KASPAR: PRINCE OF CATS

Author: Michael Morpurgo Illustrator: Michael Foreman Rating: 07/10 Age: 10+ Genre: Fiction, Friendship Pages: 211 Published in: 2008 Main Characters: Kaspar, Johnny Trott, Lizziebeth, The Stantons, Countess Kandinsky.

Synopsis:   Johnny Trott is a bell boy who works in a Hotel called ‘The Savoy Hotel.’ He took care of guests, carried their luggage and polished their shoes to earn a living. One day, a much respected Countess of Russia, named Countess Kandinsky, came to stay at the hotel, and Johnny was responsible to take all of her luggage for her. The Countess had a very beautiful, jet-black cat named Kaspar. Kaspar seemed to like Johnny, and soon enough, their friendship had grown. Johnny fed Kaspar every day, and in return Countess Kandinsky sang to him. Johnny loved this guest very much, until something went wrong… The Countess had been involved in a terrible accident whilst traveling on the streets. A bus had run over her. Johnny was heartbroken, and he dreamed about her every day. Most importantly, who would look after the very special cat? Johnny had taken the role to look after Kaspar himself, as no one else knew the cat expect from him. Johnny knew that he was risking his job as a bell boy, as no pets were allowed to be kept by servants. As more and more guests arrived, Johnny became busier and busier each passing day. An America family came to stay: a mother, father and a little girl. They were the Stantons. One day, the young girl went missing, and everyone was asked to search their rooms. Johnny had found her, hidden in his bedroom. “Good cat,” she was saying, “nice cat, beautiful cat.” “I like cats.” As the days went past, the girl (named Lizziebeth) and Johnny had become good friends. She loved cats, and would feed Kaspar whenever Johnny was busy with his duties. Johnny knew that Kaspar would be just fine with Lizziebeth. Later on in the story, the Stantons took Johnny and Kaspar board the Titanic to enjoy a new life in America. Will they reach there? What will happen to Kaspar? Read this book to find out!

Why I like this book:   I like this book because it shows true friendship and bravery. Johnny trusts Lizziebeth to look after Kaspar, and even though Johnny thought his life was over, he believed in his friend to look after his most precious secrets.