Fur-Face [Paperback]

Jon Gibbs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 18, 2011

An evil scientist with a dastardly invention. A sadistic billionaire with a diabolical plan. What stands in their way? Two teenagers and one amazing cat. The bad guys don't stand a chance! When 13-year-old Billy Euston moves to the English, country village of Little Chumberry, he finds an unlikely friend in Snowy, an outrageous talking cat that only he can hear. Through Snowy he learns of an evil scientist who kidnaps local animals for use in experiments on inter-species communication. Billy finds himself drawn ever deeper into a world of cruelty and exploitation, where every answer uncovers another question. Who is Fur-Face? Why does he operate on animals’ brains? What really goes on in the tunnels beneath Adventure Safari (the nearby zoo and theme park)? With the help of Snowy and Carmen, a local girl whose grandmother owns both the research center and the park, Billy tries to find out, not realizing his search for answers could cost Snowy every last one of his nine lives.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in England, Jon Gibbs now lives in the USA with his wife and three children. Founder of the New Jersey Authors' Network (http://www.njauthorsnetwork.com) and FindAWritingGroup.com, he can usually be found hunched over the computer in his basement office. One day he hopes to figure out how to switch it on. To find out more about Snowy, and Jon's other writing, visit www.acatofninetales.com or drop by Jon's online-journal. An Englishman in New Jersey is at http://jongibbs.livejournal.com

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Echelon Press Publishing (October 18, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590806891
• ISBN-13: 978-1590806890
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,617,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in England, Jon Gibbs now lives in New Jersey, where he's 'Author in Residence' at Lakehurst Elementary School. A member of several writing groups, including SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). He's the founder of The New Jersey Authors' Network and FindAWritingGroup.com.

Jon's debut novel, Fur-Face (Echelon Press) a middle grade fantasy about unusual friendships, unlikely alliances, and wanting to fit in, was nominated for a Crystal Kite Award. Watch out for the sequel, Barnum's Revenge.

When he's not chasing around after his children, Jon can usually be found hunched over the computer in his basement office. One day he hopes to figure out how to switch it on.

For a list of all my upcoming appearances, presentations and workshops, go to http://bitly.com/Jontalks

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another enamored adult November 28, 2011

By KMButler

Format:Paperback

I am thrilled to add my name to the list of adults that have enjoyed this book.

I went to one of Mr. Gibbs NJ Authors network events and thoroughly enjoyed listening to him speak. His sense of humor and enjoyment of what he was doing led me to examine his book and helped me decide to buy it 'for my children'. After pre-reading it myself I was happy I did.

I was quickly drawn into the book and after chapter one I put down the other book I was reading to focus on Fur Face. I loved the characters in this story and could easily see my own cats leaving messes for my kids to be fall guys as Snowy does to Billy. The quirks of Snowy the cat and his perspective on the world had me smiling and chuckling throughout the book. I also loved Billy's attempts at looking normal to his parents while being swept up in an adventure with a talking cat. I must add a quick word on Mr. Tinkles the sensitive gorilla who makes an appearance, I loved him and wish there had been a bit more of him in the book.

I have started reading this to my eight and ten year old girls and they are becoming fans as well. I will be on the look out for the sequel that was hinted at by Mr. Gibbs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read, no matter how old you are November 30, 2011

By Karen W. Newton

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The fun thing about this book is that in addition to 13-year-old Billy Euston, the teenage boy protagonist, two other main characters are a cat and a fox who can "talk." The setting is a quaint English country village where an amoral scientist has been doing experiments on animals. Think THE SECRET OF NIMH meets Agatha Christie.

One thing I liked is that Billy's parents are neither dead nor neglectful. So often in YA, parents are one or the other, in order to give the protagonist a reason to be on his (or her) own. Billy's folks are busy but still good parents; he has to disobey them to sneak out and help his new friend Snowy, an all black cat who talks but only Billy can hear him. A third character is Razor, a fox who seems like a bad guy at first, until you find out why he's so angry.

And that's another thing I liked: humor! Snowy lives up to his ironic name with snarky dialog and a real attitude. Mr. Tinkles, a very civilized gorilla, has some great lines, too. In a way, this is a buddy movie, as Billy and Snowy work together to try to rescue Razor's missing family. There's a touch of romance, too, as Billy meets a girl his age who's only in town for the summer, and begins to wish she'd be around for longer than that. She's more than just a pretty face, and she becomes Billy's ally in his mission.

The ending is satisfying but not without some tears. No one and nothing lives forever. If you like science fiction, you might like this story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun to read May 13, 2011

By Claudia Sieber

Format:Kindle Edition

Billy Euston has lived in London for all his life - and now has to move to some place called Little Chumberry, just because of his dad's new job. And as if this wasn't enough, the first night in his new bed he wakes up just to hear someone talking. In his room. And this someone ... is a cat. Snowy. A very sarcastic cat. But then you need to be sarcastic when you're a black cat called Snowy, aren't you? Despite all, Snowy and Billy become friends quickly and before he knows, Billy's involved in a big adventured with a talking cat (only he can hear), a talking fox with a tin hat (only he can hear) and someone who's really, really messing up with science ...

I quite enjoyed this book, even though it reminded me of Felidae somehow. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I first was a little confused by the first chapter; it took me several pages to figure out whose point of view was taken there. But once I got into the story, it was pretty nice. I laughed quite a bit about Snowy, about some really lovely references, about Snowy, again, this time with frogs. I especially loved Snowy's encounter with the (obviously not very smart) elephant lady. Brilliant. This book sometimes tend to be weird, but in a very good way. The characters are really likeable and the basic plot is interesting. The only thing I didn't like was that there maybe was a little too much plot, too many ideas, fit into too little pages. There were two main tasks for our heroes, finding Razor's family and finding out what happened to both Snowy and Razor that made them talk. Even though they belong together very closely, it got all meddled up a little sometimes. The end seemed a bit rushed and I was left with the feeling that some things were unresolved. I am not even sure they were, it just felt this way. And Snowy sometimes felt more like a human turned into a cat, than a real cat. I can't even put my finger on what exactly caused this.

Apart from those minor drawbacks, I can really recommend the book, even though I (female, 31) most likely am far away from the reader this was aimed at. Which didn't matter in the end, because it was good fun. And that's what books should be, right?