UPCHUCK AND THE ROTTEN WILLY [Hardcover]

Bill Wallace (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Upchuck and the Rotten Willy

Chuck's a cat with a great life--until Katie goes away to college and his best friend moves. Left all alone, Chuck starts to venture farther and farther into the neighborhood and one fateful night finds himself face-to-face with a beast as big and black as death. His name is Rotten Willy--and he's a dog with a heart of gold.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6?Chuck the cat has a fairly routine life. His person, Katie, treats him well, and he spends his days with his best friend, Tom the cat, taunting dogs. Chuck's life is unsettled by the death of his alleycat friend, Louie, who is hit by a car. It is further disrupted when Katie goes off to a place called "college," and again when Tom moves away. The lonely Chuck finds a new friend in a rottweiler whom Tom has maliciously named "Rotten Willy." Willy's person is also away at school, so the cat and dog discover that despite their differences, they have much in common. Told through the eyes of Chuck, the story has a chatty tone, but it gets off to a slow start, and the conclusion is predictable, particularly because of the cover artwork. Despite Chuck's amusing observations of people and other animals, the book lacks the strength of Russell Erickson's A Toad for Tuesday (Lothrop, 1974), which is better written and more aptly portrays an unlikely friendship between two dissimilar creatures.?Lucy Rafael, The Center for Early Education, West Hollywood, CA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

From Wallace (True Friends, 1994, etc.), a tale of interspecies friendship. Chuck the cat is lonely. His best friend, Tom, has moved away with his owners; another friend, Louie, was killed by a car; and Chuck's owner has gone off to college. Trapped on a tree branch for two days and nights by the poodles who moved into Tom's house, he is rescued by a kind-hearted rottweiler, Willy, who feeds and warms him before sending him back home. This tale, warmed by the patience of Willy, who perseveres in the face of feline prejudice, is told completely from the animals' perspective: They understand human language but can't read it or speak it. With the exception of Willy, it is not a particularly nice world; cats torment dogs, dogs--in turn--attempt to do cats in, cars come out of the ether to crumple the unwary, grudges hold, humans behave in inexplicable ways, and loneliness is bitter. As it should, friendship overcomes all; despite the unnecessarily pandering title, the book has a gentle message that comes through without treacle. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671017691
• ISBN-13: 978-0671017699
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,046,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can cats and dogs really be friends?, December 9, 2000

By 

Heather Harger (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Upchuck and the Rotten Willy (Paperback)

This is a story about how a cat and a dog can be friends. Upchuck is the cat and Rotten Willy is the dog. When Upchuck's friend moves away and his Katie goes to some place called College, he becomes lonely. So the only one to play with is Rotten Willy, a Rottweiler, "As big as a car and as black as death itself," but can he trust him to be his friend and not another stupid dog wanting to bite off his head and eat him for lunch?

If you want to find out, then you will have to read the book! It warmed my heart, and made me laugh. If you like books about animals and like to laugh, then this book is for you!

Heather Harger, age 10

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Upchuck and the Rotten Willy, November 11, 2002

By 

Ginger Kleypas "Kanopsis" (Temple, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Upchuck and the Rotten Willy (Paperback)

My 8 1/2 year old got this book and asked me to read it to him every night. I also fell in love with this book and it was so well written. I am now going to get all of the sequels to this book as a special surprise for Christmas. A story of friendship and sharing life together, it warmed our hearts. The book also kept us both in stitches. We would read paragraphs over and over just to get a good laugh! It was wonderful time together laughing and learning about what life as a cat would be. I loved the parts where the cats would make fun of the dogs.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book that will raise your soul., November 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Upchuck and the Rotten Willy (Paperback)

Upchuck and the Rotten Willy was the best book I ever read. It made me cry, it made me laugh, and it made me have a warm and fuzzy feeling inside all at the same time. If you haven't read this book you have got to read it! It is written from a cat's perspective who runs into lots of troubles, adventures, friendship, sadness and happiness.