To Be A Cat

by Matt Haig

A fast-paced, exciting story about how twelve-year-old Barney copes when he wakes up as a cat - and not just any old cat. His worst enemy's cat!Barney Willow thinks life couldn't get any worse. He's weedy, with sticky-out ears. Horrible Gavin Needle loves tormenting him - Barney has no idea why. And headteacher-from-hell Miss Whipmire seems determined to make every second of Barney's existence a complete misery! Worst of all, Dad has been missing for almost a year, and there's no sign of him ever coming home.Barney just wants to escape. To find another life... Being a cat, for example. A quiet, lazy cat. Things would be so much easier - right?Barney's about to discover just how wrong he is. Because he's about to wake up as a cat - and not just any cat. Gavin Needle's cat...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Animals, Cats, Young Adult

Paperback

First published February 2, 2012

About the author

Matt Haig is the author of novels such as The Midnight Library, How to Stop Time, The Humans, The Radleys, and the forthcoming The Life Impossible. He has also written books for children, such as A Boy Called Christmas, and the memoir Reasons to Stay Alive.

Reviews

[River · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life wasn’t ever one ingredient. It was several. And some flavours were bad and some were good, but love was the strongest of all. If you were loved, you had everything. It was the milk that made the cereal of life worth tasting.

Well i enjoyed it, loved how beautiful and adorable the story is. It made me feel cozy and warm... Well it's about cats so I'm sat anyway😭✋🏻 and when he said cats are magic, there was no way for me to ignore it😭✨

I loved the author's style in mixing between cats and self Loving wither you it's a cat or a human, i absolutely loved it✨✨

But what i didn't like was the dark side of the story THE VILLAIN, mrs Siamese cat who eats raw oily sardines when she is a human💀 like she just want to kill anyone fr! (Hint: she killed her formal cat body and made a pen pot out of it💀💀🗿) But so glad she got what she deserved!🫶🏻🫶🏻 (That's what you get for being a bully🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻)

_____________________________________________


Yeah, I'm reading it because i love cats😭🤸🏻‍♀️

[صَــــنَــــمْــــ · Rating 3 out of 5]

«پسری کاملا معمولی ولی بی‌نهایت منحصر به فرد بود؛ پر از هزاران امید و ترس که از او یک انسان می‌ساخت.»

از اونجایی که ۹۰ درصد کتابایی که میخونم متاسفانه یه فضای دارک و خفه‌ای دارن - سلیقه‌ام اینجوریه- برای تلطیف فضا هر از گاه یه کتاب کودک و نوجوان میخونم. این کار علاوه بر سبک کردن ذهنم، باعث میشه کتابایی رو که میتونن یه پیامی رو در قالب داستان به بچه‌ها یاد بدن، کشف کنم برای مواقع نیاز.

«گربه بودن» درمورد اینه که خودمونو دوس داشته باشیم و از سرزنش کردن بیخودی خودمون سر اتفاقایی که نقشی توشون نداشتیم، دست برداریم. سعی کنیم نقاط قوت و قشنگیای زندگیمونو پیدا کنیم و دو دستی بچسبیم بهشون.

اینا چیزایی‌ان که آدما باید از بچگی یاد بگیرن و چقدر خوشحالم که خیلی از نویسنده‌ها‌ تلاش میکنن این‌ها رو در بهترین شکل ممکن به بچه‌ها منتقل کنن. شمام برای تسریع این مسیر پیام‌رسانی، این کتابا رو به بچه‌ها هدیه بدید، یا یه برنامه‌ای بذارید که باهم بخونیدشون.

خوندنش واسه خودتون هم خالی از لطف نیست. هم کیوت بودن دنیای بچگی رو یادتون نمیره، هم ممکنه به یاداوری این پیامها، زیر فشار زندگی، نیاز داشته باشید :)


«با وجود درد می‌شود هم‌چنان آرزو کرد و درد مثل بادی بود که در بادبان‌های آرزو می‌وزید.»

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Be A Cat is a stand-alone book for young readers by popular British author, Matt Haig. It’s Barney Willow’s twelfth birthday, but it’s hardly what you’d call a happy one. His parents are divorced, and his dad’s been missing, properly missing, since last summer. His mum is sad and a bit manic. He’s constantly picked on, by everyone, from the kids at school, especially that bully Gavin Needle, to the head teacher, Miss Polly Whipmire. He has one good friend, and she’s a girl; she’s not a girlfriend, no. Rissa Fairweather is cool and different and doesn’t care what anyone says about her.

By the end of the schoolday, things are about as bad as they can be: Barney’s got a letter to his Mum from Miss Whipmire. It’s his last warning, threatening expulsion next time he does something wrong. Fair enough if he did something wrong, but it’s Gavin who’s getting up to mischief and blaming him. That is, when Miss Whipmire isn’t reprimanding him for the tiniest thing. When he spots a cat on the way home, he fervently wishes they could swap places. Cats have a great life, don’t they? But don’t they say “Be careful what you wish for”?

The next morning, Barney wakes up as a cat. Actually, that cat. This causes more problems for him than he had ever dreamed were possible, but it turns out he hasn’t swapped bodies with just any cat. He’s now inhabiting a cat that’s in league with Miss Whipmire, and Miss Whipmire is not quite who or what she seems. While Barney is rescued from Miss Whipmire’s filing cabinet (and certain death) by brave and smart Rissa, that’s not the end of the story, and getting people to understand it’s him is, understandably, near impossible.

Young readers (and not so young) will enjoy the hilarious character names, descriptions (which are supplemented in the print version with wonderful illustrations by Stacy Curtis), and the occasional wordplay, as well as a clever plot with an exciting climax. And of course, there’s a worthwhile lesson on self-esteem in there too. This Carnegie Medal Nominee (2013), brilliantly narrated by Chris Pavlo, is a delightful read.

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to listen to this audiobook having read a couple of other books by Matt Haig.
It wasn't till I started listening that I realised it was a children's Y/A book but it was so good I finished the audiobook.
Absolutely brilliant. Recommended.

[JohnnyBear · Rating 5 out of 5]

9 out of 10

This book is an excellent example of humorous, charming, and tension-filled middle-grade fiction. I thought it was phenomenal!

To Be A Cat is a book about a boy named Barney. Barney is living with his mother after his mother and father got divorced. A little while after the divorce, Barney's dad goes missing. Along with a less-than-ideal home life, Barney is dealing with trouble at school. The school principal hates him with a fiery passion and blames him for everything she can.



The book starts on Barney's birthday. He has to go to school, despite his birthday. On this particular day, the fire alarm goes off and Barney is blamed for it by the principal. The principal threatens to expel him. After having such a rough day, Barney spots a cat and wishes that he could live a carefree life as a cat. Then the next morning Barney shrinks, grows fur, and becomes a cat. (Yep...)

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the character writing and the intense scenes near the end. I loved learning about this cat world. I liked the occasional illustrations scattered throughout the book. It was a fantastic read, can't recommend it enough! This is some top-tier middle-grade fiction, and I'm surprised it is not more popular than it is. A perfect book for the middle-grade demographic!

[Lyndsey O'Halloran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I knew To Be A Cat is aimed at a younger audience than the books I would normally read, I loved The Radleys so was determined to give it a go anyway. I'm glad I did.

Having always had cats in our family, Haig drew me in by telling me that cats are magical. The book starts off with a fantastic list of the reasons why cats are magical and the different things that they can do and I loved this. Even before the story had begun, this book had a real fun and light-hearted feel to it. I was sat giggling at the things that cats do and couldn't help but think of my own cats in these situations. For anyone who owns cats, you will instantly be hooked just because of this list.

Barney was a wonderful character. Only just turning 12 years old, he is so amazingly innocent. All Barney really wants is to have a happy life again, back when his Dad was around but instead he gets bullied and has a terrible time at school. When his birthday doesn't go as planned and he has the worst day at school, everything changes for Barney and this is where the story begins. Instead of waking up the next day as normal, he instead wakes up in the body of a cat.

Secondary characters like best friend Rissa and head teacher Miss Whipmire gave the story so much depth. These characters were completely in a league of their own and they were a fantastic contrast to Barney, who I was rooting for from the very beginning. I loved, loved, loved how evil Miss Whipmire was and her reasons behind being this way. Although I knew there was a twist in the book, I wasn't quite ready for it to be this but it was certainly genius from Haig.

The story throughout was fun and exciting and something completely different. I loved the idea that cats and humans could switch bodies. I do love a good body swap film so to have it in a book with such a massive twist was great for me. I have never read a book so original. At the same time as being so creative, Haig managed to keep the story accessible to readers of all ages and I really do think that it will appeal to so many different people. I know both my older sister and my Mum would both love to read this.

Freaky Friday with cats... what more could you want?!

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved everything Matt Haig's written since discovering him through The Last Family in England, which is still in my all time favourites list. I need to tell you though that this book is quite firmly in the aimed-at-children bracket - large print, relatively simple language (but absolutely no talking down...). But I absolutely loved it, from the intro where the author - who butts into the story every so often, to wonderful comic effect - sets out seven magic things about cats. The gist of the story isn't new - Paul Gallico's Jennie particularly comes to mind, where a boy wakes up as a cat - but the treatment certainly is. Barney Willow is a wonderfully drawn, unhappy little boy, ignored, bullied, picked on, who wishes he could be a cat - and becomes one. The book is full of fantastic characters - his loyal friend Rissa, Guster the family King Charles spaniel who thinks he IS King Charles, the "swipers" (street cats), the evil bully Gavin Needle with the soft underbelly, the supremely evil Miss Whipmire who keeps her pencils in a cat's skull, and the amazing Terrorcat. It's a wonderful story of love, loyalty, humour, standing up to bullying and how being yourself is more important than anything. A wonderful read for children and adults alike.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful little book. It centres around unconditional loyalty, courage in the face of impossible circumstances and the surprise that things are never as scary as you make them out to be, even bullies. A young boy, Barney, isn't very popular as a human as wishes that he could be a cat - as he believes they have an easier life than him. As a human he is being bullied by another boy, has a headteacher from hell, and his dad has been missing for a year; something which many children could relate to. The only trouble is, he wakes up as a cat the next day; as his bully's cat. He makes friends with a dog - and together they get through a range of problems. His friends show their true colours and allow him to find what he wants in life.

The story has a tender theme which opens children's eyes towards things which really matter in life - beyond artificial value. The language used is for a confident young reader, so probably better for KS2. It would be a lovely book to use in a PSHE lesson. A recommended read.

[Chicco Padovan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I gatti sono magici.
Questa è pura verità.
I gatti. Sono. Magici.”

Che libro delizioso!
Una storia di puro intrattenimento: non ha altra pretesa che divertire il lettore e ci riesce benissimo.
Nulla di nuovo a dire il vero, l’idea dello scambio di corpi è quanto di più trito si possa immaginare nell’ambito della fiction per ragazzi. Ma che importa? Il romanzo fila che è un piacere e non annoia una singola pagina. Haig è un abile narratore: infondere nuova linfa a un concept già noto è un’impresa e lui ci riesce alla grande.
Il testo è accompagnato da alcune illustrazioni in bianco e nero dal vago retrogusto manga firmate da Pete Williamson. Non sono male, ma guardandole mi sono ritrovato a rimpiangere Quentin Blake.
A parte quest’ultima nota, una lettura da non perdere.

[Akanksha Chattopadhyay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.75 stars.

[Maricarmen Estrada M · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Life wasn’t ever one ingredient. It was several. And some flavours were bad and some were good, but love was the strongest of all. If you were loved, you had everything. It was the milk that made the cereal of life worth tasting.”

I loved this story about cats and humans. Very original and fun, and with memorable characters, and a super villain that will make anyone cringe.

I especially liked the ending that was happy, but its edge that reminded me of how life really is.

Matt Haig’s kindness is always an element from his books that I always find engrossing, inspiring, and always leaves a great life lesson to think about and keep.

It’s a perfect book for all ages, but especially for middle school kids.

[LC · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected more from Matt Haig, one of my favourite authors. This book wasn't sure whether it was a children's or adults' book, being too convoluted and violent for the former, and too nonsensical and corny for the latter. Dated are the bullying comments directed at the (child) villain of the book around bed-wetting and sleeping with a stuffed animal; and some casual, if unintentional racism of a siamese cat being obsessed with going home to Thailand or "Old Siam" as referred to in the book, without any context save being siamese. Good parts of the story included observational humour, such as the labradors advertising loo roll seeming like a horror movie for cats, and the well-written Rissa character, as well as the ending which wasn't entirely happy, though the way the characters relate to each other at the end is an overdone trope.

[Jenny Mackinlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Matt Haig. Full stop. And I admire that he does such different things. This is more overtly a kids' book than most of his other work (a lot of it is or should be recognised as crossover) but I think is a terrific example of 'all ages' storytelling. Plus fabulously wonky illustrations by Pete Williamson who should receive his due of praise.

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars! I didn't care much for the illustrations but the story is great. The only thing that bugged me was that Matt Haig doesn't know as much about cats as I thought. He said something about a male tortoise shell and all tortoise shells are females. It is genetic. I recently also read that all gold cats are Tom cats.

Highly recommended fun book.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Schöne Geschichte für Kinder. Man merkt hier aber auch deutlich, wie sehr Matt Haig sich als Schriftsteller weiter entwickelt hat.

[Karyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this was a real cute book. I heard the audio version of it.
If your a cat person or a dog person, you might want to hear it.

Cute story nothing else..

[Tish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this, what a brilliant message, I'm a big fan of Haig anyway so I expected a decent book but I was expecting a story not a life lesson and this book just full of messages that people should live by, love yourself the way you are, it's okay that you aren't everyone's type of person, life is sad sometimes and that's okay too, it's okay to not be okay.

The only thing I couldn't get behind was a siamese cat being the baddie, it still gets 5 stars from me but as a breed they are notoriously known for being TOO loving and i just couldn't get behind such uncharacteristic features of a siamese cat

[Melissa De Cunto · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading his adult book The Midnight Library I thought to give this a shot to see the difference for his writing from adult to children and it was ok. This is a children book so this is not my typical book I read but I still have it a shot. The ending was fine to me but I thought their were to many chapters for this story. The writing style was also a bit redundant to me.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is as adorable as you'd expect from the title! Fun adventure story about a boy who's not very happy with himself and would rather become a cat. Some of the characters were a bit flat but otherwise a very enjoyable read.

[Charvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

Such a beautifully written magical book! I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book, it was so much. I also like how it focuses on themes of family, love and friendship amongst the magical plot :)

[Kirsten Dent · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was as if this book was written for my 8 year old son who for several years now has tried to convince us that he is a cat. This book explains a lot that’s for sure.

[Celine Prins · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are absolutely stunning!!!

Going to read this to my future kids

[🌷🌻🐛jessica🐛🌻🌷]

I really found the part when miss whitmiar through barny off the hill

[Eleanor]

This was one of my absolute favourite books when I was younger, and rereading it I still think it holds up. The deeper themes and messages that I can now recognise in it are actually really sad, and I would still recommend this wholeheartedly to kids.

[Erin Mendoza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew gives this book 4.5 stars
This kind of reminded me of Roald Dahl's style of book.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went to one of Matt Haig's book readings in Liverpool with my Mum and Dad, and bought this book while I was there. Matt Haig was very nice and took the time to speak to us, sign this book for me and have a photograph taken with us.

This is about a boy called Barney Willow, who's life isn't going too well. His parents are divorced, his dad has gone missing, he is being bullied at school and then he unexpectedly and spontaneously turns into a cat. When I read this book, I was so engrossed and trapped in it and felt as though I was actually there.

My favourite character was Rissa Fairweather, a friend of Barney's before he turned into a cat, because she was lovely, she didn't care when others were unkind to her and she was very brave, eg. she stood up to Mrs Whipmire, a cruel character in the book, in order to protect Barney. "Unlike Barney, for whom Gavin Needle and his friends made life a daily torment, Rissa was one hundred percent bully proof. Do you want to know her secret? She genuinely didn't care what people said about her. In fact, she quite enjoyed it if people called her names. It made her feel shiny inside." That quote made me really admire Rissa.

I liked that this book was written from a cat's point of view, with an interesting plot and storyline.
It made me feel very lucky that I'm not a wild cat, in the cold, hungry and bored with a cat gang that wants to attack you, the way that Barney was when he was a cat.
I liked the way it was written, and the fact there was lots of interesting characters. The dark, fantastic drawings also added to the book's atmosphere.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A village near to mine has an old BT telephone kiosk that they've converted into a free 'book swap' centre. I picked up 'To Be A Cat' knowing it was a kids' book but still willing to give it a go. Can there truly be any human who shares their life with a cat who hasn't taken a look at their furry friend living their best life and thought they'd like to swap lives? As you run out the door for your long commute to a job that's not that wonderful but keeps you and your furry friend warm and fed, it's tempting to think a swap might be just the thing.
Barney Willow does just that. Bullied at school by kids and his headmistress, not communicating well with his mum and missing his divorced dad, Barney sees a cat and wishes they could change lives. And this being that kind of book, is exactly what happens.

It's a classic tale of good and evil, of being careful what you wish for, and - not surprisingly - about the superior ability of cats to communicate and humans to not listen. The headmistress is deliciously evil and Barney's best friend Rissa is a super lovely character.

[Saima · Rating 4 out of 5]

The other books by Matt Haig that I've read almost read like children's literature, with simple stories in simple words, however this one was intentionally written for children and it was a delight to read. As a cat owner, I was drawn in by the title and knowing what to expect from the author, the story didn't disappoint. The intrigue and suspense was perfect for the genre and for once, I'm going to give one of my books away to a child so that they can enjoy it too.

[Leilani Hesketh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that miss wimpier deserves
to go to jail after trying to kill Barney
Willow in a cats body called Maurice.
His dad went missing. when miss wimpier
dropped him in to the river but before he
could drown his best (only) friend
Rissa spotted him and picked him
up out of the river. I won't say any
more or I would spoil the book even more!☺

[Genevieve Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book.

-Sense of Adventure 76%
-Sense of Humour 61%
-Family Love 50%
-Vile Principals 100%
-Cats..... Well, there are 500% cats in this book!

Do not read if you're a dog lover :P