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Simon Schuster The Last Journey.
Beautiful and heart-achingly sad animal adventure with CATS and a strong environmental message. Perfect for fans of Michael Morpurgo, Sarah Lean and Hannah Gold's The Last Bear...
Pusskin has always lived with his loving owner, eleven-year-old Lottie. The bond between them is unbreakable, or so they both thought. But when the bird and insect populations are depleted, cats are made a scapegoat. Keen to protect his cat friends on the cul-de-sac, Pusskin sets off on a journey that will take them to a hidden island at the furthest reaches of the country.
When Lottie tries to bring him home, she soon comes to realise that for Pusskin to have any chance of survival, she’ll have to let him go. Could this be their final goodbye?
Pusskin has always lived with his loving owner, eleven-year-old Lottie. The bond between them is unbreakable, or so they both thought. But when the bird and insect populations are depleted, cats are made a scapegoat. Keen to protect his cat friends on the cul-de-sac, Pusskin sets off on a journey that will take them to a hidden island at the furthest reaches of the country.
When Lottie tries to bring him home, she soon comes to realise that for Pusskin to have any chance of survival, she’ll have to let him go. Could this be their final goodbye?
256 pages, Paperback
Published July 3, 2025
7 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Stacy Gregg
80 books207 followersAs a young girl living in New Zealand Stacy Gregg wanted to be two things when she grew up – a horse rider and a writer. She now considers herself very, very lucky to be both at once!
Becoming a writer was the easy part – all she needed was an exercise book and a pen. Stacy wrote loads of poetry and short stories at school and then became a journalist, writing features for magazines and newspapers and working as a fashion writer (v. glamorous and lots of fun!) before her first book in the Pony Club Secrets series was published in 2007.
Extract from author's web page
Becoming a writer was the easy part – all she needed was an exercise book and a pen. Stacy wrote loads of poetry and short stories at school and then became a journalist, writing features for magazines and newspapers and working as a fashion writer (v. glamorous and lots of fun!) before her first book in the Pony Club Secrets series was published in 2007.
Extract from author's web page
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
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October 25, 2025Stacy Gregg writes a great animal story. But this time she has veered away from her beloved horses and she has zoomed in on cats.
Set in the UK in what feels like a pre-dystopian society, the government has decreed that all cats need to be destroyed as they believe that the felines are killing too many birds.
The dreaded Curiosity (clever name right there!) sends letters to owners to let them know that their cat's time has come - and there can be no arguments.
But living in a secluded cul-de-sac is Pusskin, who, at birth, was chosen for something special. He brings together the other cats on his street and they head for a mystical island where they have heard that cats can live in peace.
The story follows their journey as they try and evade the Curiosity and navigate humans in general.
This story is a brilliant commentary on the joy that animals bring to humans, but it is also a warning as the inspiration came from a near-truth during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Set in the UK in what feels like a pre-dystopian society, the government has decreed that all cats need to be destroyed as they believe that the felines are killing too many birds.
The dreaded Curiosity (clever name right there!) sends letters to owners to let them know that their cat's time has come - and there can be no arguments.
But living in a secluded cul-de-sac is Pusskin, who, at birth, was chosen for something special. He brings together the other cats on his street and they head for a mystical island where they have heard that cats can live in peace.
The story follows their journey as they try and evade the Curiosity and navigate humans in general.
This story is a brilliant commentary on the joy that animals bring to humans, but it is also a warning as the inspiration came from a near-truth during the Covid-19 pandemic.
September 29, 2025
I loved this book. A must read for any cat lover.
September 9, 2025
This is a great story about a group of neighbourhood cats who go on an unexpected journey. Their comfy, cared-for home lives are exchanged for danger and self-reliance as circumstances force them to take to the road in search of safety.
August 11, 2025
When Pusskin is just a kitten waiting to be adopted. His mum tells him he has a great destiny and Pusskin has no reason to believe otherwise until he’s the last of his litter to find a home. Then life with his new owner, Lottie doesn’t get off to the best start when he gets stuck behind the washing machine and then ruins on her mum’s bedroom carpet!
Upon finding his home with Lottie we see his adaptation to domestic life and his exploration of the cul-de-sac and relationships with the other cats who are his neighbours. In the background you begin to see parts of the deeper climate messages as we learn about the diminishing bird population, the increasing insect population, and the damage that is causing to food crops.
There is a change of government to one that is hostile to cats and blames them for the disappearance of birds and the subsequent rise in the insect population. The government forms a sinister agency called the Curiosity and its job is to kill the cats so the bird population can increase again.
After speaking to a psychic cat called Cleopatra, Pusskin organises the other cats to leave the cul de sac and go to a sanctuary called Cat Island somewhere in the south. The journey is dangerous and enlightening at the same time. On the road they become acquainted with a streetwise cat called Pixie who leads them to Paddington Station for a train to the coast. While on the train a ruckus occurs the media are involved, selfies are taken and the whole issue of cats being killed enters the fray.
There are lots of unanswered questions as we go into the second part of the book. Will the cats get on the Island of Cats? Does it even exist? What will the cats who live there do? Is there a solution to the cat killing government?
I would give this book 2.5 stars because a lot of things were confusing for me and I couldn’t make sense of a lot of it. I would recommend this to fans of Holly Webb and anyone 8 or over.
Upon finding his home with Lottie we see his adaptation to domestic life and his exploration of the cul-de-sac and relationships with the other cats who are his neighbours. In the background you begin to see parts of the deeper climate messages as we learn about the diminishing bird population, the increasing insect population, and the damage that is causing to food crops.
There is a change of government to one that is hostile to cats and blames them for the disappearance of birds and the subsequent rise in the insect population. The government forms a sinister agency called the Curiosity and its job is to kill the cats so the bird population can increase again.
After speaking to a psychic cat called Cleopatra, Pusskin organises the other cats to leave the cul de sac and go to a sanctuary called Cat Island somewhere in the south. The journey is dangerous and enlightening at the same time. On the road they become acquainted with a streetwise cat called Pixie who leads them to Paddington Station for a train to the coast. While on the train a ruckus occurs the media are involved, selfies are taken and the whole issue of cats being killed enters the fray.
There are lots of unanswered questions as we go into the second part of the book. Will the cats get on the Island of Cats? Does it even exist? What will the cats who live there do? Is there a solution to the cat killing government?
I would give this book 2.5 stars because a lot of things were confusing for me and I couldn’t make sense of a lot of it. I would recommend this to fans of Holly Webb and anyone 8 or over.
June 22, 2025
The Last Journey is a middle grade children’s fiction book that tackles some rather serious themes about ecological disaster, and even the overreaching of government into the personal lives of citizens. Oh and the story is told entirely from the point of view of a cat.
We meet Pusskin when he is just a kitten waiting to be adopted. His mum tells him he has a great destiny and Pusskin has no reason to believe otherwise! Upon finding his home with Lottie we see his adaptation to domestic life and his exploration of the cul-de-sac and relationships with the other cats who are his neighbours. In the background you begin to see snippets of the deeper ecological messages as we learn about the diminishing bird population, the increasing insect population, and the damage that is causing to food crops.
This lays the foundation for the second half of the story which focuses on Pusskin and his cul-de-sac crew embarking on a journey of a lifetime to the semi mythical Isle of Cats to escape persecution (and execution at the hands of the government)
It’s a difficult book to rate really. The concept as a whole is nice, it is a fresh unique voice to tell a story like this from the point of view of the animal, however it feels a little like the tone is undecided. It handles some very serious topics and the deeper you dig the more thematic undertones you begin to discover. But, it also tries to retain the focus on the middle grade demographic. It feels to me like a book that tries to straddle two things and unfortunately slips through the cracks.
There isn’t anything inherently bad about The Last Journey, it just had too confused of a tone for me personally.
We meet Pusskin when he is just a kitten waiting to be adopted. His mum tells him he has a great destiny and Pusskin has no reason to believe otherwise! Upon finding his home with Lottie we see his adaptation to domestic life and his exploration of the cul-de-sac and relationships with the other cats who are his neighbours. In the background you begin to see snippets of the deeper ecological messages as we learn about the diminishing bird population, the increasing insect population, and the damage that is causing to food crops.
This lays the foundation for the second half of the story which focuses on Pusskin and his cul-de-sac crew embarking on a journey of a lifetime to the semi mythical Isle of Cats to escape persecution (and execution at the hands of the government)
It’s a difficult book to rate really. The concept as a whole is nice, it is a fresh unique voice to tell a story like this from the point of view of the animal, however it feels a little like the tone is undecided. It handles some very serious topics and the deeper you dig the more thematic undertones you begin to discover. But, it also tries to retain the focus on the middle grade demographic. It feels to me like a book that tries to straddle two things and unfortunately slips through the cracks.
There isn’t anything inherently bad about The Last Journey, it just had too confused of a tone for me personally.
August 31, 2025
everyone needs to read this book
September 28, 2025
Took me a while to get into this book, but I did enjoy it. It’s meant for younger readers & I think they would really love it.
December 10, 2025
Excellent young person read.
August 3, 2025
I loved this book! I love Pusskin he is so cute and funny and he is actually a lot like my cat Cosmo. It was really exiting and enjoyable to read (except the Curiosity I hate the Curiosity!) I heavily recommend this book especially to cat lovers like myself it was and the vocabulary i thought was good. It nearly got a five star I only put four star because because of the Curiosity I HATE THE CURIOSITY FOREVER THEY ARE EVIL E V I L EVIL! Spoiler alert! Don’t read if you don’t want spoilers
HERE COMES THE SPOILERS. I can reveal COCO DOESN’T DIE! YAYYYYYYY! and Coco and Monster are in love
HERE COMES THE SPOILERS. I can reveal COCO DOESN’T DIE! YAYYYYYYY! and Coco and Monster are in love
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews