Product Description

I sometimes talk about my mum to Mabel, because Mabel doesn't ever get upset. Verity adores her cat, Mabel, and is desperately sad when she dies. Remembering her recent school lessons about the Ancient Egyptians, Verity decides to mummify Mabel and keep her hidden. Verity's dad and grandparents can't bear to talk about death, having lost Verity's mum in childbirth, but when they eventually discover what Verity has done with Mabel, the whole family learns that it's time to talk. A superb handling of bereavement in Wilson's uniquely accessible and enjoyable style, for readers of 7 plus.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7193 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Verity's old tabby cat, Mabel, might not be quite as lively as she used to be, and yes, she smells a bit, and doesn't always make it to the litter tray on time, but she really really loves her. More importantly, Mabel once belonged to Verity's mum --not that Verity actually ever knew her mum because she died. She really doesn't mind too much about not having a mum, apart from when she goes to visit her grave, which makes her think about being in the ground with a head full of worms.

So when she finds Mabel dead in the wardrobe, it seems to Verity that it would be much better to take a few lessons from the Ancient Egyptians: rather than bury the poor old thing she decides to mummify her so they can be together forever. But, what with the problems involved in finding the basic mummification materials, and the fact that Gran would probably fuss about hygiene if she knew anything about it, things don't quite go as planned...

The simply sensational Jacqueline Wilson strikes hard and fast with this superb story of a feisty little girl coping with the death of a much-loved pet. But, as usual, the wiley Wilson doesn't just leave it there: instead she goes on to deliver a graceful, poignant and barely perceptible exploration of the close-to-the surface emotions of a family who have never truly recovered from the long-ago death of a loved-one.

The Cat Mummy is simple, to the point, and a cracking story, but with the added bonus of Wilson's fantastic ability to bring serious issues to the fore without detracting from her characters and the deeply personal stories they have to tell. Another gem of a book from a national treasure of an author, The Cat Mummy is a must-read. Age 7 and over.--Susan Harrison

From the Back Cover
I sometimes talk about my mum to Mabel, because Mabel doesn’t ever get upset.

'For those aged eight and over you couldn't do better than The Cat Mummy by Jacqueline Wilson, the funny, touching tale of Verity, whose mum died the day she was born and who doesn't realise how much she loves her do-nothing cat until Mabel disappears. As always, Wilson hits every button' Express on Sunday

‘Extraordinarily good at getting inside what worries children… a wonderful read and Nick Sharratt's drawings are wittily tender’ Independent

'Managing to be both hilarious and poignant, The Cat Mummy is another sure-fire hit' Scotsman

About the Author
JACQUELINE WILSON is an extremely well-known and hugely popular author. THE ILLUSTRATED MUM was chosen as British Children's Book of the Year in 1999 and was winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Award 2000. Jacqueline has won the prestigious Smarties Prize and the Children's Book Award for DOUBLE ACT, which was also highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. Jacqueline was awarded an OBE in 2002, was the Children's Laureate for 2005-2007 and was made a Dame in 2008. Nick Sharratt has written and illustrated many books for children and won numerous awards for his picture books, including the Sheffield Children's Book Award and the 2001 Children's Book Award. He has also enjoyed great success illustrating Jacqueline Wilson books. Nick lives in Brighton.

Customer Reviews

Purrfectly written
The Cat Mummy was written by Jacqueline Wilson (one of my favourite authors) and was published in 2001/ 2002 in two different editions - the Corgi Yearling edition and the Doubleday edition. It was illustrated beautifully by Nick Sharratt (who draws a lot for many different authors) and it was illustrated very exquisitely. This book is great for children who are over the age of 7 or 8 up to the age of 15 or 16 because adults are far too boring to read such a good and exciting book like this one. I think girls would like this book better than boys but I might be wrong.

The plot of the story is that Verity's mum and now her cat Mabel have both died. She is more upset about the cat because she did not even know her mother even though she went to the other's grave a lot. The ending is quite nice though and it is a very clever idea!

The saddest Jaqueline Wilson book i have read!
This book was great to start off with but when i got to the main part i could tell what would happen because of the project the little girl had been doing at school. And i won`t give away the ending but all i can say is get a box of tissues next to you before you start reading, you`ll need them!

Jacqueline WIlson once more tackles a difficult issue
I am an adult who greatly enjoys and admires Jacqueline Wilson's work. I found this book, a little darker than the others but still touching issues ignored by many. I am not sure if I would recommend this to a small child, I know I found it disturbing but those who do read it will get a lot out of it.