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Member Reviews
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Lucas is a mystery loving cat with a great sense of adventure as he embarks on meeting with new forest friends and solving problems. Great interactive book my daughters loved. The illustrations were beautiful and grabbed your attention.
Thank you Netgalley for this copy for my honest review.
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Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Kids books usually make me feel warm and fuzzy and working in youth services at a library really allows me to explore new kids books. Also, this cat looks super rad and I feel like a spy theme should be playing when it's being read.
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What a cute book. A short and interesting adventure to read to your young ones before bed. Imagine what our furry friends do when we are not around.. I found this to be entertaining and quick.
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I thought this was an adorable children’s book with wonderful illustrations! This book encourages imaginative thinking and includes activities at the end to help build on those skills. I enjoyed reading this book and would read it to young children!
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🐈⬛ This is a cute book about what a cat gets up to when he is outside at night. All kinds of possible adventures await him, right? His humans put a camera on him to finally discover what he does when he roams.
🐈⬛ The images are dark (it is nighttime) but still vibrant and full of color.
🐈⬛ The story is told in verse, and I felt like some of the rhymes were a bit forced and the cadence was inconsistent. I didn’t get the sing-song type rhymes that I tend to see most often in children’s books, and I think this story needed to have that because it was awkward to read at times.
🐈⬛ There are some cute games in the backmatter as well as a picture of the real Lucas.
🐈⬛ Kids with cats would enjoy this book.
Thank you @netgalley and BooksGoSocial for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
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This was a fun read. Mainly because the illustrations were so awesome. I loved reading the adventures of Lucas, the cat. I mean, I often wondered about the things in the book and that's why it was such fun to see what Lucas was up to in the book.
It is very cute and lovable story. I love Lucas so much. The captivating illustrations just add to the awesome plot and make it so interesting that I wanted to read it again and again.
Thank you Netgalley for the copy of such an awesome book!
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I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.
I very much enjoyed joining Lucas and his friends on their adventure. Although I would be iffy reading this to a classroom for the sole fact that it's illegal to have roaming cats in my city, the story is too cute not to share. I like the tips to encourage creativity as well. It's, quite frankly, the perfect children's book.
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Very cute little story about a cat's adventures. The rhymes are not quite as tight as some of my favorites are but the whimsical pictures offer a lot for a child to explore on a bedtime adventure.
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Aside from the Jake books from this author, we also get this – a look at a secretive cat. The two girls in the owning family are adamant the cat is a spy, forever solving crimes and rescuing other critters at night – and they've attached a spy-cam to the moggie's collar, so they're going to get proof, right? Well, never mind what kind of ending they'll get, as the one we get is a bit of a bodge – not actually stating with a clarity that equals the rest of the plot what it's trying to say, before Bam we're into the activities and teachers' notes. The couplets aren't as great as they could have been, in both rhyme and meter, and while the artwork perfectly suffices it's not a brilliant production all round. Three and a half stars – and, for something that has no trouble in pointing out where it could have been bettered, that's rather generous.
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Looking for books my niece can read during the night and this seems like a very cute story with the perfect amount of words for her level and the art is beautiful 100% recommend this to all children
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My thanks to BooksGoSocial for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.
Written in simple verse and with vivid and appealing artwork, Lucas the Spy Cat (2022) is a picture and activity book by Samantha Shannon and illustrated by Lei Yang.
The books opens with the story of Lucas, whose human sisters are interested to know what adventures he goes on when he steps out each night. They decide to find out by fitting a spycam in his collar, but before the ‘results’ come in, indulge in a little imagination, trying to think up what kinds of things Lucas might be getting up to—solving cases perhaps, or problems other animal friends have? Or even curing some animal pals who are hurt? But in the end the girls assume, the animals most certainly have a party—and as current-day animals, with music, dancing and taking selfies! When Lucas actually returns, the girls are excited to see the truth, but a surprise awaits them and us!
This is a cute little story about something anyone with cats (those that are allowed out or ‘escape’ sometimes) are sure to wonder—what do they get up to when they’re out and about? The author has included both scenarios from the children's imaginations and what really turns out—both great fun.
The verse format is enjoyable to read and fast-moving, and the artwork is lovely and colourful with not only Lucas and the girls but also an assortment of animal friends he might meet out on his adventures. I especially loved that photographs of the real-life Lucas and his (cat) sister, Nemo were included at the end.
After the story are also activity pages including a word-finding puzzle, hidden images, counting the cats, and space for the kids to create their own adventure with Lucas, pages children can spend a fair bit of time with after they’ve finished reading or between reads. There are also some helpful tips for teachers and adults working with children for activities to help increase creativity, the key to developing different ways of thinking and much problem solving across one’s life.
A great book for the intended audience for both the story and the many other fun activities (on the pages and which teachers/parents can have them do with the prompts given) it will allow them to enjoy.
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Lucas the Spy Cat is chaotic, imaginative, and absolutely hysterical. The art work adds another layer of comedy to each page, every square inch of each page has a new fun thing to notice.
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It was kind of confusing but something we can all admit to being curious about. What do our animals get up to when we aren’t around.
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This was so funny and cute. I love how clever this cat was! I also enjoyed the illustrations and the rhyming. Yes i would recommend
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This is a fun children’s book about Lucas the spy cat who goes on adventures at night time and spends time with lots of other animals and nature.
The illustrations are cute, great for fans of cats and animals. There is a word search and fun games at the end of the book.
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Lucas the Spy Cat by Samantha Shannon is a whimsical children's book that blurs the line between reality and imagination.
Is Lucas the Spy Cat like the film Cats and Dogs?
When I think of a spy cat, my first thought is the ninja cat from Cat and Dogs. That mad skills.
FYI, Lucas is more local enforcement than national agency. We follow Lucas, a cat whose nightly escapades are a mystery to his human family.
The book playfully explores the idea of Lucas being a spy, engaging in various adventures with his animal friends. However, in my opinion it's ambiguous whether these are real exploits or just the imaginative musings of the girls in the story. This ambiguity adds a layer of intrigue, making the reader question what's real and what's not.
While the concept is interesting and the illustrations are engaging, the story's basis in reality is unclear. This might leave some readers wanting more concrete adventures. Not an issue for me as I love cats and know that they have interesting lives whether you're watching them or not. Either way, it's a fun read for cat lovers and children with active imaginations, encouraging them to envision the secret lives of their pets.
My thanks to NetGalley for making this published book available for review
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Every pet owner wonders what their furbaby gets up to at night and this cute story filled with imagination and wonder is the answer to that.
My kids loved the detailed and colourful illustrations and all the extra activities at the end of the book made it so much more fun!
Thank you Netgalley for the review copy.
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The colorful illustrations in this book are amazing! So vibrant and detailed, ready to leap off the page.
My cat obsessed 2nd grader picked this book for us to read. The reading level was perfect for her to be able to read or sound out most of the words herself, and the rhyming scheme, which she loved, helped her to be able to guess words she was unfamiliar with or unsure of. I hope there will be more Lucas the Spy Cat books in the future, we would buy them all!
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A wonderful story of imagination. The first thing that drew me to this book was the cat on the cover. Lucas looks regal and the illustrations are on point. As a child I was curious and had a vivid imagination. I worry the digital age will hamper imagination. This is a wonderful read aloud book and I think it would spark imagination in the minds of children. As a child I would continue to think of the many adventures of Lucas on his nightly excursions.
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I think all cats are like Lucas. Curious and love adventure. And use the spy camera is a way to check out how our cats are doing especially when night is come.
Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for fun earc. I give 4 ⭐️