As a cat lover and a Nnedi Okorafor fan, I thought this would be a surefire slam dunk, but The Space Cat didn't dazzle me. The titular space cat, Periwinkle, speaks in a stilted Cat-ese that feels like it holds the characterization and the writing back. If we're suspending disbelief about a cat's ability to build a space-worthy vessel, I think we can suspend disbelief about the same cat's mastery of the English language. As the book goes on, Periwinkle's dialogue becomes less jarring, and there's lots of humor and heart, with the depiction of Nigeria being a unique highlight, but ultimately it felt like this book was trying to do too many things without giving any of them enough space to breath. Unfortunately, space going cats are a well-trodden topic in middle grade graphic novels, and other titles do it with a lot more kid-appeal.

I love cats and I love space. This just didn’t do it for me. I was disappointed. The setting played into the story very little.

This was fantastic!! I will read anything by Nnedi Okorafor so I was really excited to see that she had a graphic novel coming out. This was so good. The writing was good, and the artwork was amazing! I loved how all the cats and animals looked. As soon as this comes out I'm getting a physical copy. I can't wait to see what all the artwork looks like in person. Everything was so colorful! If I could give this ten stars I would.

I couldn't wait to read this when Nnedi Okorafor announced she was writing a children's graphic novel. I have read the first book in her Binti series and loved it, and while The Space Cat wasn't I what expected going in, it has to be one of my favorite books in a while because of the innovative art, lovely characters (and cameos by the author), and cats, of course. Young and older readers who love cats and space will definitely want to get their hands on this one.

As a crazy cat lady, I have often wondered if my cats are aliens from another planet. In this book, the cat is! Periwinkle starts off not trusting the humans he's living with, until one day he decides maybe they're not so bad after all. They give him chicken for a treat! He's built a spaceship to explore the universe. But one day, his humans announce that they're going to Nigeria for a year, and the people there hate cats. What's Periwinkle going to do?

My students are going to love this book! The illustrations are beautiful, and the story kept me hooked until the end.

The Space Cat is the wonderful adventure of Periwinkle, the aforementioned space cat. His dad is from Neptune, you know. The story and pictures are fun and fantastical. Periwinkle has nightly jaunts out of our atmosphere, a trip to Nigeria and a battle with other worldly invaders. This story just really fired my imagination. I’ll be reading it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for this DRC.
#TheSpaceCat #NetGalley

I'm not a cat lover, but I did love Periwinkle, the Space Cat. While aimed at a middle grade audience, I think this will appeal to older graphic novel readers as well. Fun!

Cute and imaginative. Follow Periwinkle as he races for the stars and explores his new home in Nigeria. Based on Okorafor's own cat, complete with crazy introduction and odd habits. The adventures are a bit simple, and Periwinkle speaks in what can best be described as cat-dialect, with unconjugated verbs.

Periwinkle is a Space Cat with a secret lair but lives as a house cat. He was slow to trust his humans and there were some adventures and mishaps along the way. Periwinkle and the family move to Nigeria, and he decides to take advantage of the wonderful view. When aliens decide to attack earth, Periwinkle must defend the humans from them. Will Periwinkle succeed?

The plot is entertaining, engaging, and draws the reader into the story. The character, Periwinkle is likable and authentic. The illustrations are colorful and easily distinguish between space and home life. Together, the illustrations and text work well together. Readers who like animals, science fiction, and graphic novels will want to pick this one up. Recommended for library collections where such books are popular. 4 stars, Gr 3 to 6.

Well illustrated graphic novel about a pet cat who is, secretly, part alien and spends his nights racing rockets against another alien space cat. When his owner, the author Nnedi Okoafor, moves to Nigeria for a year to write her next novel, the cat adapts to a new country that is often hostile to cats and defends the planets with an army of Nigerian pets and wildlife. Entertaining and original.

In this delightful graphic novel, Nnedi Okorafor imagines the life of her space cat, Periwinkle. Periwinkle waits until the family is sleeping and then takes off in a space ship to race the orange space cat. The family moves to Nigeria for a year and Periwinkle has to navigate being in a strange place and a culture that assumes he is a witch. When strange aliens invade Nigeria, Space Cat must fight them off and ensure the safety of his family.

The illustrations are delightful. At first, I hated the way Periwinkle spoke because I worry about students reading it but as I fell deeper into the story, I understood the accent and the way those words would be spoken and it flowed so well.

I think this is a must add to all libraries. I know my students will love it!

Thank you to Net Galley and First Second Books for the DRC! All opinions are my own.