I read this story with my children (boy, age 6; girl, age 5). The overall plot is an interesting one where a little black cat suddenly comes into a girl's life (the cat is miraculously discovered in the middle of heavy traffic in a busy traffic circle in Azerbaijan). The special cat, named Charm, becomes part of the girl's life. Charm has a weakness in that he likes to get out; and the girl's home is next to an abandoned factory.
One day, the cat disappears...and can not be found. Thirteen unlucky days later, the cat is found, deceased and buried by the girl and her dad. Without spoiling the ending, there is, one year later, a happy ending that both of my kids very much enjoyed.
My daughter liked the pictures in the story, but wished there were more. My son very much liked Charm the character. The only questions that kids had were how Charm died (which is one of the story's mysteries...although not critical in the scheme of the plot).
From a parental point of view, I really wanted to like the story, but it had passages that were a bit macabre for my kids (and this could be an American cultural difference). An example of this is a description of a dead cat that parents of young children should avoid reading as it is a bit too vivid to share with the kids as a bedtime story.
This said, I would read a follow up book with the kids if the language were toned down.
One day, the cat disappears...and can not be found. Thirteen unlucky days later, the cat is found, deceased and buried by the girl and her dad. Without spoiling the ending, there is, one year later, a happy ending that both of my kids very much enjoyed.
My daughter liked the pictures in the story, but wished there were more. My son very much liked Charm the character. The only questions that kids had were how Charm died (which is one of the story's mysteries...although not critical in the scheme of the plot).
From a parental point of view, I really wanted to like the story, but it had passages that were a bit macabre for my kids (and this could be an American cultural difference). An example of this is a description of a dead cat that parents of young children should avoid reading as it is a bit too vivid to share with the kids as a bedtime story.
This said, I would read a follow up book with the kids if the language were toned down.
