Customer Reviews

Kitty Kitty

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4 star:		(2)
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The Bad Kitty books by Michele Jaffe blend elements of comedy, romance, mystery, and fashion into highly funny stories that teens will lap right up.

In the first book, Bad Kitty, teenaged Jasmine took what was supposed to be a laid-back trip to Las Vegas with her dad and stepmother only to get entangled - literally - in a murder mystery involving a little boy, a three-legged cat, and a rock star.

In the sequel, Kitty Kitty, intrigue follows our heroine (and her cool hair) all the way to Venice, Italy, where Jasmine's father has moved his family for professional reasons. Thousands of miles (and ocean!) away from her friends and her rock star boyfriend, Jas is miserable.

Just when she finally makes a new friend, something tres tragic happens, and Jas starts searching for a murderer. While on the prowl, she eats delicious pizza, fights her inner bad girl, looks for goldfish, and translates (bad) Italian cop shows (badly). Along the way, she encounters plenty of strange people and familiar faces. She almost gets killed herself - while wearing an awesome pair of boots, natch. Those boots are made for walking, and that's just what they do until she finally figures out the mystery.

If you liked Bad Kitty, then you'll love Kitty Kitty. Both books are good fun. Footnotes scattered throughout the books act as conversations between the characters, correcting and embellishing the narrative. The light tone and quick banter will appeal to Meg Cabot and Lauren Myracle fans.

In BAD KITTY, Jasmine Callahan discovered a murderous plot afoot in Las Vegas. In KITTY KITTY, she leaves the canals of the Venetian to the canals of Venice, only to stumble across the path of another murderer. Only this time, she isn't soon enough to prevent tragedy. She can track down the killer and prevent more murders, by following the guidance of Mr. T and using her Italian gleaned from Commissario Rex and translated episodes of CHiPs.

Little Life Lesson 1: Mr. T might not be the best role model. ESPECIALLY if white leather pants are involved.

Of course, the rest of the cast is still along for the ensuing mayhem. The Thwarter has morphed into Dadzilla, a more dangerous version of the breed. Jack just might be off with another girl who can stop a rhinoceros in its tracks with a single look. And while Polly, Roxy, and Tom are in the United States, they've just had a very worrying IM conversation with Jas. (Princess P: "Ah. I see that we are using the alternate universe definition of "plan" meaning "a massively horrible idea.") Oh yeah, and there's the Evil Hench Twins - call them Sapphyre and Tiger's*Eye (the star is silent).

BAD KITTY knocked my socks off when I first read it. Hip, funny, and clever. Jaffe follows it with a sequel that's every bit as fun. I want Polly as my fashion designer, with Roxy providing the armament. Jas's horrible Italian adds to the book's strong sense of language. Jaffe has a knack for teenage lingo. Instead of copying current slang, she - like any self-respecting teen - invents her own. The language Jas and her buds share, as well as that of the Evil Hench Twins, rings true with any teenager because it evokes the private words they share with their friends.

Many books aimed at young adult girls in the market today feature bad role models. Jas's ideas of bad are incredibly funny because she's such a good girl at heart. Reading a mainstream YA book where the teens use their brains and don't smoke, drink, or do drugs is a pleasant change. So parents, don't worry if you see your daughter or son reading KITTY KITTY.

Venice, Italy better watch out...Jasmine Callihan is on the loose. But this time she's determined not to get involved in anything Dadzilla would disapprove of...especially after what happened in Vegas, resulting in him whisking her away from her wonderful new boyfriend. She will be perfecting her skills as the Model Daughter. But all of her intentions go poof in the wind when her new friend Arabella is found dead. With her keen knack for solving crimes, super power for attracting cats, and le crazy friends, how can Jas not get involved?

Jump in quick, Kitty Kitty is yet another wild and hilarious ride. Never boring, Jas is an upbeat, witty, and dramatic narrator whose flair for trouble and intelligence will enrapture the reader. Each character is vividly expressed, unique, and entirely unforgettable. Throw in a completely absorbing mystery with some unexpected plot twists and you have yourself an extravaganza that is le fabulous!

Jasmine Callihan is back in yet another crazy and zany escapade!

This time Venice, Italy is her prowling grounds.

Despite her father's desperate attempts to keep her out of trouble, Jas finds herself entangled in yet another mystery. Trying to find out who killed her new friend, Arabella, will lead her from small, overstuffed apartments, to churches, and to large manors inhabited by the rich.

Luckily for her, she has many, many allies to help watch her back. And one of them includes a mysterious stranger who might know something about her history.

Full of convoluted mysteries, witty segues, and good fashion, KITTY KITTY is a glittering beach must-have, and the perfect follow-up to BAD KITTY.

Reviewed by: The Compulsive Reader

Michele Jaffe's books totally rock my socks off! I don't know how she comes up with such great plot lines and hilarious dialogue, I just hope she never stops!

Kitty Kitty is the the continuation of Jas' story that began in Jaffe's first YA novel, Bad Kitty. While readers will most likely be able to follow Jas' story if they begin with Kitty Kitty, I recommend reading Bad Kitty first. Not only will you have a better idea of who the characters are and how they came to be in Venice, you'll also laugh your head off.

One of my favorite things about reading Jaffe's YA novels is the fact that when I'm reading, I constantly feel the need to find someone to read passages aloud to! These books are so funny that I must share them!

There isn't a lot of YA mystery out there - which is another reason to pick up Jaffe's books. She is a seasoned mystery author, as she writes adult romantic mysteries as well. I've read her adult novels and was pleasantly surprised to see that she wrote YA as well. The YA novels are completely different than the adult novels, but just as good: Jaffe's diverse writing talent astounds me!

Those of you who have read Bad Kitty will be happy to see all your favorite characters return for Kitty Kitty. Those of you who haven't read Bad Kitty... hurry up and read it: there are some characters you need to meet!

I can't imagine someone not laughing while reading Bad Kitty and Kitty Kitty - so if you need a laugh and are in the mood for a good book, be sure to check out Michele Jaffe's YA novels!

Jasmine Callihan is back and better than ever in Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe! And, boy am I excited about that.

Kitty Kitty picks up a month or two after the ending of Bad Kitty (Jaffe's madcap YA debut featuring Jasmine). This time around, Jasmine is in Venice, the most romantic city in the world, and in a beautiful hotel. The only problem is that Jasmine is there with her ogre-iffic father and her step-mother Sherri! In other words, Jasmine is really far away from her friends, her rock star boyfriend, AND the prestigious high school that would look great on her college applications.

Why you may ask? So Jasmine can be home-schooled (not from her actual home) while she takes intensive Italian lessons and her father writes his definitive book on the history of . . . soap. Jasmine is understandably put out by all of these abrupt life changes. But what really upsets her is the apparent suicide of her friend from Italian class-the mysterious and eccentric Arabella. Except Jasmine isn't so sure that Arabella's death really was a suicide.

Mayhem ensues as Jasmine begins to investigate Arabella's life in order to understand what could have provoked her death. Atrocities include bangs on the head as well as an unfortunate encounter with a pair of white leather pants. Oh, and Jasmine turning to Mr. T as a new role model (although that last one might not be so bad depending on who you ask!).

Stylistically, Jaffe continues to use a variety of writing techniques to create a truly modern reading experience. Techniques that reappear in this volume include footnotes, email and instant messaging excerpts as well as pictures created with words. These devices help keep the novel interesting-there's a lot of information presented in a lot of different ways. At the same time, it makes readers extra aware that they are reading. But that's okay here because it encourages a close reading of the text in some cases-an important skill found in what can be called a light read.

Some parts of the novel seem contrived, such as Jasmine's friends coming to her rescue, but with blow dart pens and tricked out cowboy boots this novel, like Bad Kitty before it, is more cartoon than true-to-life-drama anyway. (A style that Jaffe once again pulls off very well.) And who wouldn't want to read more about Jasmine's motley group of friends? Best friend/fashion genius Polly; lock picking, wise-cracking twins Tom and Roxy; and even Jas' evil cousin Alyson and her evil sidekick Veronique reappear with just as many made up words and fashion faux pas as before. My only qualm about the novel is that the cat angle that was so crucial to Bad Kitty is also not as strong here since no cats feature as more than passing characters in the narrative.

Another odd addition is the presence of a mysterious sender of e-mails and an as yet undeveloped sub-plot involving Jasmine's dead mother (this person and the fact that Jasmine's mother died when she was six turn up more in this novel than the first, which didn't mention mysterious e-mails at all). Aside from being a fine example of a writer spinning backstories into a series as she writes the series, this new plot thread suggests that Jasmine will return again soon.

Jasmine and her family moved to Venice for her senior year in high school - and she's not pleased about it.

However, she trying to become the model daughter in hopes of returned home to visit her friends and her new boyfriend. The plan fails when instead of plane ticket home, she's rewarded with a visit from her cousin. When one of her new friends believes she's being dangerously stalked.

Previously Jasmine resisted the urge to help her friend, but no, the gloves are off. She's no longer interested in becoming the model daughter. When her friend turns up dead on her way to meet Jasmine, Jasmine knows it wasn't suicide. She takes matters into her own hands, even if they are a bit clumsy.

My Thoughts: The sequel to Bad Kitty and another fun and tricky mystery. Jasmine friends come to her rescue several times in an amusing fashion. I love that she's accident prone and attracts trouble like a magnet.