The Kitten's Tale

Sally Odgers & Darrel Odgers (authors)

Scholastic Press, Australia: 2010; 90pp

ISBN: 978741697247

Genres: animal stories

Issues: animal welfare

Trump is the Vet Clinic's Pet Liason Officer. In this fifth book in the series, Trump has a mystery to solve. Why is Higgins, Trump's feline friend, stealing her food? Where did the kitten, Magnus, come from and why is he so scared of dogs? Trump is determined to find answers to these questions as well as a few others that arise along the way - especially if it means she can find Magnus a better home.

Mixing fact and fiction, The Kitten's Tale is a great short novel to develop the confidence of younger readers of 8-9yrs or for children with reading difficulties.

The animal characters have strong personalities, the story is very believable, and the Odgers have included very useful inset boxes that help readers pronounce and understand some of the harder or technical words. Sally Odger's capacity to write entertaining stories for any reading age shines through, as does the couples' love of animals.

Good fun and an entertaining read for children who wish their pets could talk.