Cat+Gamer Vol 1-6

  

 

Cat_Gamer Vol 1-6 (Following stats on Vol 1 only)
By  Wataru Nadatani

ISBN: 9781506727417
192 Pages
Available in Paperback and on Kindle/ComiXology
Trigger Warning: soft Mental Health mentions, cartoon violence

Synopsis:

Riko, a twenty-nine-year-old office worker with an obsession for video games, finds her quiet life upended when she takes in a stray cat in this adorable manga series!

Her coworkers can’t quite figure her out—she never talks about her personal life, she never works overtime, and she never joins them for happy hour. Is she antisocial? Nope, she’s rushing home to play video games! One day, a stray cat is found in the office parking lot, and before Riko knows it, the cat has moved in with her! Having no experience with pets, Riko uses lessons drawn from video games to guide her in cat care, while her cute companion tries to understand her behavior through a cat's worldview.

My Thoughts:

I stumbled upon the first three volumes of Cat+Gamer at one of the county libraries affiliated with mine while I was wasting time waiting for my car to be repaired. I had never heard of it, but it had a cute cat on the cover and that's usually enough to sell me. Well, let me tell you - it did not disappoint. The story is about Riko, a 29-year-old socially reclusive office worker who lives on a daily schedule that is optimized to efficiently play and clear her adored video games. Riko has no outside of work friends and passes on social gatherings so that she can go straight home and game until bedtime.

Her life changes abruptly when a cat is found in the parking lot at work. The office asks for a volunteer to take it home and nobody else volunteers, so Riko impulsively agrees. She then panics when she realizes that she knows absolutely nothing about caring for a living creature and, in doing what she does best, she starts looking at the situation as though it was one of her video games.

Nothing could go wrong here, right?

 

What follows is a hilarious mix of adorable cat stories and assorted video game comparisons. Every time the cat - now named Musubi - does something new, it is compared to a behavior that Riko recognizes from her gaming experiences. At one point she inadvertently makes a friend, in the form of the shopkeeper at the local pet supply store, whom Riko sees as a great and knowledgeable master. Around volume four, the shopkeeper comes over for a pet play date and suggests that Riko get a second cat to give Musubi a companion. So in comes Soboro, and with her a whole new set of pet experiences.

The art work in these graphic novels is cute and elements of story are relatable to cat owners. Like when Riko shares a photo of Musubi online, which goes somewhat viral, and inspires her to start a social media account for her pet - something many a pet owner is familiar with. This actually leads to funny moments, where coworkers follow the account without realizing that the cats belong to Riko. Other references may be lost on those who aren't familiar with particular games, but the writer did an awesome job of breaking down those references so they would be understood my most readers. Overall, it's a very reader friendly series of books.

I loved all six of the currently available volumes of Cat+Gamer. There are two more volumes out in Japanese, but they have yet to be released in English. Volume seven of the manga is due to be released soon. It is currently available for preorder and will be released on February 25, 2025. The final volume recently got an English release date of August 26, 2025, and is now available for preorder as well. I can't wait.

Parent's Guide:

This book is rated 11+ but is appealing to younger kids due to the fun and relatable content. Cat+Gamer was the category winner of Excelsior Award Blue 2023. The books on the Blue shortlist have been designated as suitable for children aged 11+ (or Key Stage 3 in schools). Cat+Gamer was also the Overall winner of the 2023 Award. Learn more about the Excelsior Awards here.

That Thing in the Sky

 

That Thing In the Sky
By  Christopher Francis

ISBN: 9798624706729
152 Pages
Available in Paperback, Hardcover, Audiobook, and on Kindle
Trigger Warning: Mentions Cancer, Death of a loved one

Synopsis:

There's nothing in the sky, except that.

Kidnapped by an alien, fifth-graders, Margaret and Bailey fear for their lives and the fate of the world.

Thinking the world is coming to an end, Bailey and Margaret watch a strange object hurtle from the sky. The two nervously investigate the mysterious crash and discover an alien has landed on earth. A teenage farm boy named Sheldon joins them as they try to help the lost creature return to its home. However, they soon realize this alien is not alone.

My Thoughts:

In That Thing In the Sky, childhood friends Bailey and Margaret get the adventure of a lifetime when they face an active alien invasion. What starts out as a normal day quickly unravels when they witness an unknown object crash land on a local farm, discover that the crashing object was an alien craft, and then work with a teenager from the farm to attempt to return the alien to his home.

This story is presented as a fun E.T.-esque children's read, but it is written like an action packed thriller, or a horror story. There are literary jump-scares. One of the children is injured with the mention of blood. During the invasion, they believe that friends and loved ones have been killed. There are several moments where they are clearly afraid for their own lives and safety. The underlying theme is panic and terror.

This children's book also covers the heavy topics of parental illness and loss. One of the children has a parent dealing with cancer. Combined with the stressful situation of the invasion and its associated concerns, that's a lot for little kids. That Thing In the Sky is supposedly targeted at ages 6-11, but I don't know that I would have let my kids read a story like this at that age. When I read this, my first thought was that any child out there who deals with childhood anxiety (which is a very real and valid thing) would definitely not have a good time with this book. For older kids, like 12 and up, some will probably find it quite enjoyable. But I have to question it's place at the targeted age group.

I read this book in e-book format, so I am only able to comment on the book that was presented to me. Which sadly, had several typos and grammatical errors in the form of such things as unnecessary apostrophes and one-sided quotations - basic editing failures. Hopefully these things were addressed before it went to print.

I have not seen the actual book in print, but according to the promotional materials I have seen, the print edition of the book is very dyslexia friendly, with a larger font and cream colored paper. I find this significant to note, because lot of books don't take this into consideration and, as a dyslexic reader myself, I would have loved to have more books like that as a child.

I received an advanced review copy of this book via StoryOrigin in exchange for a fair and honest review, and all opinions are my own.

Parent's Guide:

This story is intended for children, but consider the information in the above review and use parental discretion. 

Learn French With Alice In Wonderland

Learn French With Alice In Wonderland
By  French Hacking

ISBN: 9798480774283
173 Pages
Available in Paperback and Hardcover

Synopsis:

Do you want to learn French without it feeling like studying? Do you want to learn French with a fun, familiar, and nostalgic story from your childhood?

Enjoy this timeless classic full of fantastical tales and ridiculous riddles. Originally published in 1865 by Lewis Caroll, this magical story is about a young girl who disappears down a rabbit hole into a whimsical world of nonsense and mockery.

This is a bilingual French/English book. On the left side of the page is the text in French and beside it on the right is the English translation. This allows you to read more and waste less time flicking the pages of a dictionary. As well as learning new words and broadening your vocabulary, you’ll learn phrases in context that you can use in real life.

French Hacking has translated, uniquely formatted and re-created the images of Alice in Wonderland to give French learners the most enjoyable experience.

Relive the story of little Alice and the fantastic creatures she encounters along her epic journey down the rabbit hole, this time in French! Meet unforgettable characters like the White Rabbit (le Lapin Blanc), the Cheshire Cat (le Chat du Cheshire), the Mad Hatter (le Chapelier), and the Queen of Hearts (la Reine de Cœur).

Learning French doesn't only have to be about grammar and verb tenses. Take your French to the next level by reading. Reading books in French is proven to be one of the fastest ways to reach fluency. It actively involves the visual cortex in the learning process that makes vocabulary more memorable, as well as being a lot more fun!

My Thoughts:

Learn French With Alice in Wonderland is a cute way to learn French with a story that most the world is familiar with. On some of the pages there is original artwork, which is colorful and fits the feel of the book. The format of the book itself is not intimidating, which is a plus in books designed to help you learn/ The text in the book is broken up into clear paragraphs so that one can read a little at a time, and the translations are right next to the story for the reader to compare or reference.

The French translations are accurate and easy to follow. Some bits have translations that don't match up because instead of doing a literal translation, they added a traditional French rhyme. I wish that, for the sake of learning the language, they would have chosen to use a literal translation in these spots - or at the least would have added notes with an English translation of the French rhyme used - seeing as the point of the book is to use the two sets of text to learn the opposite language. It seems pointless if the words on one side of the page don't mean the words on the other side.

That being said, books like this are a clever idea and this one is really well done. I have actually never once read Alice in Wonderland, so I wish that I had been given access to the full story, rather than a three chapter preview - but what I read was great. If you are learning French (or English as a native French speaker) then this book is definitely worth checking out.

I received a complimentary preview copy of the first 3 chapters of Learn French With Alice in Wonderland via Booksprout in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Parent's Guide:

This is a great option for kids! Alice in Wonderland has long been considered a kid's book, and immersion is a great way for kids to learn foreign languages, so Learn French With Alice in Wonderland is a great option for teaching your children a second language.

My Dad Is a Russian Spy

 

My Dad Is a Russian Spy
By Candy Berg, Illustrated by Isabela Flores de Moura

ISBN: 9781614339304
33 Pages
Available in Paperback and on KindleKindle

Synopsis:

A young girl decides her dad is a Russian spy. Follow the clues to see if you come to the same conclusion!

Breakout author Candy Berg has something for kids and parents alike in My Dad Is a Russian Spy.

Enjoy your family reading time and practice some spycraft yourself with every re-read.

My Thoughts:

My Dad Is a Russian Spy is a charming little kids book that follows a little girl who believes that her dad may be more than what he appears to be. To be specific, she suspects that he is, in fact, a Russian spy. The story is clever and will definitely speak to kids who love mystery, as it plays up to the concept of kids with overactive imaginations and the childlike love for discovering things and having adventures.

According to the information provided by the publisher, My Dad Is a Russian Spy is targeted at kids between the ages of 5 and 14. I feel like, for all ages in that window, there are some things that work and others that do not. For a pre-teen or young teen who reads on level, this book seems like it would be too simplistic. It would be an easy silly read, but at 184 words in the entire story, the word count is really low for an age group that should be reading chapter books. For a younger child, say 5-8, the word count is okay, but some of the words and concepts are probably significantly beyond comprehension. I understand adding new words to vocabulary, but words like "surveillance" and "interrogation" are a bit advanced for young readers and would require explanation. A parent could be reading rather than the child, but sill, would the child understand? Some of the phrases used fit into that category as well, like mention of a "safe house" or a "sleeper agent". There are adults who couldn't even tell you what a "dead drop" is. Does that phrase really belong in a book designed for a 5 year old?

Let's talk art. Because the truth is that the art can make or break a kids' book. The art in this book is done in a lovely watercolor. It is vibrant and very intricate, while at the same time not overwhelming in detail. The full page illustrations are definitely appealing to the eyes and would draw in the reader.

The accompanying text is a simple bold type Serif font. Honestly, I wish that more writers and publishers would get in the habit of using San Serif style fonts, as they are easier for those of us with dyslexia to follow. (And yes, I understand the irony that most of my blog is in a Serif font. For the longest time I could not figure out how to change the font without going into html coding. Now that I know how, I am working on it, but it has to be done post by post and I am doing it slowly as I have free time.) I will say, the font used has decent kerning (spacing) and is a decent size, so it was easy to read on my computer screen. I cannot speak for the Kindle format because the ARC did not load correctly in my Kindle app - the words did not appear in the pages where they should have.

My overall takeaway is that My Dad Is a Russian Spy is a cute book with a lot of potential for kids who love mystery, but it could have used a bit more polish to make sure that it was age appropriate in concepts and vocabulary.

I received a complimentary digital ARC of My Dad Is a Russian Spy from Entrada Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Parent's Guide:

My Dad Is a Russian Spy is by definition a children's book, but I stand by what I say above. I feel like the pictures would be appealing, but the ideas would go over the heads of the youngest and it would be too easy of a read for the older. Perhaps it would sit best with those around 7-8, but with most kids past that point, you may run the risk of them seeing it as a "baby book".