Review Detail

Mr. Puffball: Stunt Cat Across America

Middle Grade Fiction 191

See the U.S.A. with a Cat- Ole!

July 21, 2016 (Updated: June 15, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

N/A

Writing Style

N/A

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Mr. Puffball is tired of endangering life and fur by being a stunt cat, so decides that he and El Gato will do a movie together. Producers are vaguely interested in them to do Mac and Cheesy's Excellent Adventure, but would really rather have the suave, British Benedict Cumbercat and Jude Claw. To prove that they are the better actors to cast, Mr. Puffball and El Gato agree to do a test reel of their adventures across the U.S. They manage to travel from California to Coney Island, eating junk food and having narrow escapes from all manner of humorous situations.

Good Points

This is an extremely clever book which reframes the history of Hollywood in cat terms. From Purramount Studios to Director DeMew, there are countless references and jokes to film culture, both old and knew. Does Benedict Cumberbatch know how he has been immortalized?

The places that Mr. Puffball and his crew visit across the U.S. will give readers who have not had a chance to travel a good introduction to some of the scenic and historical sites of interest in our country. Of course, Mr. Puffball's antics in those places are the real fun.

Notebook novels continue to be popular, and there are even a number of them that involve cats: Watson's Stick Cat, Myracle's Fashion Kitty, and Surovec's My Pet Human (not to mention the graphic novel versions of Hunter's Warriors books). Mr. Puffball is a great addition to this list of books to keep cartoon loving cat fans happy.