Kat the Dog by Jo Allen #Review
A puppy is born at Kymera on the seventh day of the seventh
month of the year 2023.
The seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, gifted with magic powers from birth, Kat is destined to become leader of Dogsworld.
Queenie, Top Dog at Kymera, must keep the newborn safe from evil forces set on destroying her.
The pup bonds with Olivia, the orphaned granddaughter of Archie, who is in charge of Kymera, a magical realm, where dogs talk to each other and fairies, who inhabit the old willow tree, can grant wishes. But Kymera is in danger of being stolen away from them.
Kat, Olivia and the other dogs will do all they can to save their precious home.
The entertaining mix of characters and events makes this a fun read for young readers. Those who want more of a challenge with chapters will relish this tale. I particularly like the tone of the dialogue between the animals and the humans and the range of characters adds such interest. There are also beautiful illustrations of the dogs in Kat's tribe which really capture their personalities.
Added to the action, is a sprinkle of magic which will appeal to young readers. Seven turns out to be an important number in the story and you get to visit Olivia's seventh and thirteenth birthdays at different points in the story. The friendships between the animals and humans show kindness and loyalty as they work together.
When she was a little girl, a voice in her head told her that she had to like dogs. That was when she was about five years old and didn't know any dogs. Then a family moved in next door with a little heeler-cross called Trixie. Remembering the voice in her head, Jo tried to like Trixie, but it wasn't easy. Trixie would run up to her wagging her tail, then she'd roll on to her back, still wagging her tail, asking for her tummy to be tickled. Jo would oblige, and then Trixie would try and bite her. Not the best start.
But Jo didn't forget about the voice and, when she was 8 years old, she went down to the local kennels, where she met Jim, who was very kind with her and they became friends. Jo's love of dogs began to grow. She went to the kennels whenever she had any spare time and decided she would like to own her own kennels one day.
At the age of about ten, she went to a garden fete with her best friend, where she met Lassie, her first dog, and decided to bring her home. Her mum and dad weren't too chuffed, but they soon fell in love with Lassie.
Life took over and, instead of following a career with dogs, Jo went to university to study languages and then moved abroad for a few years. But she missed England and eventually came back home, trained to become an acupuncturist and herbalist, and started going back to the kennels again. Of course, she was older and Jim was older, but the friendship was still strong. And then Kat was born and Jo decided to write about her.
So there you have it. I'm Kat's great grandson and Peggy, who lived with us, was her great granddaughter. But I'm the one most like Kat. I used to be very feisty and sometimes even growl at Mum. But she knew I didn’t mean it. I would never bite her of course, but I’d sometimes have a go at poor Peggy instead (I am a Jack Russell after all). I’m much quieter now, but still going strong at the grand old age of seventeen, probably because Mum feeds me herbs and other goodies, and even occasionally sticks needles in me, which I don’t especially like, but she tells me it’s good for me. And mums always know best!
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Purchase links: Amazon UK | Amazon US
Thanks to Jo Allen, Ky Publishing and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
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