Published: 2023
Series: #1
Genres: Humor, Graphic Novel, Comedy, Animals
Grade Levels: 2, 3, 4, 5
Content Warnings: comedic violence, scary moments for younger readers, social injustice and public shaming
Format: Hardcover or Softcover Book
Goodreads Link: Cat on the Run in Cat of Death
Publisher’s Summary:
From the New York Times bestselling author of THE BAD GUYS comes another hilarious illustrated series starring a pampered cat who is way tougher than anyone realizes. How do you avoid capture and prove your innocence when you are the most famous feline on the planet? Well, it ain’t easy. Follow Princess Beautiful — for that is her name — as she goes from meme megastar #1 to public enemy #1 and cheer her on as she fights to clear her name. Is she a super villain? An internet famous buffoon? Or a butt kicking gal who’s just been seriously underestimated? YOU be the judge…
Review:
Princess Beautiful, one of America’s top influencers is posting on social media when her audience catches a glimpse of what she is searching on her computer. Arming nuclear missiles! Would Princess Beautiful do such a thing or is she being framed? Follow along as she runs away from the police, claiming her innocence. As she is about to surrender, a tranquilizer hits her and she… vanishes? Read on to find out!
Princess Beautiful is a cat who is a famous influencer. She comes off a little sassy and confident as the book starts. She has a date with Catrick Cash, another famous cat. She is so excited for her date, as Catrick is a desirable bachelor. While she is taking photos for her social media platform, she accidentally arms nuclear missiles. Her followers notice what is on her computer screen in one of her posts and it blows up almost literally all over. Suddenly, Princess Beautiful is seen as a terrorist who wants to blow up Earth. She is targeted by civilians, as well as the police. They chase her all over and she continues to run away, wanting to prove her innocence. Catrick believes she is innocent and wants to help her prove this to the world as well. She starts to see a symbol of a scorpion, which makes her feel as if she is being framed. By who though is the question. She is in a high speed chase on a highway when she is about to give herself up, she is hit by a dart which appears to be a tranquilizer. Then she appears to be missing and no one can see her. This is where the book ends, leaving you wanting more.
I enjoyed this graphic novel much more than the first one I read. This series seemed more relatable, easier to follow and included humor I understood and appreciated. I thought the illustrations were clever and funny. I wanted to keep reading and I found myself laughing a few times or talking to myself about what was going on. I enjoyed the ending, it was not predictable and it made me ask my librarian if we have the next in the series so I can get it and find out where Princess Beautiful went and what happened to her.
Major themes are sticking up for yourself, courage, bravery, the power of social media and there are two sides to every story.
There are pictures throughout the whole story as this is a graphic novel. There are pictures that go along with each event in the story. There are clips of comments that appear on Princess Beautiful’s social media. The pictures add humor to each chapter. They show you the facial expressions of all the characters. The illustrations give you a better understanding of the different settings. The illustrations would definitely make the story more engaging for its young readers.
I think kids would totally like this book. It was funny and relatable. I loved how they portrayed a cat as a social media influencer with real problems that would arise in that role. I thought it was funny she had a crush and was going on a date with him. The way she reacted to being blamed for something she didn’t do I think a lot of kids can empathize with. The cover is funny, it was a cat with wide eyes looking scared while running away from missiles. I think the cover would hook young readers in.
Curricular connections you can make are having kids complete a creative writing piece, adding what happens next. They could connect to art and create illustrations to go along with what is in the story or what will be in their creative writing. You could talk about character motivations and struggles, character traits, character change. You could talk about perspective. You could talk about media literacy and talk about the power of social media and the effects it has on ones life. You can look up the higher level vocabulary in the book. Teachers could teach about figurative language, specifically similes, metaphors, personification and onomatopoeias. You could discuss internal and external traits of characters. Students could talk about cause and effect.
Fun activities are students could create a wanted poster for Princess Beautiful. They could create a speech that she would say at a press conference for what happened. Princess Beautiful talks about her different layers, students could do an activity about a layer of themselves that people do not always get to see. Students could develop a way to plan for Princess Beautiful. Students could do a debate on whether they would turn themselves in or keep running. Students could create their own animal influencer.
There is not much diversity in the title.
