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Varjak Paw SF Said Random House, Inc. © 2003 |
Varjak Paw was never considered a true Mesopotamian Blue. He didn’t have the green eyes of his family, the name, or the interests of the others. He was not considered to be worthy of the name of his infamous ancestor, Jalal Paw. But when a mysterious man with two deadly black cats shows up at the Contessa’s house, Varjak must go Outside and find a dog to help his family. The Elder Paw teaches him the beginning of the Way of Jalal, a secret martial arts for cats. Varjak’s newly learned Skills lead him onto a quest to save his family in the world of street life, where survival of the strongest is the only way to live. Through huge metal monsters, tough toy cats, gangs, Vanishings, betrayals and tears Varjak must manage to survive to talk to a dog and save his family and keep the Way alive.
I thought this book was mediocre. I wasn’t really interested in the topic, and the story just didn’t grasp me. I liked how the author described Varjak’s emergence into the Outside world, and the way he had to learn from scratch about the way of life. Also, I enjoyed the secret message in the Way of Jalal, which I thought was important but I won’t ruin it for the readers. It was just a simple book, with pictures and large print, a quick, cute read. I would recommend it for sixth to seventh grade readers. It gets slightly violent at times, but the message is a good one and the writing style is consistent and fun. I didn’t particularly like this book, but for younger readers looking for an amusing, life-on-the-street type, easy read story, Varjak Paw is just the one.
~Ellyanna Kessler, grade
8,