KAT ATAK x TWO! Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat - DOUBLE BOOK REVIEW!

HI guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

So, A LOT has been happening offline with work (heading back to my store for a few weeks, woo hoo!), and the house (well okay, the "shell" as it is completely gutted out, but fingers crossed the insurance may start understanding the level of destruction versus their payout to rebuild), and online with me getting a better grip on my blogging world (as in learning to say "no" and "enough is enough")...total whirlwind, and feelings are running around and around like a moon round a planet.  Speaking of which...that reminds me...

Today's series in the spotlight may look familiar because, well, I DID feature a stop along its CLAWsome tour last week with a TOP FIVE KITS IN LIT post that was out of this world...in my humble opinion, of course.  ;)  Now, we're revisiting the "stranded" space kitty as he attempts to reclaim his home planet in a bid to be the ultimate overlord once again with not one, but TWO books detailing his evil plans...I mean, adventures!  Ready, set, READ ALL ABOUT today's titles of choice...

KLAWDE:  EVIL ALIEN WARLORD CAT

by

Johnny Marciano & Emily Chenoweth

Illustrated by

Robb Mommaerts

9781524787202

Penguin Workshop

Picture it...

Planet Lyttyrboks.

The perfect place for all of kitty-kind to inhabit.  A world of peace and love, where clean litter happens on its own, food bowls never empty, milk is on tap, and...doors open with the touch of a paw?  Yep...and actually the beginning of that story spin was all fiction...more so than the book itself...because Planet Lyttyrboks was filled with cats, but of the highest intelligence, the ultimate caliber, and the fiendishly fiendish.  Their technology was light years ahead of ours, but their thirst for power was pretty much still in caveman times.  Ugg...me have fluffier fur than you...me better than you...mrow.  Yeah...advanced maybe, but definitely not without its flaws...which brings us to our leading feline....

His name was Lord High Emperor...or at least that's what others called him to his face because his given name was...Wyss-Kuzz.  (Get it?  Don't you just LOVE the play on words?!)  He had attitude, he had style, he had a thirst like no other to rule his fellow cats with an iron paw...and yet he was not invincible.  Despite the fact that I want to tell you everything, I won't because seriously, experiencing it first hand is like CATNIP to the soul!  The summary ends with his exile to Earth, his vague attempts to pass as a house cat (HA!  Totally laughable...) while trying to find a way back to his home planet to overthrow the new ruler.  Along the way he'll sample feelings, show utter disdain for his human (though Raj is an utter GEM! and going through so much of his own issues right now), dine disdainfully on earth cuisine (apparently pellet food is beneath him), and perhaps learn a thing or two he never anticipated...or not.  It's kind of a draw on that part, but trust me, it's a great start to a promising series that YOU SHOULD NOT MISS!  Which brings us to book two.... 

ENEMIES

KLAWDE:  EVIL ALIEN WARLORD CAT, Book 2

by

Johnny Marciano & Emily Chenoweth

Illustrated by

Robb Mommaerts

9781524787226

Penguin Workshop

So, now we know Klawde, formerly known as Wyss-Kuz (Hahahahaha!  Sorry, too funny!), and *spoiler alert* how his former plan worked or didn't.  (Not telling!  Read it!)  This time, he's got a new problem, and a new earthbound nemesis to fight, and a newly crowned Lord High Emperor to overthrow (seriously, Flooffee-Fyr...HA!  Love it!).  Can he convince his human acquaintance (because friend is WAY to strong a word) to help him once again?  Or maybe he doesn't need his help, exactly, but his time, space, and resources...and some of those resources are ALIVE!  Yeah, think kittens are cute and cuddly?  Well, not when he gets a hold of them, although with that calico, I'm pretty sure something was already drawn to the dark side in that one...

Anywho, let's just say Klawde gets his whiskers in a tangle trying to stay one step ahead of his biggest nemesis while learning some valuable lessons along the way...whether he'll admit it or not...and truth be told, so does his human counterpart, Raj.  Though BOTH stories alternate chapters so we get to know each of them a bit better, I actually felt like this book somehow got us closer to Raj than the first.  I mean, the wilderness camp thing was pretty intense (book 1) as was what Klawde did for him (and still kind of for himself), but here we see Klawde's influence rubbing off on him, yet only the better parts.  Confused?  Don't be...it all works out...for MOST of them anyway...and those it doesn't kind of, sort of, really deserved what was coming to them.  

ALL IN ALL...a grand adventure for the kiddos in the Middle Grade set and beyond!  If you've imagination, and a love of word play, you're gonna LOVE these books.

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Special thanks to Friya at Penguin Young Readers for the copies for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on either title, the series, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  BOTH titles are available now via Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

TOP FIVE: KITS IN LIT with KLAWDE: EVIL ALIEN WARLORD CAT and Penguin Workshop!

HI guys!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

So, today we're playing host to a stop along an OUT OF THIS WORLD tour featuring a NEW RELEASE via Peachtree Publishers!  It's the first in a new kid lit series that from the looks of things, makes promises that is CAN deliver.  So, if you're ready, let's take a closer look at today's title in the spotlight...

KLAWDE:  EVIL ALIEN WARLORD

by

Johnny Marciano & Emily Chenoweth

Illustrated by

Robb Mommaerts

Penguin Workshop

About the book...

Klawde is not your average cat. He's an emperor from another planet, exiled to Earth. He's cruel. He's cunning. He's brilliant... and he's about to become Raj Banerjee's best friend. Whether he likes it or not.

Klawde had everything. Sharp claws. Fine fur. And, being the High Commander of the planet Lyttyrboks, an entire world of warlike cats at his command. But when he is stripped of his feline throne, he is sentenced to the worst possible punishment: exile to a small planet in a quiet corner of the universe... named Earth.

Raj had everything. A cool apartment in Brooklyn. Three friends who lived in his building. And pizza and comics within walking distance. But when his mom gets a job in Elba, Oregon, and he is forced to move, all of that changes. It's now the beginning of summer, he has no friends, and because of his mother's urgings, he has joined a nature camp.

It's only when his doorbell rings and he meets a furball of a cat that Raj begins to think maybe his luck is turning around...

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Looks nifty, right?

Right...

...but it also got me thinking.

Have you ever noticed the PLETHORA of cats in books?  I mean, they are quite LITTER-ally everywhere!  From the library to boats, dystopian worlds to steampunk fantasies, our feline friends make themselves known.  So in honor of today's featured title, I thought WHY NOT...let's do a TOP FIVE post featuring a few of these whiskered wonders!  Ready, set, POUNCE!

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 🐱 TOP FIVE:  KITS IN LIT 🐱

(...in no PURR-ticular order...)

  

1.  Crookshanks and Mrs. Norris

Call it a double your pleasure, double your...fun?  Okay, well Filch's cat gets a bad rap, but we all know Crookshanks was on to something with a particular long tailed "friend"...

  

2.  Cheshire Cat...and technically Dinah, too!

Another two for one, if you will, but actually a little closer to a one for two!  After all, Alice wiled away the afternoon with her little friend in our world, and then had some rather MAD adventures with her alter ego in the land of WONDER.

3.  Garfield the Cat

How could I NOT include this lasagna loving, Odie kicking (bad kitty!), Nermal mailing, sarcastic, old and black kitty chubster (no offense)?!  I mean, come on....he's a classic!  We use to watch his holiday specials EVERY YEAR!

4.  Puss in Boots

Hello!  He's cat wearing snazzy boots and kicking tails as he upholds truth, righteousness, and honor.  Nuff said!

5.  The Cat in the Hat

I don't there is a generation who DOESN'T know this infamous feline.  He's known for his signature style, clever rhymes, and a lot of adventures that straddle the line between fun and potentially trouble-making.

So...who would YOU add to the list?

Which feline friends (or not so friends) would you spare a space for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Special thanks to Friya at Penguin Young Readers for the chance to bring this tour to you.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the series, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title just celebrated its BOOK BIRTHDAY yesterday (woo hoo!) via Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing...and don't forget to check out the rest of the series as they release as well as the tour making its way through the blogosphere RIGHT NOW!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!