The Gang of the Feline Sun

November 4, 2019
On a mountain vacation with her human family, city cat Brina enjoys exploring the wilderness. Then she meets a one-eyed cat, Vespucci, who persuades her that she deserves more independence. She escapes and joins Vespucci’s Gang of the Feline Sun, a group of freedom-loving cats. Reveling in her new life of chasing small prey and playing tricks on the locals, “Brina’s mind is like a clear blue sky,” even as her human family searches frantically for her. Soon, though, Brina realizes that she may have traded one kind of cage for another. In brightly hued scenes, Cornia (When Unicorns Poop) uses parallel color palettes to visually define both feline and human viewpoints. An occasional narrator’s remarks distract more than they enhance, but with dual story lines, Italian author Salati (Disney Hamlet, Starring Donald Duck) tells an endearing tale that explores the meaning of freedom and familial bonds. Ages 8–12.

November 22, 2019

Gr 3-5-A young city cat's instincts are tested when she escapes from her humans in this graphic import from Italy. Brina has everything she needs: a warm bed, good food, and just a touch of freedom. When she and her owners, Margret and Sam, take a vacation to the mountains, a feral cat, the maniacal Vespucci, mocks Brina's safe, comfortable life and convinces her to join his local gang. As the felines engage in a string of petty burglaries while looking for food, Brina endures existential crises, torn between returning to Margret and Sam and being independent. Cornia's energetic artwork has the feel of an animated film, and big-eyed, intrepid Brina is an adorable protagonist. However, the narrative isn't as strong as the visuals. Some elements may have been lost in translation (Vespucci leads the cats through the woods to their "tatami room"), and a few scenes may overwhelm sensitive readers-in a flashback, a crying Vespucci is taken from his mother, thrust into a sack, and flung into a river; clawing his way out, he loses an eye. A clunky, overwritten climax may take readers out of the story: "Brina's mind is no longer a clear blue sky. The stars are hiding. The only lights that shine in her memories are her mother's eyes." VERDICT There are plenty of more compelling graphic novels for kitty enthusiasts. Skip this one in favor of Drew Brockington's "CatStronauts," Ashley Spires's "Binky the Space Cat," or Georgia Dunn's "Breaking Cat News."-Amy M. Laughlin, Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2019
City kitty Brina has a mountain vacation adventure. Out in the country for the first time since she was a kitten, calico cat Brina is entranced by the wide-open spaces. She wanders off from her human family and meets Vespucci, a one-eyed, rough-and-tumble stray, and his Gang of the Feline Sun. Vespucci hates humans due to early abandonment, and he taunts Brina until she joins his band--much to the distress of her humans, Sam and Margaret, both white. The feline gang members tussle with one another and snitch food around town. Meanwhile, an increasingly upset Sam and Margaret search for their lost cat, usually one step behind the gang. At first, Brina enjoys the freedom of stray life and meeting other cats. But after a particularly vicious training with Vespucci ends with one of the gang returning to their human family, Brina realizes who really loves her and returns to her own humans. The trio head back to the city, a happy family. Cornia's bright, expressive, animation-inspired art in this Italian-import graphic novel is the main attraction of this series opener. The translated text is often awkward, and the occasional present-tense narration serves, oddly, to slow the action down. Finicky readers should just prowl away. (Graphic fantasy. 6-11)

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January 1, 2020
Grades 3-6 Brina is a city cat who goes on vacation with her loving owners to the country. As she starts to explore, she meets a group of wild kitties who tell her that she's missing out on the best part of life: not living with humans. Brina joins them in their tricks throughout the town, all the while her owners are desperately searching, wondering if she is gone forever. As Brina gets to know her new friends, she wonders if the wild is the place for her, and eventually, she must make a decision: stay wild or go back to her loving owners and her city home. This cute and colorful graphic novel nicely demonstrates how bullying can take different forms and emphasizes how people (or cats) need to stand up for what they know to be true. Easy-to-follow panels and clear lettering make this a good pick for readers new to comics, and watercolor-like artwork shows dramatic details of both cats and humans. Cat-lovers in particular will be enchanted.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)