This was our first encounter with Porridge the Tartan Cat, and we hit it off with the feisty feline narrator from the start. If his tartan coat didn’t already set him apart, his unique brand of chat (“me-wow,” “me-brrr”) and fixation with fishy biscuits certainly would.
This story sees him head for Loch Ness with twins Ross and Isla McFun and their archaeologist dad. Dad’s excavation goes awry when he makes a wish on a giant wishbone and turns into a megalosaurus – just as the dastardly Fergus McFungus appears on the scene to mistake him for the Loch Ness monster.
It will take all of Porridge’s wits (and possibly a few of his nine lives) plus help from the twins and the real-life Loch Ness monster, to prevent Fergus and his ‘trump-pa-rump’ ing sister Windy Wendy from kidnapping Dino Dad and 3D printing him – or worse!
We would recommend this book, especially for children of about seven and up. It is action packed, though never truly scary (how can it be when the villains are so hilariously incompetent) and brimming with great jokes and clever word-play. Cheeky Porridge will have young readers chortling with delight throughout.
Porridge the Tartan Cat and the Loch Ness Mess, by Alan Dapre
We’re reviewing this book as part of #kidbookbingo – an initiative on twitter encouraging readers to write more reviews (on review sites like amazon and goodreads as well as blogs) and to celebrate fantastic recently-published children’s books.
It’s a great idea, helping to make a noise about some wonderful stories by gifted writers who can battle for shelf space alongside celebrity authors, and it has already given us some welcome ideas for what to read next.
Do keep an eye on #kidbookbingo for the rest of April, for more reading recommendations – and why not get involved and write a review too?
Roaring Reads 