Taking the Cat's Way Home

by Jan Mark, Paul Howard (Illustrator)

Jane has a cat called Furlong. Every day, he walks to school with her and Andrea, her friend. Then he takes his own way home. He's so furry that some people say he looks like a feather-duster, but William, the new boy, says he looks like a loo-brush. However, William is trouble from the moment he appears. He causes a division in the class and sets the boys against the girls. When he threatens Jane with violence, it seems as though the only way she can escape him is to take Furlong's secret path, along the wall, and into the unknown.

Genres: Childrens

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Janet Marjorie Mark (1943-2006) was a British children's author and two time winner of the Carnegie Medal. She also taught art and English in Gravesend, Kent, was part of the faculty of Education at Oxford Polytechnic in the early 1980s and was a tutor and mentor to other writers before her death from meningitis-related septicaemia.

Meet the author:

What is your favourite animal?
The noble rat

What is your favourite boy’s name?
George

What is your favourite girl’s name?
Marjorie

What is your favourite food?
Pickled herring

What is your favourite music?
Klezmer

What is your favourite hobby?
Listening to music

Reviews

[Ella Sullivan]

I have used this book as a whole class guided read with my year two class. I think this book is very engaging and worth reading with younger children as it presents situations many children can relate to being at school. It is a great book to open a discussion on bullying and about the best ways to handle bullying in school. I enjoyed comparing this book with Jan Mark's 'Lady Long Legs' as both books share common themes.

[Sunny]

Aww~ I want to have a cat like Furlong.

[Blanche Herbert]

This book was my childhood and got me through so many bad times I can’t express how but this book helped me so much as a child and makes me happy whenever I think of it now as an adult

[Anna Scott]

'Taking the Cat's way home' is a short story about a young girl named Jane and her cat, 'Furlong'. Jane is very fond of Furlong and he accompanies her and her best friend, Angela, to school each day. Everybody in the neighbourhood knows Furlong and they are all very friendly towards him.

However, when a new boy names William arrives at Jane's school, he is nasty to both Furlong and Jane. He scares Furlong and threatens Jane when she tells Mr Singh what happened. After school, William waits for Jane as she walks home. Knowing that William is waiting, Andrea decides that they should go home a different way to avoid William. She suggests that they take Furlong's route home. As Andrea and Jane flee from William, they think they have avoided him. William finally finds the girls and, as the girls run away again, all three children get lost. Furlong comes to rescue the girls though and they follow him home safely. William isn't so lucky though. Upset and lost, Jane's mother finds William and helps him on his way home.

This is a very good book which could be read independently by lower KS2 children or by the class teacher to KS1 classes. Read as a class, it could generate some good discussion about bullying and how it is important to treat others fairly.

[Princess Jasmine Flies Away]

It was definitely a typical children's book with no description and typical children sentences to get them into reading but the storyline was sweet, even though the ending was like the way to stop bullying is to have ammo of your own on the other person (which isn't a good idea).

It was a cute story about a cat okay and I read it within fifteen minutes and it was an enjoyable read about how cats see differently to people.

[Sarah]

One of my favourites as a little kid!