Cats on Track

Anton and Cecil #2

by Lisa Martin, Valerie Martin, Kelly Murphy (Illustrator)

Terrible news has reached cat brothers Anton and Cecil: their rodent friend Hieronymus has been captured. Anton and Cecil must try to rescue the mouse who once saved Anton’s life.

Boarding one of the monstrous machines the mice call “landships,” the brothers travel to the Wild West. Along the way Cecil is tossed out onto the prairie by the train’s conductor, only to face bison, prairie dogs, and a boy who would make him a pet. Meanwhile, Anton meets a ferret friend who warns of stampeding herds, rattlesnakes, and fierce, enormous cats. Facing such danger, can Anton and Cecil find the courage and wit to save Hieronymus?

Genres: Cats, Adventure, Middle Grade, Animals

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2015

About the author

I grew up in New Orleans and spent my high school years writing overwrought poems and short stories. Then I took a detour into the land of numbers (business! accounting!), taught college sophomores, met my husband, hung out at home with our two sons, and now am finally back to the lovely world of words.
I live in Charlottesville, Virginia with my family and our two cats, all of whom have made their way into my stories.

Reviews

[Desi A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun family night-time read. This is a great series.

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another tale featuring the two most adventurous cats (and a mouse) in historical fiction. I really enjoyed this second book in the Anton and Cecil series.

This time, the brothers receive a message that their friend Hieronymus is in trouble and needs their help. Once again, the two cars set off on a rescue mission, this time traveling by train across the continent. Along the way they have adventures and meet many new friends, big and small.

While I enjoyed this book, I wish there had been that element of fantasy the first book had. Nothing overdone, but I liked those moments when the reader wonders if the cats are truly seeing what they think they're seeing.

It's not necessary to read the first book before reading this one, but I would recommend it to avoid any confusion. This is a fun series that animal and adventure lovers alike will enjoy.

Content: clean

Batch of Books

[Adam Gori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review from my 6-year-old son, who adored the first book in this series, Cats at Sea.

I would recommend this book because of the weird and amazing things that the cats do. I love that the cats travel across the world by ship and by train. No cat has ever done that on its own.

My favorite character is Anton. He's not as adventurous as his brother Cecil, and is always careful. He likes to think first, and I like that.

[Patricia Marvin Hilfiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through a goodreads give away. I enjoyed reading about the two cats on their trip to help their mouse friend. I now want to read the first book and am sure my grandchildren will enjoy this book as much as I have.

[P.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is #2 in the three-part trilogy about a pair of brother cats who travel across the continent seeking adventure and the rescue of a good friend from predicament. Like the first book, the language is simple, but it does not talk down to the reader. I have given this book the 5 Star rating because the subject matter was easy to relate to. This book will be donated to St. Joseph’s School in Chehalis, WA.

[Half Pint McGuire · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 9 yr old and I discovered the 1st book, Cats at Sea, on audiobook. It was a way to spend time together as I healed from a concussion. We loved the story, the sweet brother cats & their wild adventures. We were SO excited to discover this was a series! This one was almost as great as the 1st. Now we're anxiously awaiting our library hold to let us dig into the 3rd!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the ebook version on Kindle Fire.

I love this series for kids. The story is fun and the illustrations are fantastic. I plan to buy the books for my niece. Kids who like cats and adventure should really like this series.

[Phoebe Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the first book in this series is my favorite, but I still love the others. The vintage flavor - the date's undefined, but sometime in the 1800s - gives it such a great aura.

And cats! You can't go wrong with brother cats. <3

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anton and Cecil: Cats on Track is a decent book. I would give this book 3.6 stars. I would like to read the third book.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story.

[Thistle · Rating 4 out of 5]

"But Thistle, this is book two! I don't remember you reviewing book one!" Yeah, me neither. Since I read in ebook format, the cover is less than an inch tall and in black and white -- hard to read text on it. I missed that this was the second book in the series, and was too far into it to stop reading and switch to the other one once I realized it. Oh well, it worked perfectly fine as a stand-alone book.

This author wrote the best 'talking animal' characters I've ever read. That being said, unfortunately the story never hooked me. In it two cats brothers, Anton and Cecil, ride across the country on a train to rescue a mouse friend. I loved how each animal type in the book (horses, dogs, buffalo) all had their own way of speaking and sounded different than other animal species.

I don't think I'm going to go back and read the first book. If I had loved this one, I would, but I have too many others waiting for me.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Anton and Cecil historical fiction series. Anton and Cecil are safe at home when they get a message through the mouse network that Hieronymus Mouse has been captured. They head off to rescue him, even though Anton does not really want to go. The adventure takes them on across the sea and onto a “landship”. They travel across the continent by train, see a boat with a wheel and along the way they meet prairie dogs, cougars, buffalo and more. Cecil gets into all kinds of trouble, the pair get separated a couple of times but all in all they accomplish what they set out to do, rescue Hieronymus. What an enjoyable adventure for a pair of adventurous cats. For readers who love animal adventurers this is a fun series.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

~Disclaimer: I received this book for free in a giveaway~

I do enjoy stories from the perspectives of animals. So, I was thrilled to get my hands on this.

I have NOT read the first book in this series and felt like this book stood on its on even without having done so.

I really bought into the two cats in the story: one adventurous and the other more cautious as they travel long distances in hope of rescuing a friend.

Many other animals chat with the two cats and they make some unusual allies.

All and all a good read. Great for middler schoolers, but probably would keep the interest of an adult (I'm 25 and I liked it anyhow).

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anton and Cecil are two cats on a mission by "landships," (there word for trains) to help Hieronymus, a brave mouse that they've heard is in trouble and needs their help. Younger elementary readers will enjoy the suspenseful adventures of one brave and one cautious cat brother navigating the challenges of Nova Scotia travel in the early 1900's. The brothers' careful information gathering chats with a variety of animals, some friends many not, adds a charming element to the tale. However the story is somewhat predictable and many readers of this age might prefer the more suspenseful Warrior series.

[J. Ewbank · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful read this book is. ( I know I ended with wrong word.) The Ms. Martin's have done a fascinating work featuring two cat brothers who are called to help a mouse friend who has saved one of them on another trip. This trip features trains and a boat. The brothers have an interesting travel meeting other animals along the way. I totally enjoyed it.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" "To Whom It May Concern" and soon "Tell Me About the United Methodist Church"

[Maria . · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read ( on good reads! XD) for me! I love cats and action/adventure, and this had both in abounding quantities! Any cat love would enjoy this. It's about these cat brothers, Anton and Cecil. Anton is slender, gray, and more timid and introverted. He is the "brains" of the two. Cecil is black-and white, fluffy, and food-loving. He tends to love to take risks and go on new adventures. He is the "brawn" of the two. Throw these two cats together on an adventure to save a friend and you get an awesome adventure!

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cats on Track by Lisa Martin and Valerie Martin is the second of the Anton and Cecil books. In the previous book, the feline siblings were separated at sea, now that they are reunited, they are on a cross-country quest to save their mouse friend Hieronymus.

As the cover shows, the cats travel by train. They also have misadventures with a mountain lion, a buffalo, and other residents of the great plains and South West.

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[Susan Csoke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anton and Cecil are a pair of wayward felines. They get a visit from two mice requesting their aid in rescuing their mouse leader > Hieronymus who was captured by a Witch. So Anton and Cecil jumped aboard the Ship >SEA SONG > and their journey began. A LOVELY CHILDRENS BOOK. LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL SKETCHES. A LOVELY STORY. THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRSTREADS FOR THIS FREE BOOK!!!!!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brother cats Anton and Cecil are back to traverse the continent (North America) after receiving a plea for help from Hieronymous the mouse (from their first adventure) - not necessary to have read their first adventure to enjoy the second.

[Barbara White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was totally engaged by Anton and Cecil, and their adventurous antics. They are my new best friends. Youngsters who enjoy talking animals will enjoy this book. Thanks to Goodreads First Reads and Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill for a copy of Cats on Track. Great read.

[Lisa Martin]

Hooray! The second cat-tastic adventure has pulled into the station, and Anton and Cecil are headed west to rescue their mouse-napped friend Hieronymus. Will they find him before the coyotes find them? We hope so -- we love these guys!

[Susana Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in the Anton and Cecil series, this young adult book is adventurous with a little bit of history and told through the perspective of cats and the other animals they encounter. I look forward to reading the next in the series.

[Alana · Rating 5 out of 5]

more please!

[Victoria Grusing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very imaginative.