The Blurb On The Back:

A magical adventure by the light of the moon.

Kitty and her friend Ozzy are on a camping adventure – enjoying starlit skies and crackling campfires.  But time away from Hallam City’s rooftops doesn’t mean time away from superhero duties.  When Kitty hears a lonely meow from the woods, she leaps into action, finding a woodland wildcat searching for her lost kittens.

With storm clouds gathering, it’s a race against the clock.  Can Kitty use her superpowers to find the missing kittens?

KITTY AND THE WOODLAND WILDCAT was released in the United Kingdom on 10th February 2022.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book

You can order KITTY AND THE WOODLAND WILDCAT by Paula Harrison and Jenny Løvlie from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

It’s the school holidays and Kitty and her friend (and fellow superhero in training) Ozzy have escaped Hallam City with their families to camp out in the woods for a few days.  Both children are really looking forward to it, although Kitty’s kitten, Pumpkin, is a little nervous of the darkness and the wild animals who live there.

Then one night Kitty is sure she can hear a cat meowing in distress.  Ozzy and Pumpkin are sceptical but she soon finds a large woodland cat called Hollytail who has hurt her paw and is desperately looking for her 3 lost kittens.  Even though Hollytail doesn’t think much of humans, Kitty and Ozzy immediately swing into action, each using their superpowers to help try and find them.  But the woods are a big place with lots of hiding places where the kittens could be and worse, there’s a rainstorm coming that could put all of them in danger!

The 9th book in Paula Harrison’s entertaining KITTY SERIES for children aged 6+ puts Kitty and her friend Ozzy in peril as they help a wildcat who has a very low opinion of humans.  Jenny Løvlie’s illustrations continue to work very well with the text and add to the energy of the pace and sense of danger.  I like the focus on friendship and being willing to help in this series and look forward to reading what Kitty and her pals get up to next.

I think this is a great series for younger readers because it combines superheroes with animals and has solid messages about friendship and being willing to help without being preachy. This book celebrates the beauty of woodlands and the fun that you can have in going out camping but also has a subtle message about making sure you clean up after yourself with the hostile Hollytail in particular pointing out that humans can be very messy.

There’s a good sense of danger throughout the book as Kitty and Ozzy look for the kittens.  I have missed a few books in this series so Ozzy was a new character for me but I enjoyed his owl-related super powers.  I also thought it was good how he wasn’t as sure as Kitty that there was a cat out in the woods who needed help because that strengthened Kitty’s character as someone who is prepared to continue to investigate on her own because she is sure that she’s right.

I really love Jenny Løvlie’s illustrations and particularly the colour palette she uses and the way she gets across the movement of the different characters.  Harrison is good at pacing anyway, but Løvlie’s illustrations add to the sense of energy and speed.  The way that Harrison builds the tension by having this take place at night and then with a coming storm creates a real sense of danger for Kitty and Ozzy, which younger readers should find exciting.

All in all, I think this is a solid adventure series that the target audience will continue to enjoy and I look forward to see what Kitty and her pals get up to next.