Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Lulu Press
Publication date: 01 Jan 2005
ISBN13: 9781411664234
Everyone who came across the strange gym class was looking for something
else. What they found was Mrs Powell – mysterious Mrs Powell with her
silent feet, unnerving stare and merciless warm-up exercises. What they
found was pashki, a lost art from an age when cats were worshipped as
gods. But Ben and Tiffany wonder: who is their eccentric old teacher?
What does she really want? And why do they suddenly seem to be able to
see in the dark?
What an interesting book. It’s aimed at children but has enough going
for it to hold the older generation’s interest too. It’s a bit different
to others which are on the shelves at the moment.
The premise is
that a group of misfit kids sign up for various activities at the
leisure center – but upon getting to their first classes they somehow
get sidetracked into a pashki class that they didn’t intend to go to,
without realising it. They’re all very different and they don’t know
each other before that first meeting but somehow the pashki class brings
them all together and makes them look out for each other outside of the
classes. Pashki is an ancient art which involves invoking their inner
cat and finding skills they didn’t know they had. Sounds suspect but
it’s all put together really well and keeps you turning pages to find
out where it’s headed.
There are some pretty nasty villain’s in
the book, which might not be suitable for under 10’s and the cruelty to
animals might distress those with a soft heart. The violence isn’t
major, but it’s maybe too much for younger age groups. There are a
couple of loose ends left at the end, although the story ends neatly
enough, and it’s those loose ends that will be further developed in the
follow on book, which I plan to read.