Whether you are a cat lover or not, the brilliant cover on Hissy Fitz is irresistible. This book takes a humorous look at less than 24 hours in the life of Hissy Fitz, a house cat whose human interactions make sleeping an impossibility. Cat owners will smile at the familiar cat behavior and attitude. With an over-abundance of bad attitude, Hissy prowls the town. There is one characterization misstep when Hissy and his feline friends diverge into some human games; this feels incongruent to the cat narrative and it is hard to envision Hissy deigning to stoop to such homosapien behavior. That quibble aside, any series with a cat this grumpy has a lot of potential.
This chapter book by Patrick Jennings is captivatingly illustrated by Michael Allen Austin and would be a great read for readers even younger than age nine. Naturally, it is a must read for young cat owners so they can walk in the footsteps of their feline friends for a little while. If you enjoy Hissy Fitz and are waiting for the next installment in the series, another great book from a cat’s perspective is Socks by Beverly Cleary.
Review of an Advance Reader Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Egmont
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Character bangs/bumps head; two animals fight, non-detailed; animal hisses threateningly upon various occasions; animal eats a mouse; animal slashes packaged chicken breast, mention of blood on claws; animal swipes claw at characters.
Sex/Nudity: None
Mature Subject Matter:
None
Alcohol / Drug Use:
None