Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth

I love stories about cats and I love stories about time travel, and yet I made it this far in my life unaware of this book about a time traveling cat! In this story we learn that it's incorrect to say that cats have nine lives. Instead, cats may travel to nine different periods in world history, which is why cats seem to go missing so easily or appear in rooms they weren't previously in. A boy named Jason discovers that his cat Gareth can talk and joins his cat on a whirlwind of adventures to ancient Egypt, Roman Britain, 17th century Germany at the height of witchcraft hysteria, and Massachusetts at the start of the Revolution. Somehow a lot of their adventures involve groups of kittens which just heightens the cuteness. It's a fun, show more gentle novel with some history mixed in. It's perfect for kids who love adventure, time travel, and cats, even if they're in their 50s show less

In fifth grade, right after my mom remarried and we moved to a new area with a new school where I didn't fit in and grew to hate, I got in trouble -- as recorded on my report card -- for "reading inappropriately". That is, I tended to keep books tucked under the edge of my old fashioned school desk where I could pull them out and read when the lessons got boring.

The only good thing about my new school was that it had a library I had not explored. It was much smaller than my old school's library, but on the shelves at the very back, near a tall, skinny window, about two shelves from the top in the corner, I found this book. I had not yet discovered fantasy and science fiction -- that would come in 6th grade -- but Alexander's book was an show more important gateway to the genres for me. It had everything to attract me -- a magical, time traveling cat (during the move, I'd had to leave behind my pet cat -- my mother didn't have much attachment to pets and thought the cat would be just as happy with someone else) and I'd long used books to escape from my young life's difficulties, as is common with kids who have a little more than the usual amount of disruption in their lives) who could take his boy through history and into all kinds of adventures was irresistible. Falling in love with this book turned me toward the science fiction and fantasy that would fuel me for so many years that dreary year of adjustments and "reading inappropriately". show less

3.5 stars

Jason has a black cat (Gareth), who Jason discovers can time travel! Gareth can travel to different times and places and decides to take Jason along with him to a few different places. Along the way, Jason (and the people they visit in the various times and places) learns a little bit about cat behaviour.

I enjoyed it. I will admit that I've been quite distracted while reading some parts of it, so I did lose concentration (and miss things) occasionally. I really did enjoy the parts I paid more attention to, though. It's a little bit like short stories, as each time/place had about two chapters apiece before they moved on. It was originally published in 1963, but my edition was published in 2003 and included a short, but show more interesting author's note. show less

This is the book that time and time again makes me want to be a writer. There's something about the story that Alexander crafts... it certainly isn't the main characters, for they are simple (as, in a children's book, they should be). I think part of it is the history, and part of it is the magic. Alexander is known for his Black Cauldron series, but like any good writer, he continues to shine in other areas as well. Time Cat is no exception. Alexander plays with the idea that a cat does have nine lives, but these aren't lifetimes... they are nine different worlds wherein a cat can live. From Egypt, to Ireland, to Imperial China and back around again, each world that Gareth and Jason visit has a magic of its own.

What a fun book! I wish I’d read it when I was little; I think I’d have gotten a big kick out of it. Though it’s presented as a novel, the book is really more a series of nine short stories that follow Jason and his cat, Gareth, as they travel through time. They meet an interesting cast of characters along the way, including such real historical figures as Saint Patrick and Leonardo da Vinci.

I loved how the book was set up; though Jason and Gareth never spend very long in each place, they’re there long enough to learn some important lessons about life. Alexander resists the temptation to elaborate on these lessons; though there are some obvious points, it’s up to the reader to figure out just what went on. I think that this show more leaves some interesting possibilities for discussion, making this a good book for parents and younger children to read together.

The book was a little more juvenile than I was expecting; the story is presented much more simply than anything else I’ve read by Alexander, and the characters feel more like an excuse for the events rather than compelling people in their own right. Still, it was fun and enjoyable. I’d definitely recommend it for children between five and ten who like cats or history, or anyone looking for a quick, fun children’s read. show less

I always read this book with the intent to be marvelously entertained. I always am, but I forget how much this book progresses emotionally to the point where you almost are crying as it ends. Read it. Read it for the humor, the tears and the truth that Jason discovers in the world and in himself.

A blend of history and basic knowledge about cats for children. These are expressed through moralising tales as a boy and his cat travel to different ages and countries. The book would have been more interesting if the separate stories were linked together in some way.