Cat Among the Pigeons (A Cat Royal Adventure) - Hardcover

Golding, Julia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1596433523 ISBN 13: 9781596433526

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 2008

Synopsis

MYSTERY, DISGUISES, AND A FIGHT FOR FREEDOM.

The second episode in the CAT ROYAL ADVENTURE series plunges readers into the underbelly of London in a mission for justice. Pedro’s old slave master wants him back, but his friends on Drury Lane won’t give him up without a fight. Disguised as a boy, Cat enters an aristocratic boarding school and scales the heights of London society before joining a street gang to probe its depths, all to secure the freedom of her friend. Like THE DIAMOND OF DRURY LANE, CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS features mysteries, theatrical spectacles, the evil Billy “Boil” Shepherd, and, of course, the irrepressible Cat, who never fails to stir up trouble and save the day wherever she goes. Coming in Spring 2009, Cat travels to Paris during the French Revolution in DEN OF THIEVES.

 

About this title

About the Author

JULIA GOLDING lives in Oxford, England.

Reviews

Grade 6–8—Readers once again find orphaned Cat backstage at Drury Lane, but she doesn't stay there for long. The slave master who owned her friend Pedro has returned to claim "his property," and Cat and her friends, who include a group of adult abolitionists, won't have it. While trying to protect him, however, Cat gets herself into trouble and must go into hiding disguised as a boy at the aristocratic Westminster School, described in the glossary as "supposedly a place of learning for young gentlemen; in truth, a den of floggers and bullies." As in The Diamond of Drury Lane (Roaring Brook, 2008), Golding spins a tale that starts with a bang. However, the quick start slows down after Cat enters the boy's school and the plot turns its focus there, and readers may be left wondering what happened to Pedro. Fortunately, our heroine finds her way back to her cause to save her friend, taking readers on an adventurous ride full of mystery, suspense, and history along the way.—Sarah O'Holla, Village Community School, New York City
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*Starred Review* Cat is back for another dramatic adventure at London’s Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. Coming quickly on the heels of The Diamond of Drury Lane (2008), this latest escapade features our heroine, Catherine Royal, desperately trying to protect Pedro Hawkins, a young former slave who happens to be an outstanding actor. Pedro’s ex-master, the villainous Kingston Hawkins, will stop at nothing to try to capture his “property” and return to the West Indies with him. Cat engages the whole theater company, along with the theatergoing public, in rallying to Pedro’s defense. After confronting some pro-slavery plotters, she needs to run for her own life and disguises herself as a schoolboy with the help of some allies at Westminster School. Golding weaves a fine historic tale about the antislavery battle in England in the 1790s by way of an ensemble of colorful characters, death-defying adventures, witty dialogue and narration, and lively action. Fans of the first book will not want to miss this sequel, but Pigeons also stands as an outstanding solo performance. Grades 6-9. --Anne O'Malley

Edition details

• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1596433523
• ISBN 13: 9781596433526
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384