Synopsis
When Ellie tells Tuffy the family is leaving for the week, Tuffy couldn't be more thrilled. A whole blissful week of rolling around in the flower bed and lounging on top of the TV? Tuffy can't wait! But the cat sitter the family procures doesn't understand Tuffy's refined feline palate, and Little Miss Soppy next door seems intent on dressing Tuffy in a nightie and calling him Janet. To get out of such a terrible mess, Tuffy is going to have to rely on his comical killer instincts.
In this raucous sequel to The Diary of a Killer Cat, brimming with witty illustrations, Anne Fine reunites her readers with an unforgettable narrator who sees the world as only a conniving cat can.
Children's Literature
An excellent middle reader, this humorous tale is narrated by the cat, Tuffy. Cox's amusing pencil drawings break the text into manageable chunks, and the font is oversized to help young readers. Tuffy, a.k.a the "Killer Cat," is left alone with the Vicar while his human family is on vacation. However, the Vicar is not as well-trained as Ellie and her family in meeting Tuffy's demands for fresh food and free access to all furniture and outside surrounding areas. As a result, Tuffy does what any sane cat would do; he does his best to aggravate the Vicar, while keeping himself happy. The plot twist involves the next-door neighbor, Melanie, who has been praying for a cat of her own and somehow ends up with Tuffy in her basket, believing he's a different cat entirely. Fine's choice to use Tuffy's voice gives the narrative a comical tone, as she nails both the perks and vices of being a cat.