Home > Categories > Books > Kids - General > When the Cat's Away review

Just how much trouble can three teens get into when Mum and Dad are away on holiday?
Okay, so the parents think Aunty Jean is looking after them, and Aunty Jean thinks the neighbour is... but in truth, 18-year-old Jodi, 15-year-old Nathan and 14-year-old Bianca are on their own.
And when a party gets out of control and the house is trashed, suddenly they're in big trouble - the 'grounded for life' kind.
Can they pull together and earn enough money to fix things before their parents get home?
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My daughter told me that she really enjoyed this book. It was a story that she could easily read and understand. The story was told from the point of a 14 year old girl Bianca that is similar in age to her.
As typical of all families (that I know of), it was a story of 3 siblings that didn't get along and then when a party went terribly wrong while their parents were away on holiday they had to work together to make everything right before the parents returned home.
She said that the story had a few swear words throughout, so with that in mind ... if you have younger children it might not be the most suitable of reading material.
This is quite a nice easy book to read that kiwi kids will be able to relate to instantly. The fact that it is written by a New Zealand author means that familiar things such as 'Trade-me' feature in this story.
Jodi, Nathan and Bianca's parents go away on holiday leaving them with an Aunt who is suppose to arrive to care for them. But when the Aunt breaks her leg and cannot come the children are left to take care of themselves. Among many sibling fights the kids throw a party and the house gets trashed causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. They decide they must earn enough money to repair the house and belongings before their parents get home and ground them for an eternity. So while doing this they learn to get along, even remembering happy memories from their childhood. But in 4 weeks will they manage to save enough money?
I did enjoy this book but for a paperback book it didnt feel worth $19.50 to me. Although it could be one of those stories the pre-teens would read again and again.
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