Journal d'un chat assassin

The Killer Cat #1

by Anne Fine

Un chat qui ne mâche pas ses mots, ça n'existe pas  ! Pourtant, le héros de ce livre est bel et bien un chat. Il s'appelle Tuffy. Dans son journal de bord, il raconte la difficulté qu'il a d'être confronté à la plus totale incompréhension de ses maîtres. Surtout lorsqu'il ramène à la maison des animaux morts. Tuffy essaie bien de s'en empêcher... Mais aller contre nature relève d'un exploit qui n'est pas à la portée de n'importe quel chat, même de bonne volonté. Un beau jour, Tuffy est accusé du meurtre de Thumper, le lapin des voisins. Les mésaventures commencent pour Tuffy, mais pas pour ses lecteurs, qui auront, eux, le plaisir de rire à chacune des pages de ce petit roman plein de rythme et d'humour.

Genres: Childrens, Cats, Fiction, Animals, Humor, Novels, Comedy

78 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 1994

About the author

Though readers often find themselves inadvertently laughing aloud as they read Anne Fine's novels, as she herself admits, "a lot of my work, even for fairly young readers, raises serious social issues. Growing up is a long and confusing business. I try to show that the battle through the chaos is worthwhile and can, at times, be seen as very funny." In 1994, this unique combination of humour and realism inspired the hit movie MRS. DOUBTFIRE, based on Anne's novel MADAME DOUBTFIRE and starring the late comedic genius Robin Williams.

Anne is best known in her home country, England, as a writer principally for children, but over the years she has also written eight novels for adult readers. Seven of these she describes as black - or sour - comedies, and the first, THE KILLJOY, simply as "dead black". These novels have proved great favourites with reading groups, causing readers to squirm with mingled horror and delight as she peels away the layers in all too familiar family relationships, exposing the tangled threads and conflicts beneath. (It's perhaps not surprising that Anne has openly expressed astonishment at the fact that murder in the domestic setting is not even more common.)

Anne has written more than sixty books for children and young people. Amongst numerous other awards, she is twice winner of both the Carnegie Medal, Britain's most prestigious children's book award, and the Whitbread Award. Twice chosen as Children's Author of the Year in the British Book Awards, Anne Fine was also the first novelist to be honoured as Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom. In 2003, Anne became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an OBE. Her work has been translated into forty five languages.

Anne Fine lives in the north of England and has two grown up daughters.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, while my inner child has certainly enjoyed the engaging textual simplicity, the pure and exuberant entertainment value of Anne Fine's 1994 The Diary of a Killer Cat and delightfully adores feline protagonist Tuffy and finds his first person narrative voice both engaging and personable (and yes, that the textual simplicity of Fine's story is both expected and also in my opinion necessary since The Diary of a Killer Cat has obviously and specifically been penned for beginning, for recently independent readers), my older adult self does feel more than a trifle conflicted regarding The Diary of a Killer Cat. For albeit as a story in and of itself The Diary of a Killer Cat is really and truly laugh out loud funny, will as such likely also be a huge reading hit with many if not even with most young cat enthusiasts (and that Anne Fine oh so effortlessly and successfully incorporating the well known and ridiculous urban myth tale of the resurrected pet bunny rabbit into her narrative for The Diary of a Killer Cat really does make me smile), sorry, but there is one major thematic (and featured content) based issue that for myself as an older adult really grates and actually even rather renders me furious and majorly frustrated (and indeed, my textual enjoyment of The Diary of a Killer Cat for my above mentioned inner child totally notwithstanding).

Because let's face the facts here, Tuffy is able to be such an unrelenting hunter and "killer cat" because Ellie and her family in The Diary of a Killer Cat are shown by Anne Fine as obviously having no qualms whatsoever regarding letting their pet freely and continuously roam outside and with there even being a designated cat door so that Tuffy can freely enter and exit at will. And well, for me personally (and as someone who is increasingly aware of the fact that domestic cats are an invasive species and can be a major threat to and for birds), permitting pet felines to be outside cats or even both outside and inside cats is (at least for me) totally unacceptable and also environmentally problematic behaviour and that at the very least, there should be in The Diary of a Killer Cat more attempts being made to keep Tuffy inside, with me also thinking that Anne Fine as an author and as a person probably seems to think that outside cats are acceptable (with which I beg to differ and that this kind of even makes me, makes my adult self see a bit proverbially red regarding The Diary of a Killer Cat, and that my five star rating for my inner child is lowered to only three stars when my adult reading self thinks about Tuffy being continuously outside in The Diary of a Killer Cat and this all being pretty much considered tolerably unproblematic by Anne Fine).

And finally, Tuffy in The Diary of a Killer Cat being depicted as a cat freely allowed to roam unhindered outside by his owners, by his human family (and pretty much in a not really ever truly negative light, since Tuffy's shenanigans are generally simply shown by Anne Fine as cats just being cats), yes, that does textually annoy my adult self enough that I am most definitely, most certainly also not at all interested in reading the sequels to Diary of a Killer Cat, as I seriously doubt that there will suddenly be a change shown and Tuffy made into a totally, a primarily inside cat (and to also post a caveat that there is a pretty obvious "outside cats are acceptable and normal" attitude presented by Anne Fine in Diary of a Killer Cat thus also very likely in the remaining books of the series).

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loool this cat is cheeky

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Okay, okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity’s sake I’m a cat.” This is a hilarious book told from Tuffy the cat’s perspective. On Monday Tuffy brings home a dead bird and his family are horrified but Tuffy doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about. Each day “killer” Tuffy brings another dead animal which terrifies young Ellie and angers Ellie’s father so much he nails the cat flap shut. When he brings home the body of the neighbours rabbit the family go to great lengths to cover up his crime. I really enjoyed reading this book. I think that Tuffy is a funny, interesting character. I understand that some readers may not like him but as a cat owner I agree with Tuffy he is only doing what comes naturally to him.

[Maricruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me he reído un montón, no solo por el texto sino también por las ilustraciones de Alexandre Reverdin. Descaro gatuno en estado puro.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘The Diary of a Killer’ Cat is unique in that it is told from the viewpoint of a cat- but not just any cat- a funny, sarcastic, wisecracking cat. Fine’s excellent use of humour is sure to keep children very engaged, as they get into the mindset of Tuffy as he embarks on various antics, mainly the killing of other innocent animals. This helps to compensate for the fact that the book does not have much substance, in terms of an obvious moral or purpose and so otherwise may not always be suitable for reluctant readers.

As the book is very funny, with lots of character, it would make a very entertaining read-aloud to younger children. They can begin to read the story to themselves during KS2, when the book may also be utilised in writing diary entries. Expanding on this, the teacher could reinforce that scenarios are often perceived differently by different people: Tuffy is unable to see anything wrong with his behaviour but yet still they are very distressing for his owners. So as well as writing their own diaries, children can also go on to write diaries from an alternative viewpoint. If this diary is from an animal’s perspective, just like ‘The Diary of a Killer Cat’, this makes the activity all the more interesting and exciting for the class.

[Karol (Libroteca El Gato de Cheshire) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro divertidísimo escrito en forma de diario. El gato es pura ironía y me encanta.

[Adrianek · Rating 3 out of 5]

zajebiste kocham kot

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a tiny book, perfect for young readers. This is the story of a regular cat behaving like a cat, so you have him tell you how he killed a bird and a mouse and how his humans got all historical about it. It’s some good fun for kids, because later on the poor cat gets blamed by the dead of the neighbour’s pet rabbit and what happens next was quite hilarious. There’s also tons of illustrations, so I think this is a perfect book for parents to read-along with their children. It’s something you can get through in about 20-30 minutes.

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este es el estilo de literatura infantil que me gusta. Gatos asesinos y sarcásticos.

[GabyUfita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relectura del año. No me canso de éste gato. Historia infantil cortita y llena de humor gatuno. Muy bueno!

[Ramona Cantaragiu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my, I never thought a book could be this funny. I literally could not wait to turn the page and see what Tuffy did next. It is sooo catlike and anyone who is a cat owner will recognize the behaviours. And it is in first person and Tuffy's view of the world is so unashamedly self centered and unapologetic that it will make you laugh and pray to all the saints that your cat does not get any funny ideas if it sees the book lying around the house.

[Elene Figuer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si tienes gatos, lo vas a entender.

[Ruth Carrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mi hija le encanta y a mí me divierte muchísimo 😂

[Vanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Corto, sencillo y el gato me hace reír con su personalidad 😂

[Évelyne G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très bon livre pour les comique😍

[Jade Estall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a humorous book about a cat that kills yet cannot understand why his family are upset with this. He is a ‘cheeky’ kind of character always trying to justify his actions, which the children would like. The illustrations are funny which would be useful in class to keep children engaged. It also has as great sense of sarcasm about it, again useful when introducing the notion of sarcasm as it gives great examples.
This book is written in the first person, from the cat’s point of view. This could be a great way to introduce this type of writing, for children to then write in first person themselves. Alternatively it is useful in demonstrating writing from the point of view of others, especially as children can often be quite one-sided in their thinking. The book gives a great account of this as it demonstrates how different the cat’s thoughts are on the situation from the typical ‘human opinion’ which I feel children would find amusing.
On the negative this book would not be good for those sensitive as there is a case of a bunny dying. Therefore if anybody is grieving or particularly fond of animals it is possible they could find it distressing, thus may need to be considered.

[Duane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was truly let down by this book. I guess you need to be a cat person to really enjoy this book. Told through the eyes of a cat, you get to hear his rational for killing other things and pretty much thinking his way is the right way for everything. The family ends up covering up for this terrible cat by lieing to their neighbor about a dead bunny. I guess if you want your child to read about how doing whatever you want is okay and then lieing to cover it up is okay, then read it. I personally would never recommend this book to anyone.

[Abril G. Karera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Divertidísima historia de Anne Fine que me ha dado muchas satisfacciones al compartirla con los niños. Y es que quién no ama a los gatos, sobre todo a los que son tan dignos como éste. Creo que les puede gustar mucho. ¡No dejen de leerlo!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Told from the point of view of a cat who justifies all his actions to himself, no matter how naughty. Too cute!

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um, this isn't written very well. And the poor bunny died! My kids didn't get any of the jokes or humor. It fails.

[Sofia Brito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious 😊My year 3 class lived it❤️

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me laugh out loud! She's obviously had cats as pets!!

[Laura Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief Plot Summary:

‘Okay, Okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity’s sake, I’m a cat. It’s practically my job...’
When Tuffy the artful cat comes home with a bird in between his fangs his owner Eliie is beside herself. Time and time again Tuffy has done this and she determines that this will be the last. However, crying into his fur and having funerals for his various victims does not stop Tuffy from going on his mischievous rambles in the middle of the night. From the point of view of Tuffy, Anne Fine’s book gives a comical account of what it could be like to be a cat. ‘Moan, moan, moan, moan’ is all Tuffy thinks his owners do. This is because he keeps killing smaller animals and bringing them into the house. No matter what the family do they cannot stop Tuffy from doing what he wants to do. Therefore, when the neighbours rabbit is found on the living room carpet the family can but only assume that Tuffy is the killer: the one to blame. Not knowing what to do with the rabbit, they then clean the grass, bits of twigs and oil off its fur and sneakily put it back into its hutch in the dark. After this Ellie’s father nails the cat flap and takes Tuffy to the vets as punishment. When shopping in the supermarket later on, the family bump into their neighbours. Forced to chat, they curb around the subject of the rabbit until Ellie comes across some tins of Rabbit food:

‘“Oh, nooo!” she wailed. “Rabbit Chunks!”’

This outburst prompts the neighbours to talk about their own rabbit. As they do, it is uncovered that their rabbit had been ill for quite some time and had died of its own accord. The neighbours buried it in the garden, but as Ellie’s family already know, they claim that they found the rabbit back in the hutch looking brand new after it had been unearthed from the ground. When inside their own home, Ellie’s family realise that they had made a mistake about Tuffy and apologise for thinking that he had murdered the rabbit. They give him a big squeeze and unnail the cat flap, whilst he silently basks in all the glory they are bestowing on him. What they don’t realise is that he is sitting with a rather mischievous grin on this face! What will Tuffy do next the reader is left questioning?

Why I like, or don’t like the book:

I took great pleasure in reading this book. Throughout the twists and turns of the cats cheeky comments and actions I had a smile on my face, and I believe that children would thoroughly enjoy reading this book also. The familiar settings of the book causes readers to consider what their own cat (pet) is thinking about their family, and what they could potentially get up to when they go off into the garden and beyond.

Outline appropriate age range:

The book is most suitable for children between the ages of 7-9

Say how it could be used in the classroom:

The comical aspect of this book makes it an extremely useful tool in aiding the development of both children’s reading and writing skills:
- The punctuation, repetition and use of various lengths of sentences enable the book to be an easy yet interesting read, and therefore can be used to help children develop their writing skills. Lessons involving an examination of the writing can be followed up with a lesson in which the children are asked to write an account from the point of view of their own pet involving repetition, exclamation marks, speech marks and the use of both long and short sentences.
- The book can be used to inspire creative writing. As it is from the perspective of a cat (in first person), children could use this technique to practice writing from different points of view. From the point of view of their own pet to the point of view of Ellie in the book there are a range of different perspectives that can be explored.
- Another writing task that could be initiated in using this book, could be one that involves writing in a different form. Called a diary, this book could be used to trigger an activity that involves writing in the form of a diary. Questions such as: How do you structure a diary? How would you structure yours? Using dates, times? Would you name your diary, and write to them?: are all questions can be posed in the lesson to help children think about the different forms a diary can take in itself.
- The illustrations in this book can also be used in which to inspire creative writing (writing in a different form again). Like a comic strip the words come with pictures in this book, adding to its humour. This could be explained to the children and activities experimenting with the structure and form of the book could be done – ie. the cutting up and disordering of the pictures could be done, so that the children can rearrange them in to a different order, with their own words explaining what is happening in each picture. Moreover, the children could then create their own comic strip of events, either of the story presented in the book, or of their own one.
- The comicality, repetition, and use of short simple sentences make this a good book for both independent and guided reading. There are not many complex words in the book, and any words the children get stuck on can be looked up easily in a dictionary. This book’s simple but effective structure also makes it a helpful book in which children can do comprehension tasks in guided reading activities.

[Rebecka Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Den var väldigt rolig! (Elise, 5 år)

[caoimhebeag · Rating 3 out of 5]

bitta placement prep no harm

[Hymerka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Відповідно до назви, "Щоденник кота-вбивці" — це щоденникові записи кота Тафі, який мешкає з маленькою дівчинкою і її батьками. У книжечці описуються події лише одного тижня, але за цей час Тафі встигає принести до оселі спершу трупик пташки, потім здохлу мишу, а тоді й мертвого сусідського кроля, такого ж великого, як і сам кіт. Крихітка-господиня не може повірити у те, що її маленький котик — жорстокий убивця. Натомість самого Тафі дивує її розчулення з приводу загибелі чужих звірят, адже це він — її улюбленець!..

Тафі — такий собі типовий кіт: нахабний і самозакоханий. Він вважає себе справжнім хижаком і, на його думку, його природа виправдовує будь-які вчинки, мовляв, у нього натура вбивці. Що ж, не будемо його звинувачувати, всі ми схильні шукати виправдання своїм вчинкам, якими б неоднозначними вони не були. Мій улюблений персонаж другого плану — батько дівчинки, який ненав'язливо спонукає нашого вредного котика Тафі десь піти собі і загубитися. Як то кажуть, баба з воза — кобилі легше. ) До речі, книжечка може стати гарним приводом поговорити з дитиною про ненайкращі риси домашніх улюбленців і навчити відповідально ставитися до хатнього звірятка.

[Stephan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gillar du katter? Då skulle jag tro att den här boken passar dig fint!
Gillar du inte katter? Då tror jag boken passar dig med!
Utan att försköna kattens personlighet så får vi en fin bild av en typisk husdjurskatt. Han jagar smådjur, och får skäll och gnäll från sin familj. Han försvarar sig mot den obehaglige veterinären och matte blir helt uppriven! (dock inte lika illa som veterinären). Hela tiden med välavvägda kommentarer och observationer om människors gnäll och fjantigheter. Kort sagt, Tuffy beter sig som vilken annan katt som helst. Inget rosa glitter över hans cyniskt känslokalla världsbild.
När så grannens kanin släpas in i huset, död som en sill, så blir det givetvis en rejäl överreaktion från familjen. I alla fall om vi får tro Tuffy.

En kort, lättläst bok med en rolig huvudroll. Humorn kommer mycket från kattens observationer av familjens beteenden och familjens plan att försöka rädda situationen med den döda kaninen.

[Salma Khatun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is told from the point of view of Tuffy, a pet cat who drags a dead bird into the house. His owner, a young girl called Ellie is horrified but Tuffy cannot see a problem, "So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity's sake, I'm a cat" says Tuffy. He then brings a dead mouse into the house. Before long, Tuffy brings his next victim, the next door neighbor’s rabbit. And this time Tuffy is in deep trouble, Ellie’s parents are very cross.

However Tuffy did not actually kill the rabbit this time and finally, after a few unfortunate events, manages to prove this to Ellie.

This book is very humorous and has been cleverly written. I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend this book for KS2 classes. It would be ideal to read out loud during story time or used for guided reading sessions.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: Monday. Okay, okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity's sake, I'm a cat. It's practically my job to go creeping around the garden after sweet little eensy-weensy birdy-pies that can hardly fly from one hedge to another.

Premise/plot: What you see is what you get. This early chapter book is a diary of a killer cat. Tuffy's human is Ellie; Ellie and her family are horrified by the things their cat kills and brings back home. We get it all from Tuffy's perspective.

My thoughts: I liked this one. I didn't love, love, love it. But I enjoyed it. It was a quick, easy read. The narrative was quite funny, for the most part. It was probably for the best that there's a twist with one of his 'killings,' but it did make me have reservations about Tuffy until matters were clarified.

[Orla]

During the Christmas break I read this book with my 7 year old cousin who just absolutley loved the story. We were both laughing from beginning to the end of the story. The story is about Tuffy the cat who kills a few animals like birds and even the neighbours pet rabbits which his owners are shocked and put the rabbit back into the cage after they have cleaned it up. A really enjoyable read where the story is told from the cats point of view in the form of a diary.
A great read which will have children and adults alike waiting for the next bit of mischief had by Tuffy the cat.