Beware, villains! Cat Ninja may appear to be nothing more than a silly internet meme. But he is evil's greatest enemy, and the silent master of Kat Fu and carpet scratching! From Epic! Originals, Cat Ninja is a hilarious graphic novel series about a lovable cat with a heroic alter-ego.
Raised from a kitten by a kindly old ninja master, Claude now spends his days as the pampered house cat of an eleven-year-old boy. But when trouble arises, Claude dons his mask and springs into action as Cat Ninja—Metro City's secret protector! In Book 1 of the series, follow our feline hero’s early exploits as he tries to keep his secret identity under wraps while thwarting the evil plans of slimy crooks, rampaging robots, and a certain rodent nemesis who lives under the same roof!
Originally from the Midwest, Matthew Cody now lives in New York City with his wife and son. When not writing books or goofing off with his family, he teaches creative writing to kids of all ages.
This was a really cute middle grade graphic novel about a cat, who is a house cat by day, and a superhero named "Cat Ninja" by night, and his main nemesis is the hamster owned by the sister of his owner. It was so cute and reminded me a lot of the story line of "Perry the Platypus" from "Phineas and Ferb". It was really enjoyable.
I found this book on the Fantasy and Sci-Fi Wakelet under "Best Fantasy and Sci-Fi Graphic Novels for Kids." Cat Ninja earned a starred review from Kirkus Reviews in 2020. This book is written by Matthew Cody and illustrated by Yehudi Mercado, published in 2020. Cat Ninja is a graphic novel series with a box set of 6 books. I was able to read this book on Epic.
By day, Claude seems like an ordinary house cat living with his owner, Leon. By night, he transforms into Cat Ninja, the protector of Metro City. His biggest threat comes from Master Hamster, who just happens to be Leon’s sister Marcie’s pet. When Master Hamster plans to rob every bank in the city, Cat Ninja uses his ninja skills and clever thinking to stop him. Not only does the story focus on Cat Ninja and Master Hamster, but it also shows Leon and Marcie navigating their parents’ divorce and competing for attention while adjusting to life in two households.
The book shows a clear difference between every day life and superhero action. The illustrations at home with Leon and Marcie look normal and calm, while the Cat Ninja action illustrations are full of movement and excitement. The visuals help support comprehension of action, character relationships, and setting.
I think this book is a great fit for grades 1–4. Students can identify key story elements, such as the problem and solution, and analyze characters by comparing and contrasting Cat Ninja and Master Hamster. The book can also serve as a mentor text for writing, showing how to use speech bubbles, action words, and sound effects in illustrations to convey dialogue and movement.
Cat Ninja is so much cuter than it has the right to be. The humor, the action, the art is just top notch. I got major Phineas and Ferb vibes, which is amazing because I love that show. So if you are like me, then you will definitely enjoy this.
Review to be added to Amazon UK and US on 13th October 2020 - publication day!
I thought that this book was brilliant!
I thought that this was a great little read and I loved that the story was split into sections so that I could read one section a night with my daughter and it build up the suspension to see how Cat Ninja would get on against the pesky villains!
The characters were well developed and I loved the variety of cats, dogs and rodents involved! They were great and I loved it - it is 5 stars from me for this one, fabulous illustrations and a fun read too – very highly recommended!!
My son discovered Cat Ninja on the Epic app (which I absolutely love). And now my daughter has asked me to read these stories to her. PS I also highly recommend Kitten Ninja, which is a prequel. I was shocked that Cat Ninja's family is a split family! Good on them for making the family relatable rather than the perfect family model. The number of times friendship and patience and determination come through is lovely. I quite enjoyed reading these stories to my 5-year-old daughter.
I found out about this book series from a list of “Best Fantasy and Sci Fi Graphic Novels for Kids” from the website What Do We Do All Day? The book is based in the children’s digital book library Epic, and I read it on the platform. I appreciate that this particular book (and all of the rest of the books in the Cat Ninja series) have the “read to me” feature. This makes the story accessible to more readers, and also adds to the story with sound effects, music, and unique voices for each character.
By now, Cat Ninja has many books in the series. I have only read the first book, Cat Ninja: The Great Hamster Heist. Based on the Epic series page, I can see that the books are grouped into what I would call “sub series”, each book being an installment to a bigger story about Cat Ninja. Each book is relatively short, and includes very short chapters within them. The first book is only 26 pages long. It is like a “bite-sized” graphic novel, perfect for younger readers still building stamina. In this first book, the two nemesis characters are introduced: Cat Ninja, of course, and Master Hamster, who happen to be pets in the same household. Master Hamster wants to hack into human’s bank accounts by discovering their passwords. Cat Ninja comes up with a plan to stop him using social media as a tool. The story has a clear problem and solution, as well as a clear “good guy” and “bad guy”. There is not much depth to the characters, although I found it interesting that the “bad guy” did not choose to be bad, based on his origin story.
However, I did notice that there is quite sophisticated vocabulary included in the story, such as meek, monologuing, and extrapolate, just to name a few. Even if the young reader uses the “read to me” feature, they may not know what some of the words mean. What they miss could be a small nuance to the story, but in some cases may interfere with comprehension of the storyline. On the other hand, being a graphic novel should help contextualize these vocabulary words. I also discovered that on the Epic platform, you can click on words and it will display a definition of those words (but it will not read the definition out loud). Also, having such challenging vocabulary does not necessarily mean that this book is not a good choice for kids. Kids learn a lot of new vocabulary just from reading and using context clues! It would just be a good thing to keep in mind as a teacher or parent of a child reading this book.
I think the Cat Ninja series is a good option to have in the digital classroom library for elementary school teachers. It is an engaging story with humor that I think young children would appreciate. It could also be used to teach the problem and solution story structure and as an opportunity to teach context clues.
First sentence: Metro City. You may have found my secret lair, Cat Ninja, but you're too late! Your feeble feline brain is no match for Master Hamster!
Here we have another cat battling evil in Matthew Cody's Cat Ninja. As a kitten, Claude was trained as a ninja by a previous owner. Now Claude has a 'new' family. Marcie and Leon have no idea that their pets, Mr. Squeaks and Claude, have secret identities. Mr. Squeaks is EVIL Master Hamster, and Claude is battling evil as as Cat Ninja. So what will happen when their dad buys a dog????
The book contains several 'chapters' of adventures. Each is like an episode.
The Great Hamster Heist Le Chat Noir! You Only Live 9 Times The Life and Times of the Fury Roach Family Squabbles
I had different reactions to each chapter. Some chapters I enjoyed. Some I really did not. I thought some chapters were delightful and fun. And others more drudgery? Though I think that is 100% subjective. I think there will be plenty of readers who will stay engaged the whole way through. I lost interest.
Cunning, Brave… My Hero! Beware, villains! Cat Ninja may appear to be nothing more than a silly internet meme. But he is evil’s greatest enemy, and the silent master of Kat Fu and carpet scratching! From Epic! Originals, Cat Ninja is a hilarious graphic novel series about a lovable cat with a heroic alter-ego.
Raised from a kitten by a kindly old ninja master, Claude now spends his days as the pampered house cat of an eleven-year-old boy. But when trouble arises, Claude dons his mask and springs into action as Cat Ninja—Metro City’s secret protector! In Book 1 of the series, follow our feline hero’s early exploits as he tries to keep his secret identity under wraps while thwarting the evil plans of slimy thugs, rampaging robots, and a certain rodent nemesis who lives under the same roof!
Out October 2020
160 Pages
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is the first book of the series and is in a graphic novel format. I love the illustrations! Just love the whole concept. Kept thinking about a rat and turtles for some reason though…
Filled with fun antics, silliness and action galore, some laughs even those out loud and loads and loads of fast-paced originality. If you like cats or own cats and see them suddenly donning masks, beware… they may want to join the Cat Ninja! Boo Ha Ha Ha… erm At the back is a questionnaire, “Is Your Pet a Super Hero or a Super Villain.”
Anyway, for a graphic novel, it’s a good size, easy read and excellent for attracting those reluctant readers. Great for schools and wonderful for special needs kids. An excellent reading tool and fun series to get into and follow.
Hi everyone! It’s Ariel here, and I’m super excited to tell you about a funny and awesome book called "Cat Ninja". It’s the first book in a cool graphic novel series!
In this book, Cat Ninja is actually a house cat named Claude. He might look like just a cute kitty, but he’s also a super-secret hero who protects Metro City! Claude was raised by a wise old ninja master, so he knows all about Kat Fu (that’s ninja stuff for cats) and even how to scratch carpets like a pro.
During the day, Claude lives with an eleven-year-old boy and acts like a regular, pampered pet. But when danger strikes, Claude puts on his mask and becomes Cat Ninja to fight bad guys, like sneaky crooks, crazy robots, and a pesky rodent that lives in the same house!
I loved reading this book because it’s really funny and the illustrations are awesome. The story is full of action and silly moments, and Cat Ninja’s adventures are exciting and hilarious.
My favorite part was when Cat Ninja tried to keep his superhero secret while dealing with all the trouble at home. It’s really fun to see how he manages to be a hero and a house cat at the same time.
If you like cats, superheroes, and lots of laughs, you will definitely enjoy "Cat Ninja." It’s a great start to a fun series full of adventures and laughs!
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This series is popular at my library so I figured I'd give it a try. I really thought I'd like this one. Cats, humor, and graphic novels are kind of my go-tos. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just could not get in to this one.
Pretty standard superhero-style adventure. Cat Ninja ventures around Metro City, stopping crime and saving the day, all while keeping his secret identity as a seemingly-normal housecat under wraps.
Includes themes of divorce, parental tension, and children of divorce missing the parent they aren't living with, but I don't think this was particularly well done or developed.
Artwork was fine. Plenty of action.
There is a quiz at the end to determine if your pet is a superhero or supervillain.
Best part of the whole book was that one of the notorious crime lords who owns a private island is named Elan Mollusk. Other than that the humor didn't work for me. I found the stories a little dull.
I'll keep buying these for the library, but I don't think I'll continue reading the series myself.
Cat Ninja is an average family pet by day, but a Kat Fu wielding crime fighter by night saving the city from a nefarious hamster with global domination designs, a cat burglar, an evil mollusk, and a robot dog sent to kidnap the kids in his family.
I really wanted to like this, but it kept falling short. Cat Ninja seems to more frequently save the day by accident or not at all (though he tries). The kids in the family are dealing with their parents recent divorce, and that seems a more prominent topic than Cat Ninja's crime fighting, and it just seemed to fall short and not deliver in ways I expected from the cover and blurb. I love Kitten Ninja, it's adorable. This, not as much. It wasn't bad, merely lackluster.
Notes on content: Language: None Sexual content: None Violence: Cartoonish battles that don't seem to result in any permanent injury. Ethnic diversity: Most characters are animals. The humans have a variety of skin tones. LGBTQ+ content: None specified Other: Divorce is talked about a lot. There is a kidnapping.
Five kinetic and gaudily coloured comics for the very young get turned into an Epic! Book, in my first taste of something from them that debuted on their website and not as an original. It's all reasonably serviceable, with a superhero cat solving crime and defeating the baddies – including the hamster belonging to his owner's sister. That's unfortunate, for their madcap scarpering can be a little too Tom and Jerry at times, so it's when the hamster is elsewhere and there are different baddies to be bested that these come into their own. They do all seem rather simplistic, mind – I think the declaration on the Epic! website that this is for the eight-to-ten age range rather depressing and pessimistic.
Cat Ninja is an ordinary pet by day and a superhero at night. Cat Ninja is unmatched by the city's villians, except for the Mad Scientist who has devised a plan to get rid of Cat Ninja. Cat Ninja is not the only family pet in the family. He lives with an "evil" genius, a hamster, that would like to defeat Cat Ninja. Will Cat Ninja be able to defeat the Mad Scientist and protect his family? Will hamster be able to finally win a battle over Cat ninja? This graphic has too much going on. I found it a little difficult to follow the storyline. The book is graphically pleasing and does not use potty words or negative words like stupid or idiot like some other graphics. This would be great for kids in 3rd-5th grade.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Cat Ninja fights villains at night becoming a meme sensation for Metro City, but by day he's just Claude, Leon's family's housecat that no one suspects of anything. Leon and Marcie's dad takes them for an unexpected skiing trip with their dad's new dog. They are struggling with the divorce, and the new dog seems strange. Each chapter is a different villain for Cat Ninja to fight, and they all are brought together for the final battle. Who wouldn't want their pet to be a superhero? I wish the characters were a little more fleshed out, but it's a good read filled with lots of action. It's my first book from epic!, and I'm impressed. They got great creators and a good story. For fans of Dog Man, Max Meow, and Super Turbo.
I love a hilarious graphic novel and when it combines superheroes helping a city it makes it even better. In this first volume, we get to know how he became Catninja (in a quick flashback) but also Master Hamster and it all comes together with a great rescuing adventure. Secret pet heroes with secret identities. Of course, more villains are born in the meanwhile, and that Fury Roach just made me laugh out loud. The art is amazing, the technique, page design, and color is really full of action and appealing. Love the extra short episode of Fury Roach at the end. This is a series that a lot of kids (and graphic artists like me) will be hooked on and have a great time reading.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
My daughter is a big fan of graphic novels for kids. I chose this book thinking it might be a fun book for me to read to her. The graphics were colourful and great, the dialogue and plot were both funny, unfortunately there were too much unique vocabulary in this book for her. In the first page, it already used words such as feeble, diabolical, fiendish, reign, meme, etc.
I would still recommend it to older kids in grade 3- 4 and older.
What a fun superhero story! Obviously pet/animal superheroes/villains has been done before, but I thought this was pretty fun. Master Hamster in his plastic ball was particularly entertaining to me! Also thought the Fury Roach constantly getting smashed was highly entertaining. Cody did a nice job weaving in the story of the kid owners and the aftermath of their parents' messy divorce. Leon, Marcie and their mom all have beige toned skin. Really this was a delight. Great puns and adults will enjoy the references to heist/superhero movies.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.
I am always looking for fun and engaging graphic novels for my classroom. The students I work with cannot get enough of them. I know that Cat Ninja will be a hit. It has great illustrations, a super funny story line, and hilarious characters.
I recommend this for grades 3 - 5, although really anyone would enjoy it!
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of hamsters?"
Mild mannered Claude, a cat belonging to a boy named Leon, is also Cat Ninja when Metro City needs protection. Who would believe that living under the same roof is Mr. Squeaks, belonging to Marcie, who is also the evil Master Hamster. Or is he? And into the life (and house) of Leon and Marcie comes Adonis, a big dog given to them by their father. But there's something strange about Adonis. This is a job for Cat Ninja ... and Mr. Squeaks?
By day, Claude is an unassuming house cat, but by night he is Cat Ninja, trained by a master and saving Metro City from evil villains of all types. Though silent, Cat Ninja is skilled in communicating through his expressions, which are aptly captured in this comic book. Humorous bad guys fill action sequences that could translate to an animated show. Back stories and present happenings make for endless adventures with friends and foes. A fun series.
Cat Ninja is the perfect elementary grade graphic novel. It's bright, exciting, action packed, the graphics are great, and the story is exciting. I love the variety of characters. It's also great that it's broken up into "chapters", it makes for a fun bedtime story.
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book is full of action-packed scenes and has the adorable Claude and Mr. Squeaks! Has a great story line, beautiful illustrations, cute pets, and strong familial bond between humans and pets.
This graphic novel was a lot of fun. What appears to be an ordinary house cat, is really a Cat Ninja is disguise. And one his nemesis, Master Hamster, is his house mate. What type of trouble can these two get into, and how much of the world can they save. Only the bounds of imagination know. Throw in Adonis the dog, and these adventures will have kids laughing and reading up a storm.