In my house, we know the colder weather is coming when we feel the need to curl up with the furbabies in front of the fire. So you can imagine how I felt when I was told I was being included with the Archie & The Lawlor Cat Hotel book tour. Chilly weather, warm fires, furbabies, and a book about animals? Could my autumn get any better?
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The Book
The blurb on the back of the book is as follows, “Congratulations! You have just found the best cat book ever written. I’m Archie and I am a ginger cat and the manager at the most incredible hotel just for cats. I’ve written this book so humans get to meet me and my guests as we get up to all sorts at night including cat rodeo, cat casino night, cat sailing and even skiing. I can’t wait for you to meet my guests and get to know their real personalities, not to mention my team, which includes Dan and Louis the horses and my three faithful hounds Buddy, Dougy, and Alfie. Get ready for the read of your life.”
The book opens with some pictures of the animals that are featured in the story. This is great for younger readers who aren’t familiar with different cat breeds. The large print makes it easy for little fingers to trace the words and read themselves.
Thoughts on the Book
My son is the biggest reader in the house and he devoured this book in one day, that’s a good seal of approval from him. When I asked him about it, he said it was “ok”. Again, a big seal of approval from the boy who wants to sit and play on his tablet. The story is funny and engaging, written in the style that you would expect from a sassy cat who is in charge of a hotel. The chapters are a decent length for a new reader. They aren’t too long that each one becomes a struggle, but not too short either. This is a great book to read, even if you aren’t a small child. It’s fun and different from a lot of other books that are available.
Thoughts on the Author
Jane Lawlor was born in Dublin in 1971. At the age of five, she moved with her mum and sister to London, then later settling in Potters Bar. Her love affair with animals of all kinds began when she struck up an unlikely friendship with Lady Ann Naylor who lived nearby and allowed a young Jane to ride at her private stables in exchange for mucking out her racehorses. Jane’s dream job would have been to become a vet, but unable to afford the university fees she became a trainee accountant; wildly industrious, she went to night school four nights a week after work and qualified in 1995 aged twenty-four. She worked in banking in the city of London until she set up her own property management firm at the age of thirty, and continues to run today. In 2013 Jane and her husband Skipsey bought Great Warley Place in Essex where she opened her cat hotel in 2016; a luxury antidote to cramped catteries, Jane spoils her furry guests like royalty! Jane is the mother of twin boys, Patrick and Rory; parental exhaustion, the need for good bedtime stories and the desire to share her passion for cats with her sons and other children, motivated her to write this book. Archie is Jane’s own cat. He replies to all emails at the cattery.
Overall
We all enjoyed this book, even my 16-year-old had a read of it. Archie a sassy ginger cat with the world at this paws and we all loved reading about his adventures in the hotel. This is a great book for some light winter reading or as something different for a bedtime story. It’s also great to get a sneak peek behind the doors of a cattery when the lights go out.
