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Cosmic Creatures: The Friendly Firecat
On a faraway planet, cute alien animals need help! Luckily, Charlie and her robot friend, Random, are ready for any rescue adventure... Charlie is on a special trip to see the migration of the firecats, the fastest animals on planet Vela! But when rustlers start kidnapping the cats, the herd stampede, and a sparkly little firekitten is left behind. Charlie and Random must come up with a plan to stop the rustlers and reunite the baby firecat with its family before it's too late... Fans of Zoe's Rescue Zoo and Holly Webb will love Cosmic Creatures! Beautifully illustrated throughout by Sophy Williams, Cosmic Creatures is perfect for animal-mad readers aged 5+. Look out for the other Cosmic Creatures stories!
Paperback
Published March 3, 2022
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7 people want to read
About the author
Tom Huddleston
35 books44 followersI'm Tom Huddleston, author of fiction and non-fiction for adults and children. I've written books on famous creatives including DAVID LYNCH: HIS WORK, HIS WORLD; THE WORLDS OF GEORGE RR MARTIN and THE WORLDS OF DUNE, all about the inspirations behind the greatest SF novel of all time.
For younger readers, I've written original adventure stories like the FLOODWORLD trilogy (FLOODWORLD, DUSTROAD and STORMTIDE), along with several episodes in the WARHAMMER ADVENTURES and STAR WARS: ADVENTURES IN WILD SPACE series.
I also write about film and TV for publications including Time Out, the BFI and The Guardian, and I sing in a folk-rock band called The No Sorrows.
I was born in Kendal and raised in North Yorkshire, though I now live in London. I realise that I almost have the same name as Loki, but rest assured I'm not him: I'm slightly rounder and a lot less famous. However, I have managed to make him admit that it's his family who spell their name wrong, not mine.
If you have any questions, please get in touch!
For younger readers, I've written original adventure stories like the FLOODWORLD trilogy (FLOODWORLD, DUSTROAD and STORMTIDE), along with several episodes in the WARHAMMER ADVENTURES and STAR WARS: ADVENTURES IN WILD SPACE series.
I also write about film and TV for publications including Time Out, the BFI and The Guardian, and I sing in a folk-rock band called The No Sorrows.
I was born in Kendal and raised in North Yorkshire, though I now live in London. I realise that I almost have the same name as Loki, but rest assured I'm not him: I'm slightly rounder and a lot less famous. However, I have managed to make him admit that it's his family who spell their name wrong, not mine.
If you have any questions, please get in touch!
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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July 31, 2024See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/cosmic...
THE FRIENDLY FIRECAT is a delightful new read in the Cosmic Creatures series. Charlie and her best friend Random the robot are traveling with her brother, Maki, to visit her Aunt Leticia on the other side of the planet. Just after they arrive, their aunt whisks them off to see something incredible - a whole herd of firecats. Before they can ask too many questions, they see a ship, and Charlie and Random go to investigate, facing some rustlers who are poaching the firecats to sell on other planets.
Charlie and Random find themselves stranded with a baby firecat and a boy from the rustler's ship, learning about what they do and explaining why it is problematic. After a shared night of danger and life-saving, Charlie is captured by the rustlers. Unwilling to give up, she figures out a way off and hopefully a way to save the trapped firecats too.
What I loved: This was quite an exciting adventure with danger in the form of quicksand and capture. The story moves quickly and describes the planet, the rustlers, and the firecats well. Taking place on a world far away, this is a great sci-fi premise that sparks imagination. While this world and creatures are different than our own, the themes are easily translated with messages about respecting nature, poaching, and the importance of home that come across clearly through several conversations. There's an easy, cartoonish villain as well as a happy ending for the main characters involved that will appeal to the intended audience.
The book is written with a large font and illustrations on some (but not all) pages that work well for advancing independent readers. The themes of the story combined with the writing style will work well for early to middle elementary school aged readers.
What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the illustrations are very sketch-like with light lines that can make them tough to see. While they are quite well done, darker lines would make them more easily visible throughout.
Final verdict: THE FRIENDLY FIRECAT is an engaging sci-fi chapter book that will appeal to readers who love animals, complex themes, and illustrated reads. Highly recommend this series for early to middle elementary school aged readers.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
THE FRIENDLY FIRECAT is a delightful new read in the Cosmic Creatures series. Charlie and her best friend Random the robot are traveling with her brother, Maki, to visit her Aunt Leticia on the other side of the planet. Just after they arrive, their aunt whisks them off to see something incredible - a whole herd of firecats. Before they can ask too many questions, they see a ship, and Charlie and Random go to investigate, facing some rustlers who are poaching the firecats to sell on other planets.
Charlie and Random find themselves stranded with a baby firecat and a boy from the rustler's ship, learning about what they do and explaining why it is problematic. After a shared night of danger and life-saving, Charlie is captured by the rustlers. Unwilling to give up, she figures out a way off and hopefully a way to save the trapped firecats too.
What I loved: This was quite an exciting adventure with danger in the form of quicksand and capture. The story moves quickly and describes the planet, the rustlers, and the firecats well. Taking place on a world far away, this is a great sci-fi premise that sparks imagination. While this world and creatures are different than our own, the themes are easily translated with messages about respecting nature, poaching, and the importance of home that come across clearly through several conversations. There's an easy, cartoonish villain as well as a happy ending for the main characters involved that will appeal to the intended audience.
The book is written with a large font and illustrations on some (but not all) pages that work well for advancing independent readers. The themes of the story combined with the writing style will work well for early to middle elementary school aged readers.
What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the illustrations are very sketch-like with light lines that can make them tough to see. While they are quite well done, darker lines would make them more easily visible throughout.
Final verdict: THE FRIENDLY FIRECAT is an engaging sci-fi chapter book that will appeal to readers who love animals, complex themes, and illustrated reads. Highly recommend this series for early to middle elementary school aged readers.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
November 7, 2024
My 6 year old daughter and I both loved reading this book together! The story is fun and interesting and the illustrations are amazing. Even though the animals are little aliens they are still super cute and that was my daughter’s favorite part. It is the perfect small chapter book length and there are other books we are excited to read. We tried to read a chapter a night together and somehow kept sneaking in more! A very engaging story and Daughter approved! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews