Was the tagline attached to Varjak Paw, a book I picked up at random this week.
Ostensibly a children's book (It brought author S F Said a Smartie Award in 2003) it charts the first adventures of Varjak, a kitten belonging to a family of Mesopotamian Blue cats who live in the once grand house on the hill, under the care of a woman known to them as The Contessa. The feline family members have never left the house or entered the garden beyond, have never wanted to, believing that monsters and danger lurk there. All the family members that is, except Varjak.
Varjak is a dreamer and outsider, absorbing the tales of noble ancestry his grandfather The Elder Paw spins for the kittens in front of the fireplace. Varjak believes them all, sometimes venturing even into the dreaded garden in search of adventures, like his ancestor Jalal Paw, inviting mockery from his siblings and anger from his parents.
This is where the book becomes part coming of age independence tale, part martial arts adventure. No, really. Disaster strikes as a man known only as The Gentleman enters the tale along with two identical black cats of indeterminate breed, who don't act quite as cats should...
Sensing danger, the Elder Paw attempts to teach Varjak "The Way", a secret martial art passed through the family bloodline that he feels only someone with Varjak's open mind can master. Before the training is properly begun however, tragedy overtakes them and Varjak is cast into a hostile world beyond the garden wall, a world about which he has no knowledge other than the stories of monsters and terror. Will his scant knowledge of The Way protect and guide him, or is he and his helpless, pampered family doomed?
This book charmed me immediately, it has all the hallmarks of a classic kung-fu spiritual journey; the loss of home and family, the re-evaluation of self, the great journey to discover oneself and improve one's abilities, the gathering of friends and the making of powerful enemies, acquaintance with victory and defeat and finally an epic showdown between man and cat.
Best of all this is written mostly from a kitten's imagined point of view- the martial arts Varjak comes to know are all modelled on actual cat behaviour. Ever wondered why your cat occasionally runs in rapid circles for no reason? Or perhaps how they manage to catch birds and mice so easily? Perhaps the answer lies with The Way.
This one goes on the list along with Owly as "something I'd be happy to find my kids reading". It deals intelligently with emotions such as loss and betrayal and is never caught being patronising. Recommended for readers of any age
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