The Cat That Made Nothing Something Again [Kindle Edition]

I picked this book up because one of my sons turns six this month and it was about time he moved up to novels. This was his first one and he loved it. The story was cute with talking animals and it was easy to follow. We discussed the lessons taught in the book and to my surprise he understood most of them. The writing is nice and simple and the storyline is unpredictable. It's nice that was no darkness in the book even though there was evil. It seems that most kids books have too much darkness and death so I was pleased this did not. I've noticed that James has just come out with another book. I'll have to look into that.

1 Star = Pathetic
2 Stars = Fair
3 Stars = Good
4 Stars = Excellent
5 Stars = Life changing

For those who give me a negative vote on my review please comment and let me know why. I'd like to improve my reviews so they can be helpful to those who read them. (I choose not to give a synopsis of the book because it's already given at the top of the books page.) Thank you.

This book is a quest story like no other. Two sponges have robbed a town of all its moisture, leaving it dull and grey. Even the people have had their creativity and initiative absorbed from them.

A travelling black cat determines to find the sponges and restore the moisture. Along the way he encounters a seed that cannot grow, a troll with anger management problems, a jester who can only make negative riddles, and my favourite, the Bicker People, who argue all day long.

It is also a journey of self discovery as the cat begins to realise certain basic truths about himself.

As such, this is a moral adventure of the classic type, but brimming with originality. Maxon makes you laugh, but he also provokes reflection on one's own sensibilities.

The Cat That Made Nothing Something Again is ideal for primary/elementary school children and makes excellent bedtime reading.

Will Hadcroft,
author of the Anne Droyd series. Anne Droyd And Century Lodge
and the autobiographical account The Feeling's Unmutual. The Feeling's Unmutual: Growing Up With Asperger Syndrome (Undiagnosed)

The Cat That Made Nothing Something Again is a children's chapter book by new author James D. Maxon. Cute, unique, humorous, and engaging are words I'd use to describe this story about a nameless cat who goes on a quest to recover the moisture that was stolen from his town. Giant sponges have drained the town and the people who live there of all their moisture, leaving them lifeless, talentless, and uncaring. The clever cat had fooled the sponges and was the only thing in the town to not get drained. The people and other animals go through the motions of daily life, but there is no joy and before long the cat becomes bored. Out of a selfish desire to improve his own situation he leaves the town and begins his search for the stolen moisture.

On his journey he learns some important lessons about friendship, caring, and selflessness. I love that this book is lesson-focused but not lesson-y. In other words, it's all a very natural part of the story. The biblical references are subtle as well, such as referring to the "creator of life" and a story about "Samuel" from a very important book. There are also a fair amount of good vocabulary-building words throughout, placed in such a way that their meanings are easy to deduce, and they are usually coupled with something fun.

I read the book to my children, a few chapters at a time over the course of three nights. My son is ten and in fifth grade, but while the book is probably about a third grade reading level the story completely held his attention. He would beg for "just one more chapter....pleeeeease..." He LOVED the silly and wildly unrealistic parts like the talking seed and laughed out loud in places. My eight year old daughter loved the more realistic parts.

I did find a couple of typos, and normally would not point that out in a review. But since this is for children it could make them "stumble" on those spots, or make the adult reading out loud have to reread those sentences. But there are only a couple, maybe three at the most.

I highly recommend this for elementary age children. It makes both a great read-aloud or a chapter book for young readers to read on their own.