Varjak Paw (2003)

"Varjak Paw is a Mesopotamian Blue kitten. He lives high up in an old house on a hill. He's never left home, until his grandfather tells him about the Way - a secret martial art for cats. Now Varjak must use the Way to survive in a city full of dangerous dogs, cat gangs, and the strangest of all, the mysterious Vanishings."

Varjak Paw is an absolutely adorable book. It's written for a younger reader, but it's a fun quick read - it took me about an hour and a half - for an adult too. ( )

Varjak is a Mesoptamian Blue, the most noble of cat races. But he is not a true one, as his brother likes to remind him. His eyes are the wrong colour, the colour of danger, instead of green like the rest of his family.

They all live in the countess house, but things have been different for a while, they never see the countess, she is always in her room. When a strange gentleman with 2 black cats appears only Varjak and his grandfather sense the danger. Varjak's grandfather gives him the mission of finding help. It means going outside the wall that surrounds the house, and finding a dog. Varjak has never left home, and the only help from his gradfather is the Way, and even that is an incomplete knowledge. Varjak has to face the city, while learning the Way by himself.

Varjak Paw is a kid's book - it is a good story, with nice messages, fun parts and a lot of action. Yet, it's a kid's book, so it's a simple story, a kind of Karate Kid, with cats. You read it fast, you are amused, but you are not amazed and it's easy to get on with your next read.

For the little ones, it's a very nice book. But it loses its charm with older people. But this is just the story.

Now let's talk illustrations. Because the illustrations alone are the reason I'll keep this book. Unsurprisingly, they are of cats. But they are really good, and give a new dimension to the story. Dave McKean is a great illustrator, I knew that from other books, and this one is no exception.

Also at Spoilers and Nuts ( )

Varjak Käpälä on mesopotamiansininen kissa, joka elää perheensä kanssa Kreivittären talossa. Eräänä päivänä taloon tulee Herrasmies outojen kissojen kanssa ja kaikki muuttuu. Varjakin on lähdettävä ulkomaailmaan etsimään koiraa pelastaakseen perheensä.

Uusien ystäviensä Katajan ja Tamin kanssa Varjak sopeutuu ulkomaailmaan ja oppii itsenäiseksi kissaksi. Unissaan hän näkee esi-isänsä Jalalin, joka opastaa häntä mesopotamiansinisten seitsenosaisella tiellä. Neuvot ovatkin avuksi, kun Varjak vihdoin löytää koiran ja Herrasmiehen pahuus paljastuu kokonaisuudessaan.

Kirja muistutti suuresti joskus ammoin lukemaani kirjaa Felidae - Kuka surmasi kissan ollen ikään kuin lasten versio samasta kirjasta. Pystyin samastumaan Varjak Käpälään ja hänen seikkailuihinsa täysin. Vaikka teos olikin yli kolmesataa sivuinen, isokokoisen tekstinsä ja kiinnostavan aiheensa puolesta se oli nopeaa luettavaa ja luin sen päivässä.

This is a story about a cat who must learn how to live in the world outside his house and save the lives of cats from a mysterious danger. Throughout the story, Varjak learns to master an ancient martial art, the secret Way of Jalal, which he uses to save himself and defeat enemies. He also learns something about prejudice, how to build relationships, and how to be true to himself. It is a fast moving, action packed story. ( )

A young cat with eyes the color of danger makes a choice to leave behind all the crumbling world that he knows to venture into the mysterious Outside. Love for his family and faith in his ancestors pushes him to learn the Way, to hunt, to fight, to lead, and to never give up.A quick read, but very enjoyable, with a timeless appeal to anyone caught between childhood and growing up. ( )