Jumblecat

Billy Sipper’s mother is so obsessed with cleaning that the house is covered with plastic, his milkman father is almost silent and invisible, and his twin sister, Mindy, loves to humiliate him. So Billy spends as much time as possible away from home. One day, whilst he is out at Tumbledown Hill, Billy notices something strange rolling down the hill. He goes to find out what it is, and discovers a jumbled-up cat. Billy calls it Jumblecat and takes it home. However, this is where Billy’s problems begin. He needs to win the prize at The World’s Fair of Curious Creatures and Strange Animals in order to get enough money to take Jumblecat to the vet and get him unjumbled. However, after the show, Jumblecat is kidnapped by Colonel Beauvrille, who wants to stuff him. Billy’s good friend, Mrs Mandiddee, helps him as they attempt to rescue Jumblecat, but just when Billy thinks everything is lost, his father comes to the rescue on a milk float.

Jumblecat is a hilarious story, full of eccentric characters and funny situations. These characters include a grumpy and rude cat; a wicked mother; a horrid sister; and a psychotic taxidermist. It also cleverly blurs the lines between realism and magical realism. This book has a great sense of fun and will really appeal to boy readers.