The Adventures of Ellie and Boo by Millie Kerr #Review

 The Adventures of Ellie and Boo by Millie Kerr is aimed at 8- 12 year old readers and has a distinct conservation element.

A nature-loving cat and her conservationist mum team up to save endangered species!

Boo the tabby cat is born on a Lincolnshire farm and seems destined for a simple life. Everything changes when she’s put up for adoption and is taken in by Ellie Caldwell, an adventurous Cambridge graduate student who loves animals and is studying to become a wildlife conservationist.

Between lectures, Ellie heads to the countryside for camping trips, her Instagram-anointed ‘adventure cat’ in tow. On rocky trails, Boo discovers that, like Ellie, she has a passion for the natural world, and because she’s able to communicate with all animals, she can relate their challenges back to Ellie. But there’s a serious problem: whenever Boo tries to tell Ellie something, all Ellie hears is “Meow.”

Can they work out a communication system, and in doing so, save endangered animals from harm while encouraging public support of nature and wildlife?

In this story featuring Ellie and Boo, you see the close friendship the two of them form and how the little cat learns how to communicate with Ellie. Of course, she turns out to be quite a character with a strong sense of what is right and between them, they focus on conservation and animals' place in the world.

    I enjoyed the use of social media in the story and the message that not everything about it is negative. There are some positives as well if it is used for good. With its short chapters and evocative illustrations, this should appeal to middle grade readers who enjoy thinking about endangered creatures and the environment. It is enough of a challenge to keep interest up and the two central characters are well drawn and sympathetic.

Cat and mouse say: Look after all the animals!

About the Author

Millie Kerr is an author, journalist and photographer focused on wildlife conservation. A former lawyer, Millie uses storytelling to help people see splendour and fragility of the natural world. Her creative essays and reported articles—which predominantly involve travel and wildlife—have appeared in dozens of top-tier American and British publications, among them The Economist, National Geographic Traveller, Popular Science, and The Wall Street Journal. Millie has also worked for numerous global conservation NGOs, both as an in-house writer and an external consultant; and her legal career saw her working in private practice and government. She graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Masters of Philosophy in Conservation Leadership and has lived between the UK and USA for fifteen years. Her adopted cat, Baboon, has been her constant companion, although unlike their fictitious counterparts, they only enjoy indoor adventures.

You can follow Millie here:  Twitter

  |  Instagram @milliekerrphotography |  Instagram @milliekerr 

Book links:  Waterstones  |  Amazon UK  |  Amazon US 

Thanks to Millie Kerr and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

Check out the rest of the tour