a par with Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" books (Scholastic), but without the irreverence. It's also a school story featuring a substitute teacher to top Viola Swamp from Harry Allard's "Miss Nelson" books (Houghton). Children will love it.
Liza Graybill, Worcester Public Library, MA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 1-3. Ahlberg's third saga about the Gaskitts has a lot going on. Randolph, Gus and Gloria's class pet rat, disappears; then the Gaskitts' cat, Horace, does, too. Mr. Gaskitt is doing all the cleaning, and Mrs. Gaskitt hardly gets out of bed, though she is cheerful enough. Children will giggle through the enticing adventures as they figure out why Mrs. Gaskitt goes to the hospital. The crisp design features a good-size typeface, and McEwen's watercolor-and-crayon artwork is tucked in and around the text in a lively, deadpan way. A few literary and pop culture references will delight kids and amuse their parents. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763620734
• ISBN-13: 978-0763620738
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,372,563 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT first chapter book for beginning readers, June 19, 2009

By	cilisi - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat Who Got Carried Away (Paperback)

My husband bought this book for my 7 year old as a present after a bookstore owner highly recommended it.

My daughter had never read any chapter book on her own. Often however, we read shorter books together, her reading every other page. This is because she gets intimidated by multiple pages with a lot of text even though she can read it.

While my husband and I chatted, my daughter sat down on the floor to look at the book, and ended up reading it cover to cover. She didn't lift her head up once. What makes this book so compelling for kids at her level is the illustrations (several per page), the white space on every page, the largish font (large for a chapter book), and the mystery element. There are about three mysteries that are being followed through the story, and it is fun for kids to try to figure them out. My daughter loved as well the unpredictability -- you never knew what crazy thing would happen next.

"The Man Who Wore All His Clothes" is written and illustrated by the same people and similar in layout to this book. I gave that to my daughter next and again she sat down and read it cover to cover in a single sitting. Ahlberg and McEwan clearly have a winning formula.

If you are looking for a jumping off point for a reader almost able to start chapter books but a little scared, this is what you're looking for. With these two books under her belt, my daughter began Junie B. Jones on her own, and is now devouring them.

4.0 out of 5 stars fun read !, March 26, 2008

By	N. Hefni "NHFN" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Cat Who Got Carried Away (Hardcover)

This was a really fun read for the kids (ages 3 and 5). Very uniquely written, and they really got into the "mystery" of what was happening to the pets in the neighborhood. Very nice graphics as well.

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable for Mom, too, November 12, 2007

By	S. Frink (Kalamazoo, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Cat Who Got Carried Away (Hardcover)

My son is only 3 1/2, but he LOVED this book. I enjoyed it too, from the non-traditional format to the hint of British humor. We laughed together as we read it--"just one more chapter, please!"