Customer Reviews

Time Cat

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am in second grade. This book had very good details and the exploring was really interesting. I love this book because I love cats too. I'm going to read more books by Mr. Alexander. I hope that all of you will read this book... Time Cat.

Wow, that was pathetically corny, but I couldn't resist.

Anyway, Alexander's book is wonderful. He's certainly my favorite, but Time Cat still managed to surprise me. It was an entertaining story (which ALL of his are), and it also reached some of the depth of his best tales (Westmark, Prydain, The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian).

The concept is great. Everyone knows that cats have nine live, but we don't realize that they live them simultaneously in various periods and places and can move from life to life at will. The cat in this, Gareth, ends up taking a boy, Jason, with him to visit each life. They visit such places as Egypt: 2700 B.C., Ireland: 411 A.D., Peru: 1555, Italy: 1468, and others. They get through an exciting adventure in each place and time.

Each story is highly entertaining. You get to witness the excitement while learning about various cultural facts and historic figures (such as Saint Patrick and Leonardo da Vinci). The real strength in the novel is the way in which the stories work together to create a strong message about being in awe of life and living it with courage and compassion. Time Cat is a superb novel and one of Alexander's best.

"Time Cat" was the first book by classic writer Lloyd Alexander. It's a fluffy but enjoyable time travel adventure for cat-lovers and historical fantasy buffs alike; there's a little roughness around the edges, less detailed writing, but it's a pleasantly whimsical little trip through time.

Jason is up in his room after a fight with his mother and brother, with only his cat Gareth for company. To Jason's surprise, Gareth suddenly starts speaking to him. He is, surprisingly, a magical cat who can travel through time and space -- to any nine lives in the past. He takes Jason on a trip through time, to ancient Egypt where the boy-pharaoh wants to worship him; the Roman empire, where they are recruited by a legion and then captured by Celts; ancient Ireland, where they make enemies with a court magician and friends with a very special saint; Imperial Japan, where a young Emperor is given Gareth and a bunch of kittens as a gift; Renaissance Italy, where the two bump into a talented young painter; Spanish-dominated Peru, where they befriend a scatterbrained, silver-tongued young captain; they introduce a special cat to the Isle of Man; witch-hunters in medieval Germany; and finally making friends with a kindly cat-peddler in 1775 Boston.

"Time Cat" has no central plot. Instead, it is a series of vignettes: A couple of chapters are devoted to each time period. It's like an extended daydream, displaying what are presumably the time periods that interest (or possibly frighten) Alexander himself. He also displays some educational material about cats -- how they were seen through history, things about Manx cats, and about all the roles that cats can play in a person's life.

Jason is a sympathetic kid, very quiet in nature (except for the brother-punching incident near the beginning) with some clear insights into cats and some fuzzier insights into history. Gareth is a cool, calm, wise, serene -- the ideal cat. And he talks too! There are too many supporting characters to cover adequately, but some stand out in particular, such as Diahan, the Irish princess who shows signs of Alexander's later heroine Eilonwy, and Don Diego, a scatterbrained, homesick young Spaniard who gets things wrong -- but a few things very right.

Even people who don't like time travel stories may like this one, for its lack of pretension or faked dilemmas. And for cat lovers, this is a delightful little historical treat.

Is it a time-travel book? A story about a boy and his cat? Or a history text? It turns out to be all three, as Jason and his cat are carried through historically real places and events. Most kids who read it won't even realize they've learned something until they get into History in Middle School and say to themselves, "hey! I learned that in Time Cat!" That's what reading is all about.

Hail the hometown hero. Or rather, the home country hero. With the massive collection of British fantasy writers out there, sometimes it's nice to reflect that at least we have Lloyd Alexander. Fantasy author extraordinaire. As prolific as he is talented, his books have remained in circulation since the 1960s. Therefore, it was with great surprise that I consulted the copyright date on his delightful "Time Cat", only to find that my newly published paperback copy was the latest edition of a title that originally came out in 1963. 1963 was a long time ago, yet this book has stayed relatively fresh for a historical fantasy. There are problems with it, no question. But on the whole it's an interesting story that holds up in the end.

In "Time Cat" there are two protagonists. One is Gareth, a cat capable of talking and time traveling when it pleases. The other is Jason, Gareth's human friend. At the insistence of Jason, the two set off on a series of cat-based adventures around the globe at different points in the past. They find themselves entertaining a pharoh, running from the witch-obsessed Germans of the 1600s, prisoners of Incas, and friends with Roman conquerors. For the kid who likes cats and likes adventures, this book is ideal. If, on the other hand, the reader doesn't particularly care for felines, they'd do well to choose another book. This is strictly a cat-lover affair. Each time period, in its way, relates to a period of history in the cat species. We see the way the Manx cats got their names, how cats were worshipped in Egypt, and called the devil in the 17th century. Jason and Gareth also proceed to make the acquaintance of several historical figures, from St. Patrick to Leonardo Da Vinci. There is even a chance meeting with an Irish lass that acts so much like the lovely Eilonwy from the "Prydain Chronicles" you find yourself wondering how she hopped out of those books and into this one. The reading level of this book is less difficult than Alexander's "Prydain Chronicles", and makes for a good early fantasy tale.

Of course there are problems with the book. Since Alexander is asking us to believe that Jason and Gareth are attending events that happened in the world's past, there's an understanding that what we read is based on fact. So when we read interpretations of the past that are clearly untrue, it's cause for concern. For example, the section on Leonardo Da Vinci needs some work. It is true that Da Vinci did some wonderful character studies of cats. However, as the illegitimate son of a gentleman, Da Vinci was unable to enter into a respectable profession and was, in a sense, forced to rely on his artistic talents. In this book, however, there is no mention of illegitimacy, Da Vinci's father treats him as his natural son, and attempts to get his boy to become a notary. Blatant historical untruths are not overly common in this book, but they do pop up every once in a while, causing the reader a bit of discomfort.

And then there are the problems with the time traveling itself. In an effort to get the story rolling higgledy piggledy, Alexander has eschewed any real explanation of how Gareth's time traveling works. This is all well and good, except that it makes one wonder why Gareth and his boy do not simply vanish to another time when they are held captive again and again and again. Constantly coming into danger, one wonders why Gareth chooses only calm moments to travel. Are there rules here we know nothing about? One would beg a little more information. Otherwise you don't feel particularly concerned when our intrepid heroes are in mortal peril. After all, they could just leave.

Finally, there are the natives. Jason and Gareth consistently find themselves joining up with invaders of one sort or another. Sometimes they're preparing to invade Briton. Other times, they help their friend the "nice" conquistador. For a 1963 book, Alexander is fairly good about portraying different races. He is sometimes prone to statements like, "These Britons are like big children" (enough to make a Celt's blood boil), but on the whole he does fairly well. I did have a small difficulty with the sympathetic conquistador bit. From reading this book you'd think the Incas and the Spanish lived happily and peacefully together for years to come after Jason and Gareth's visit. And this is not the case.

For the child that knows his or her history and has a bit of a kitty obsession, this is an ideal story. There's fighting, adventure, friends, foes, and an interesting plot. It is not a perfect book, but it's worth looking into, no question. To sum up; A swell romp.

This book deals with a boy named Jason and his pet cat, Gareth, which takes him on an adventurous journey through time. You'll read about places like Egypt, Ireland, Japan, and many others. You might even learn something! In the very beginning you will find out something that may be very surprising to you. I can not say what it is though, you will have to read the book and find out! My opinion of the book was that it was very well written, very well thought out, and very interesting. Once you start to read it you never want to put it down! Lloyd Alexander, a Newbery Award winner, wrote the book. It is also one of the best books i have ever read and i recommend it to people with a big imagination!

Lloyd Alexander weaves a wonderful story about a boy, Jason, and his cat, Gareth. This book is definetely for cat-lovers! You will most definetely like this if you enjoy(ed);1)Harry Potter;2)history;3)time-travel;4)Ella Enchanted. I could not put this down, it's one of those books that makes you devastated when it's over because you just want the adventures to go on & on & on & on ..... Well, you get the idea. Not many authers have that talent. I ALSO, VERY HIGHLY, RECOMMEND THESE AUTHERS: GAIL CARSON LEVINE, J.K. ROWLING, ROALD DAHL.

I liked Time Cat very much! It is full of action. A cat named Gareth takes his master named Jason on a journey. They travel through time going to different times like: Egypt, Rome and Briton, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Peru, Germany, and America. Every chapter {which I just named }has someone that was famous like Neter-Khet, Petronius, Saint Patrick and Cerdic Longtooth. I can't name all of them but that is some.

I think is a great book! It would be very cool if people could go back in time. If I could time travel I would go back to the Roman Empire.

by Jacob from Stockbridge Central School

When I read Time Cat I really enjoyed how it traveled through time a lot. This was the first book I have read by Lloyd Alexander, and boy was it great! Lloyd Alexander has great detail in Time Cat. Another thing about the book I liked was that Jason the main character) and Gareth (the other main character) are always looking for adventure. Time Cat is a book about a boy, Jason, and his cat, Gareth, who travel through time. Jason is finding out how people thought of cats in different places, during different times. Jason is also learning what different places in different times were like. Jason and Gareth have many adventures together and face many obstacles together. To find out more go to your local library or bookstore and get the book!

I read Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander. In the book there is a boy named Jason who has a cat named Gareth. One day Jason went up to his room and Gareth started talking to him. Gareth told Jason that a cat had nine lives. With these lives they can go to any nine places in the world. In the blink of an eye, Jason and Gareth were in Egypt. Jason learned that in Egypt people worship cats. The next place they went to was Rome. They met a group of people who sailed on a boat with them all the way to England. In England Jason met a man named Cerdic Longtooth. Jason and Gareth went to Ireland next. When they reached Ireland they met a girl named Daihan. They also met a magician named Sucat who wanted to burn them and make them into spirits. They also went to many more places like Japan, Italy, Peru (where someone tried to steal Gareth), The Isle of Man, German, and America. Will Jason and Gareth ever find their way home?

I would recommend this book to people who like learning about other places while having fun.

The Conflict:

Every time Jason went to somewhere people would try to take his cat.

I could connect to this because I have also traveled around the world.

By: TJ