Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Kid Lit Blog Hop and Blog Blasty Tour! The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets




 

Celebrating 

Stanley and Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge are celebrating their one year blogiversary (click here to read their inaugural post) by hosting their very own "Book Blasty Tour". Thank you for taking the time to visit this special stop along their tour.  Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page to enter the giveaway!

 

About the Book

Title: The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets
Authors: Stanley & Katrina, Pet Authors
Illustrator: Miro Chun
Year published:  2012
Updates: This book was updated in September of 2013 with a new cover, interior illustrations, and a sneak peek of book #2 in the series.
Publisher: CreateSpace
Number of pages: 106
Recommended ages: 5+ 
Summary (Amazon): After three years of living under the same roof as the dog in the house, Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge decides to write a letter to her canine housemate, Stanley. Katrina loves treats, naps and bossing the dog around. Stanley loves snow, attention and turkey. The diva kitty, Katrina, will have none of Stanley's antics and most certainly will not stand for him eating her food. The only reasonable solution is to take him to Kitty Court.

 

Amazon U.S. * Amazon U.K. * Amazon Canada 

 Barnes & Noble *  Leanpub(digital formats) 

 

 

My Review:

This charming book is a quick read for younger middle-grade readers.  The author has used a mix of letters, narration by the pets, and even a newspaper clipping, to tell a story that developed in ways that surprised me.  It was good to see the animals learning to get along and work together when things get truly bad (pet shows!  the horror!), but they never lose their personalities or their strong attitudes (especially Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge, whose consistent use of her full name tells us a great deal about her).

Although there are moments when the youth of the author shows in curious story developments, these only add to the charm, and the book is well edited, so that it is a polished and professional work.  If the diction is occasionally slightly odd, it seems completely in character with the narrators. Characters (of the animal sort; people are of little interest to Katrina except as sources of treats) are developed with clear and consistent personalities throughout, and are in keeping with their cat and dog natures (I'm less sure about how guinea pigs normally behave, but Zorg the guinea pig from next door is a joy in any case).  There are some rapid changes of narrator in parts that could be confusing, but aren't because they are clearly marked (though it's not always clear just why they are needed).

I can recommend this for independent readers from about grades one or two up, and as a read-aloud for even much younger children, who will certainly get some giggles from the Pack of Pets! 
The cover art is delightful, and the interior illustrations add to the charm. 

 

The Buzz

"The book is really humorous. It is unique in a manner where you see the cat and dog communicating with each other about themselves, their likes, and dislikes in a letter form. The narrator's tidbits add to the charm of the book. The contrasting characters and their individual personalities have been etched well. The author has put the perspective of the pets in the forefront and written a unique and excellent book for children." ~ Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite


"We enjoyed this book tremendously! It charmed us, made us laugh, and kept us wanting to read more. A tip of the hat to the pair of pets whose rivalry leads the story along its delightful course." ~ Amazon Reviewer

 

About the Authors: Stanley & Katrina

Stanley is a three-year-old black Labrador/Rottweiler mix who does his best to ignore Katrina.
Katrina von Cat the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge is an eight-year-old grey tabby cat who loves her toy mouse.
They would love to tell you where they live but all they know is that they live in a tan house. For more information about Stanley & Katrina, please visit their website, www.StanleyAndKatrina.com.

 

* Free Printables For This Book! *

Kid Lit Printables has created fun and FREE printables for The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets. Click here to view all available printables, now. 


 

Stanley & Katrina's 

Book Blasty Tour Stops(2013)

November 8

 

* $25 Book Blasty Tour Giveaway *

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner's choice)
Contest runs:November 8  to November 30, 11:59 pm, 2013 
Open: Internationally
How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget above or by clicking here.
Terms and Conditions: A randomly drawn winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest or any other entity unless otherwise specified. If you have any additional questions, feel free to send us an email at stanleyandkatrina (at) gmail (dot) com.
* This giveaway is sponsored by the authors, Stanley & Katrina. *


 Full disclosure: I received a copy of The Perpetual Papers of the Pack of Pets from the author in exchange for my honest review, which is posted above.  The opinions expressed therein are my own and those of no one else.

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