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The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom (The First Cat in Space, 2)

The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom (The First Cat in Space, 2)

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The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom (The First Cat in Space, 2)

Author(s)

Mac Barnett

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Shawn Harris

Publisher

Katherine Tegen Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

October 03, 2023

ISBN

978-0063084117

Buy This Book

Award-winning creators Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris are back with the second volume in the bestselling The First Cat in Space graphic novel series! Secret tales of woe, hilarious new characters, and dangerous plans of sabotage will keep readers delighted and laughing until the thrilling climax. Perfect for fans of Dog Man and InvestiGators.

The Moon Queen has been poisoned—by SOUP.

With few she can trust in her own royal court, she and First Cat will have to journey alone to find the antidote. If only LOZ 4000 were still with them . . . But our once-heroic toenail clipping robot is on the run, looking for new purpose in this vast universe.

Unbeknownst to our trio, secret forces are working against them. In a world of villainous cowboys, high-speed chases, and falling pianos, can our iconic trio find their way back to one another and save the Moon Queen before it’s too late? And who would want to poison her? Is Captain Babybeard, the adorable baby pirate, in this one?

Editor review

1 review

Hero's Journey with Cats, Robots, and Babybeard the Pirate

October 09, 2023

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

After their adventures in The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, we find our characters in another tizzy. The Moon Queen's soup has been doctored by a self-destructing assassin robot who used a poison that will turn her into glass in 24 hours! Dr. Lollipops is not helpful in finding an antidote, to the queen sets off to reunite with Loz. Loz, who suffered a pivotal yet trivial set back revolving around a cute kitten in his world saving adventures, has been living on the moon, selling glumpfoozels (apples here on Earth). He returns, but the queen is beset by the Bunco Boys and reunites with the ship's computer, who has a harrowing tale of being used by a teenage boy for gaming before he is recycled and manages to come back. In the queen's absence, Bernice takes over and is mean and not helpful. The queen talks to Frank the Glorious, a wizard who tells the group that they must go on a quest to find the antidote. Captain Babybeard gets involved, First Cat labors silently in the background, and the clock ticks down to the queen's eventual doom. Will Loz's knowledge of Earth and moon vocabulary be able to save the day?

Good Points

This was a rollicking, goofy adventure with a lot of side characters with interesting backstories. Even the back cover touts "High-speed chases! Vile fiends! Falling pianos!", and the book certainly delivers. The quest to find the glumpfoozles prepares young readers for the classic fantasy hero's journey whil making sure they are constantly entertained by funny set pieces, like the Bunco Brothers performing a play about a woman accused of murdering her houseplant by not watering it.

I did miss First Cat a bit. He says very little and was easily forgotten for most of the book.

The art reflects the frenetic pace of the book in its thick lines and feeling of movement, witha constantly evolving palette based on where our intrepid cast finds themselves. I did appreciate the ship's computer's tale that was colored in black with green writing and pictures; young readers won't necessarily get the shout out to early Apple IIE graphics, but I appreciated it!

Readers who like graphic novels that explode with silliness, like Angleberger's The Two-Headed Chicken, Blabey's Bad Guys series, or Laser Moose will enjoy this energetic romp for readers who are a bit older than the audience for Barnett's picture books but not quite ready for his Mac B., Spy Kid or Terrible Two series.