The latest instalment in the Museum Kittens series is just as full of adventure, history, and adorable cats as I’ve come to expect!
Book: Museum Kittens: The Treasure Map by Holly Webb, illustrated by Sarah Lodge
Publication date: 5th August 2021
Ownership: Review copy sent free of charge by Little Tiger Books. All opinions my own.
Brave, clever and never more than a whisker away from adventure! When the museum’s visitors are gone for the day, it’s time for the cats to come out to play…
When the kittens overhear their enemies, the rats, whispering about a treasure map hidden in the museum, Boris is especially excited. Could the map belong to the legendary pirate queen Diamond Nell, whose ship – The Silver Lion – is on display in the museum? And can they stop the rats from getting their claws on the pirate’s gold first?
This series is so cute, and would be perfect for readers gaining confidence who like cats and history! I’ve previously reviewed the second book in this series, The Pharoah’s Curse, and as with that book these can absolutely be read in any order, so this is a perfect place to hop in! This time around, the kittens discover a treasure map, so there’s a piratical theme, which is loads of fun as the kittens race against the rats to hunt down the X. It’s fully illustrated, and apart from the very cute cats, I also love seeing the museum exhibits – we even get to see one of my favourite objects, a Minoan octopus vase!
I don’t have too much to say about this one that I didn’t say about The Pharoah’s Curse, which I think is down to the nature of these episodic series aimed at 5-7 year olds. It’s not a criticism at all to say that each book in the series is pretty similar, because at that stage, kids just want more and more of their favourite books, so if the formula’s good, that’s perfect! (You should have seen my Animal Ark collection!). As before, I thought the ensemble cast of the four kittens was handled well, but my favourite character was Grandpa Ivan, a wise and kind old cat with one eye who’s a great role model and lovely representation of an elderly, disabled character who is still included, powerful and interesting in his own right. As an adult reader, I could wish for more depth to these stories, but for the age range they are just right.
The blend of history and adventure makes this exciting, but also informative, and as I mentioned before, this isn’t at all a ‘soppy’ kitten series, so I recommend it to any cat lover looking for a fun, fast-paced read. Four out of five cats!
A Cat, A Book, and A Cup of Tea 