Review: Cat Girl's Day Off by Kimberly Pauley

Natalie can speak to cat. It sounds like a cool ability, but compared to her family’s ability, hers sounds like a ‘party trick’ talent. Her older sister has three super cool Talents, including being a human lie detector. Her younger sister can ‘disappear’ like a chameleon. Her mother has really high IQ and laser vision. Her father’s nose is hypersensitive and he can tell each bit of chemical component in things.

When Natalie’s friend Oscar shows her a funny video of a crazy cat attacking her famous owner, Natalie understands instantly what the cat’s problem. The pink cat in the video screams for help, and Nat is the only person in the world who understands him. Some people’s lives are in danger, and it all depends to Cat Girl and her spunky friends to save the day…

If there were a ‘lovely book award’, Cat Girl’s Day Off would be one of the biggest candidates. With brilliant dialogues between a snobby pink cat and a girl with purple streak in her hair, this book delivers tons of fun and laughter scenes. I almost feel sympathetic to see Natalie dragged by her celebrity-obsessed best friends to movie sets. It’s her unwillingness to get caught up in the mystery that made me want to smile. But Natalie has real sense of justice and in the end you can expect her to be the superhero.

Cat Girl’s Day Off has enough mystery, light romance, and craziness to keep you engaged in the story. Plus, lots of cats! As a cat person, the whole cat-talking thing earns extra brownie point from me. Who doesn’t want to exchange snarky remarks with this furry creature? The pink cat in this story, Rufus Brutus the Third (or you can call him Tiddlywinks), certainly has attitude, but he’s so fabulous that I’m willing to adopt him as my pet.

I hope that someday I could see this book adapted into a movie or TV series. There are so many things-gone-wrong scenes in this book that makes me wish to watch it played by real actors. Cat Girl’s Day Off makes a remarkable story for teenage readers, and I think I would enjoy this story even more if I were younger. However, if you’re generally a cat whisperer like me and in need of something light and easy to read, then this book should be your first choice! Natalie and her friends (including a number of exceptional cats) will bring you along in their crazy and hilarious adventure.

Oscar snorted but then turned serious. “You have to do something,” he said. “It’s your duty.”

“It’s my duty? What are you talking about?” I turned away from the window to look at him.

Oscar tapped the seat in front of him for emphasis. “You’ve seen Spider-Man,” he said. “‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ It’s your duty to do something about Easton. You’re the only one on the planet who could’ve seen that video and known something was wrong. That’s kismet.”

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 I rate this book:

Three cups of tea. I like it.  Recommended to read in spare time.