Captain Cat and the Umbrella Kid
Paul Shaw
Peter Sheehan

Scholatic 2003
120pp., pbk., $12.95
1865045667

Fruits of Fury

Billy was an orphan, and one of his relatives claimed him. She had a secret job, working for the hero, Captain Cat. Captain Cat wanted a sidekick, so Billy became the Umbrella Kid.

Captain Cat and the Umbrella Kid are great partners, when it comes to solving problems. One day an evil villain called Dr Daffodil robbed nearly every mansion in the neighbourhood. So it was up to Captain Cat, and his trusty sidekick, the Umbrella Kid to solve the mystery of why he robbed all the mansions, when there was a big party in the house at the time of the robbery.

If you are looking for a book with excitement, cat suits, super power umbrellas and a man wearing a giant daffodil on his head, this is the book for you. I give this book a 9 ½ out of 10. If you are only going to read one book this year, make it Captain Cat and the Umbrella Kid in Fruit of Fury.

By Alana, 11, Toowoomba Qld

Revenge of the Refrigerators

Two super heroes Captain Cat and the Umbrella Kid (also known as Billy) are in for yet another adventure. In the middle of summer in the city of Maxburg, all the fridges go haywire and come to life. The blazing summer is then turned into a winter wasteland. The super villain The Snowman is behind this.

The really sarcastic and unpleasant character of The Snowman has applied a special cream to his body that makes anything hot, feel freezing, and anything that is freezing feel hot. Captain Cat and The Umbrella Kid are required to go to great lengths to defeat the evil of The Snowman.

I was really hooked from the beginning of the book and it was very easy to follow. The story slowly built to a climax and one kept on wondering how it was going to end. It was so exciting it was hard to put down.

The two main characters are very believable. One feels that they have a real personality. Although Captain Cat is an adult and The Umbrella Kid is a child they get along and work really well together. There are lovely illustrations to accompany the story which help build up a sense of atmosphere and anticipation.

I really enjoyed reading the book and recommend it to other young readers.

To end here is an example from the story:

“ Guess who it is, Cap’n,” Billy groaned lowering the binoculars. “ Our old enemy The Snowman!”...

Jonty , Age 10, Lindfield, NSW

Peaches of Panic

Captain Cat and his fellow, the umbrella kid Billy, are caught up in Super Villian, Mr Daffodil’s nasty tricks once again. Mr Daffodil has joined The Peach. Mr Daffodil has made horrible plants, such as an enormous beanstalk and another that brings the whole adventure together, The Peach Topaz, which The Peach is trying to steal with a peach.
How will two super heroes escape from daffodil’s inventions?
How will they make Peaches plan fail?

The plot is very plausible and easy to follow because of the short facts and simple wording. Peaches of Panic builds to a very exciting climax as to where everything goes wrong. This book is hard to put down. It has a satisfying ending that really captures your attention as to what will happen in the sequel.

It would be hard to form a bond with Captain Billy because the things they do would be hard for me to do. I think that is possible to care about the later consequences of their actions. I could feel as though I was a part of the adventure as a witness, only when things went wrong. I couldn’t hear the characters talking.

I think that the purpose of the story is to merely entertain because it is fiction and full of adventure. I couldn’t find the message because most of the story is made up in ‘cat language’.

The pictures in this book helped me understand the story and how it was set out. It also showed the background setting and what it looked like. If I was in a place full of books, the cover would catch my eye and the blurb would make me want to read it.

I think that the language is good for an audience aged seven to nine.
The style is very good for children who want to write. It includes a number of similies, slang words and imagination.

I would keep this book for my children to read because I think they would find it entertaining. I am glad I read this book it gave me a lot of entertainment. It also gave me ideas on how to write books.

Captain Cat & the Umbrella Kid in Cards of Chaos written by Paul Shaw is the third adventure in the series of six Captain Cat and the Umbrella Kid adventures. This action adventure also has black and white illustrations drawn by Peter Sheehan.

Captain Cat and Billy – the Umbrella Kid receive a package from the Cardsharp which gives a clue to where his first crime will take place. They set off to try and stop the Cardsharp from putting his evil plan into action. The Tremendous Two follow the Cardsharp without much luck until they work out where his last crime will take place. They manage to escape from The Catapult of Doom and are able to arrive at Du Doily’s Diamond Dealers before the Cardsharp to try and stop him from stealing the diamonds.

I thought this book was easy to read and was enjoyable if you like adventure stories mixed with a bit of humour. I think it would suit readers who are aged from 8 to 10 years of age.

Thomas, aged 8, Adelaide.