Really evocative writing, kittens and gang culture! Varjak's the ugly duckling in a snooty family of pedigree cats, bullied by his brother, he feels like an outsider. His only ally is the Elder Paw who is killed saving Varjak from The sinister Gentleman and his suspiciously expressionless cat henchmen.
Varjak leaves the only home he's ever known for the mean streets of the city, where he makes friends and learns a lot about self-reliance. Several dream sequences in which he returns to Mesopotamia with an ancestor to learn The Way - would work well as egs for writing with all the senses. The Way is full of moral lessons, as are Varjak's interactions with the street cats. Comedy comes from Varjak's innocence of the outside world - he thinks cars are dogs. Varjak's later friendship with Cludge, a fearsome-looking, but kind-hearted dog also a good model.
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