Everyone who came across the strange gym class was looking for something else. What they found was mysterious Mrs Powell with her silent feet and unnerving stare and pashki, a lost art from an age when cats were worshipped as gods. But Ben and Tiffany wonder: who is their eccentric old teacher? What does she really want? And why are they suddenly able to see in the dark? Meanwhile, in London's gloomy streets, human vermin are stirring. Ben and Tiffany may soon be glad of their new gifts. But against men whose cunning is matched only by their unspeakable cruelty, would even nine lives be enough?
-----------------------------------
What an interesting book. It's aimed at children but has enough going for it to hold the older generation's interest too. It's a bit different to others which are on the shelves at the moment.
The premise is that a group of misfit kids sign up for various activities at the leisure center - but upon getting to their first classes they somehow get sidetracked into a pashki class that they didn't intend to go to, without realising it. They're all very different and they don't know each other before that first meeting but somehow the pashki class brings them all together and makes them look out for each other outside of the classes. Pashki is an ancient art which involves invoking their inner cat and finding skills they didn't know they had. Sounds suspect but it's all put together really well and keeps you turning pages to find out where it's headed.
There are some pretty nasty villians in the book, which might not be suitable for under 10's and the cruelty to animals might distress those with a soft heart. The violence inn't major, but it's maybe too much for younger age groups. There are a couple of loose ends left at the end, although the story ends neatly enough, and it's those loose ends that will be further developed in the follow on book, which I plan to read.
No comments:
Post a Comment