Customer Reviews

Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Alexandria

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful, magical tale for kids and grown-ups alike. And speaking of magical tails, Marco is a most endearing, intrepid warrior and defender of books -- through time and space. Anyone who has ever owned a cat, or been owned by one, will not find it hard believe they are capable of all the exploits in this charming book. And, you *know* they do talk to each other just like they do here. The author must really know her felines. Aside from all the "Cute Cat Capers," the story also can be appreciated for its classic structure and homage to archetypes handed down through all the ages of story-telling. Here is the hero's journey told anew. This time Parsifal has paws.

I knew I had to read this book after the author posted the first chapter on her website. As a previous reviewer said, cats, adventure, history, mystery, what's not to like? Finding out the rest of the story was even a motivating factor my purchasing my Kindle!

But this is more than just a "fun read". I started reading the rest of the book on my Kindle in the evening and I literally had to force myself to put the book down at 3:00 am. I knew I couldn't rush through it; that I needed to savor everything.

This is so much more than a children's book, but a lesson that can't be repeated often enough to never give up on books. Cicero the cat, summed up part of the conflict in the book when he said that it wasn't books themselves that were dangerous, but the ideas they contained because they made people think. And there were people who didn't want others to read and think for themselves. We must never allow our society to reach a point of taking that away.

This book had the flavor of some of my favorite books: the lessons of classics Fahrenhiet 451 and 1984, without the dystopian sadness. I was fascinated by the mythology of the cats back to the library of Alexandria. The evil Professor Chee reminds me a little of John Dee in the wonderful Michael Scott, Alchemyst books. This book brought me some of the same adventure, magic and sense of the battle between good and bad that I loved in the Harry Potter books. It made me think also of the Chronicles of Narnia books with the good vs. evil, and the inspiration of a Higher Power.

I think children and adults alike will identify with the courageous Marco, barely more than a kiteen, who finds himself in a place he never intended to be, a bit confused and overwhelmed but determined to do the "right thing". He is not only victorious physically but also morally as he stands for what he believes in.

Unlike the dystopian novels mentioned earlier the book ends with a note of Marco's triumph over evil as he fights for the power of books and even restores a modern-day public library which had been destroyed by the forces of Evil.

But wait... there are more Guardian Cats out there protecting more of the lost books of Alexandria, which means there are probably adventures ahead for us. I sure hope so because I can't wait to read them!

My 8 year old son and I just finished reading this book together. We are both huge readers and even bigger cat fanatics, so this book was a treasure to find. It is well written, keeps your attention, and is full of excitement to keep a young boys interest. I highly recommend it for both parents and kids, and especially boys who love cats, as this book portrays cats in a strong, confident light and not girly like in some books.

Bought the kindle book , more than three weeks ago, and of course, read it, enjoying every moment of it! Always liked Cats, but these cats, I really fell in Love with! Wow!!! Helped me to stay focused in the Now!!!
This is a great plus for me! I recently bought the paper back version too,for my Grand children, and also to show my piano students! It is a great mystical book, delving into the Real world! Waiting for the sequal to this! recommend this for adults, kids, everyone! It is a must read!!!

Marco, a young cat, loved to listen to his young human, Lily, read books aloud. When Lily's grandmother gets ill suddenly and is taken to the hospital, young Marco goes out an open door into the outside world looking for food. He finds himself in a strange place which is not the safe, caring atmosphere he knows. In a search for safety and food, Marco enters the town library; there, he finds that he can read himself. He also meets Cicero who becomes his mentor. Cicero is a guardian cat - guarding mystical books from the los Library of Alexandria. He takes Marco on a journey to the past showing him what happened to the Library of Alexandria and how the guardian cats were formed. He also introduces Marco to other cats in The Dead Cats Society; they're not dead but they get together to befriend each other and listen to tales of guardian cats. Join Marco in an adventure where he befriends a ferret, Polo, and they, along with the Dead Cats Society members fight rogue cats and the evil Professor who is trying to steal the Book of Motion, one of the secret books of mystical powers from the Library of Alexandria and who tries to destroy the library. An enjoyable adventure formed around delightful cat, and one ferret, characters; if you like cats, all age groups will enjoy reading about Marco and his friends. I received this book in a FirstReads contest.

This book is appropriate for almost any age. From youngsters to adults, the engaging tale captures the reader and takes them on a journey that they will not soon forget.
Anyone who loves books and cats will surely enjoy this book by Rahma Krambo.

The day you read Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Alexandria will be a special day that you will recall fondly for the rest of your life. Do not miss this gem !!

I absolutely loved this book. I hope there will be more...in this vain...maybe a series. Loved loved loved this book.

This book was very interesting. I enjoyed it most because of the journeys that the cats went through. I would recommend it to people who like cats and like books about adventure.

This is not the kind of book I usually read. I'm way older than the target audience for this book and usually don't care for fantasy. But this book had two of the things I love most, cats and books.
The hero is a young cat named Marco, who discovers he can rean read. He especially loves adventure stories, and imagines himself as D'Artagnan of the Three Musketeers. At the town library he meets the eccentric library cat, Cicero, who takes him on an adventure he could never have imagined. It seems that centuries ago, the ancient Library of Alexandia was burned by people who feared books and the ideas they contain. The librarian managed to escape the fire with a few precious books and left each one in the care of a guardian cat. Cicero is a successor to one of those cats. He is now quite old and knows he is nearing the end of his life, but has not been able to find an apprentice to take over his work. The last apprentice he tried turned out to be a villain. Can Cicero trust Marco to be a worthy Guardian?
I am happy to report that Marco really is a worthy hero. I enjoyed his friendship with the ferret Polo. The other cats are bewildered by Marco's choice of a friend since they think ferrets are silly animals, but Polo proves his loyalty when he is needed.
I liked the scene where Cicero, having used magic to turn himself into a human for a few minutes, picks up Marco and holds him, explaining that he always wondered what that felt like for a human. I do think pet cats wonder about that!
I recently read another Kindle book in which the lead feline met a tragic ending. This was expected, but left me quite sad. I hope I am not giving too much away when I say I very much enjoyed the happy ending in this book. It included one element I was hoping for and one I was not expecting at all.
I am also glad that Marco apparently looks like my cat! If you can read this, as I did, while your own cat sits beside you and purrs, it doesn't get any better than that.