What do you think?
Rate this book
All Aboard
The second in the series...The Tompkins family intended to take a holiday aboard a cruise ship bound for the Carribean, stopping on the first leg in New York. Unfortunatley cats are not allowed on board a ship, so poor old Bonkers would have to spend the next three weeks at dear old Mrs McDonald's farm, with his two brothers Billy and Scruff and his sister Ginger. Bonkers was born there three years earlier. How could they possibly think about going on holiday and leaving me behind? Hmmm we will have to see about that thought Bonkers to himself.
- GenresChildrens
120 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
389 people want to read
About the author
Paul Langley
3 books3 followersIt was November 2011 and after experiencing several hospital admissions during the previous 6 years, I once again found myself in yet another hospital bed. This time, I was allocated one in an isolation room, due to my seriously compromised immune system and was feeling distinctly unwell; although probably not that much worse than on previous occasions.
I had arrived at St. Thomas’ hospital the day before, in some discomfort. My consultant thought I was suffering from a chest infection, and gave me a prescription for yet another course of antibiotics. I was about to leave when he suddenly change his mind and sent me for a scan.
After some quite considerable time and a lot of confusion, there I was in a room with a lovely view of the Houses of Parliament. I was just about to try and have a snooze, after sending the obligatory report to Jan my wife, when in walked my consultant with four of his trainee junior doctors in tow. They all stood at the foot of my bed first looking at me, then at a set of notes, then back at me. There was an unsettling silence.
Finally my consultant announced that I had two massive blood clots, one in each of the main arteries leading to my lungs. I just swallowed and took a deep breath. He went on “I don’t think you realize how ill you really are. I think you should have your family around you tonight because I don’t expect you to survive till morning”. It was at this point I thought he must have been talking to someone else who was sitting in the visitor’s chair beside my bed, but when I looked, there was no one there. We exchanged brief pleasantries before they all left the room and closed the door behind them.
After a few minutes and with several thoughts racing through my head, I slid down in bed and turned to look back at the visitor’s chair just to check, and there sat Bonkers, a character from my many manuscripts that I had been scribbling down while laying in hospital beds over the years.
He sat there with crossed legs, one of his paws leaning on the arm of the chair while resting his head on his paw. “ Don’t look at me,” he said, “he’s not a vet!”
I quickly shuffled out of bed, turned around, but he had disappeared. It was at that moment I said to myself “if I ever get out of this place alive, I must get these stories out of my head and into print”. Three weeks later I started on my books.
I had arrived at St. Thomas’ hospital the day before, in some discomfort. My consultant thought I was suffering from a chest infection, and gave me a prescription for yet another course of antibiotics. I was about to leave when he suddenly change his mind and sent me for a scan.
After some quite considerable time and a lot of confusion, there I was in a room with a lovely view of the Houses of Parliament. I was just about to try and have a snooze, after sending the obligatory report to Jan my wife, when in walked my consultant with four of his trainee junior doctors in tow. They all stood at the foot of my bed first looking at me, then at a set of notes, then back at me. There was an unsettling silence.
Finally my consultant announced that I had two massive blood clots, one in each of the main arteries leading to my lungs. I just swallowed and took a deep breath. He went on “I don’t think you realize how ill you really are. I think you should have your family around you tonight because I don’t expect you to survive till morning”. It was at this point I thought he must have been talking to someone else who was sitting in the visitor’s chair beside my bed, but when I looked, there was no one there. We exchanged brief pleasantries before they all left the room and closed the door behind them.
After a few minutes and with several thoughts racing through my head, I slid down in bed and turned to look back at the visitor’s chair just to check, and there sat Bonkers, a character from my many manuscripts that I had been scribbling down while laying in hospital beds over the years.
He sat there with crossed legs, one of his paws leaning on the arm of the chair while resting his head on his paw. “ Don’t look at me,” he said, “he’s not a vet!”
I quickly shuffled out of bed, turned around, but he had disappeared. It was at that moment I said to myself “if I ever get out of this place alive, I must get these stories out of my head and into print”. Three weeks later I started on my books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 16, 2013
Review taken from my Blog Post #380 in July 2013.
Copy of the book was provided to me by Author/Publisher under the First Reads Scheme at Good Read (who are part of the Amazon family now).
It was such a refreshing change to read a children's book, and think back to when mine own kids were little.
Would they have liked this book, no they wouldn't have liked it ....... they would have LOVED it.
Bonkers and crew were simply adorable, funny, and humorous. Who wouldn't want to own him, or one of his brothers and sisters.
As for the Tompkins family, they seem to have a genius for getting themselves in to (and out of) some remarkably funny situations.
The illustrations were also well done, and the whole book was put together beautifully.
I would say the age range for this book would be around 7 to 10 years for a child to read on their own, but younger children would certainly get lots from it too. We always read to our children, and there is simply nothing like it for creating a parent/child bond and well as imbuing them with a sense of adventure and creativity and use of the written and spoken word. My own childhood was so much richer for being introduced to books at an early age, and then being able to use reading as entertainment .... but we didn't have computer games back in the dark ages!
Looking at it from both a child's perspective, as well as that of an adult, I wouldn't hesitate to give this delightful, funny and adorable book the full works, and award 5 stars
Copy of the book was provided to me by Author/Publisher under the First Reads Scheme at Good Read (who are part of the Amazon family now).
It was such a refreshing change to read a children's book, and think back to when mine own kids were little.
Would they have liked this book, no they wouldn't have liked it ....... they would have LOVED it.
Bonkers and crew were simply adorable, funny, and humorous. Who wouldn't want to own him, or one of his brothers and sisters.
As for the Tompkins family, they seem to have a genius for getting themselves in to (and out of) some remarkably funny situations.
The illustrations were also well done, and the whole book was put together beautifully.
I would say the age range for this book would be around 7 to 10 years for a child to read on their own, but younger children would certainly get lots from it too. We always read to our children, and there is simply nothing like it for creating a parent/child bond and well as imbuing them with a sense of adventure and creativity and use of the written and spoken word. My own childhood was so much richer for being introduced to books at an early age, and then being able to use reading as entertainment .... but we didn't have computer games back in the dark ages!
Looking at it from both a child's perspective, as well as that of an adult, I wouldn't hesitate to give this delightful, funny and adorable book the full works, and award 5 stars
July 26, 2013
I first want to thank good reads and paul Langley for choosing me to be the winner of this book. I thought the book is a very good book for children I am glad that I won the book so now that I have read it I know I can safely give it to my grandchildren as their mother reads to them nightly. As a chapter book it is so cute that the pet cat doesn't want to be left behind while the family is on vacation and its so funny that the cat threw the dog out when the family realized something was in back of their car (we needed a fall guy and they thought the dogs breath stunk lol). I think my grandchildren will enjoy this story so much as it is so cute. For any parent who reads to their children this is a good night time story as the chapter are small and even though they are not a lot of graphics I am hoping it will keep the children interested in what the story is about. Again thanks for choosing me to be the winner of such a wonderful children book so that I can share with my two grandchildren.
July 7, 2013
I received this book free through Goodreads First Reads.
The family are going on holiday and Bonkers the cat really wants to go too! He is taken to the farm to stay with his brothers and sisters, while the family are away. Bonkers and his siblings are determined not to be left behind so hatch a plan between them and then the fun starts!!
This is a lovely, fun, childrens book, suitable for boys or girls, with some very funny moments. Reading it as an adult, I had a few laughs, my 8 year old is reading it now and loves the idea of a cat called 'Bonkers'.
The family are going on holiday and Bonkers the cat really wants to go too! He is taken to the farm to stay with his brothers and sisters, while the family are away. Bonkers and his siblings are determined not to be left behind so hatch a plan between them and then the fun starts!!
This is a lovely, fun, childrens book, suitable for boys or girls, with some very funny moments. Reading it as an adult, I had a few laughs, my 8 year old is reading it now and loves the idea of a cat called 'Bonkers'.
August 31, 2013
I have purchased all 3 of Paul Langleys books for my 9 year old sister, I decided to read them myself as she kept going on about how good they were.
They were excellent and I really enjoyed them hence the 5 stars!
They were excellent and I really enjoyed them hence the 5 stars!
Want to read
June 17, 2013I would love to get this book I have donated quite a few books to the local cancer center all the time. This book seems to be for the children.
July 31, 2013
Really enjoyed reading this book about a cat and his brothers and sister stowing away on a ship. Very funny my son is now reading it and keeps laughing out loud
September 9, 2014
great fun!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews