Title: Swamp Cat
Author: Jim Kjelgaard
Major Themes: Backwoodsmen, Animals
Synopsis: Abandoned in the swamp, Frosty must fight for survival—and when he is discovered by a lonely young man trying to make a way for himself by growing muskrats, the two become good friends.
One thing Mom has tried to do—and succeeded quite well at, in my opinion—is introduce us children to a wide range of books. Jim Kjelgaard’s books are ones she enjoyed as a child, and now she’s shared her love with us. Though I haven’t read nearly as many of his works as she has, Swamp Cat was new for all of us. Touched with the same skill and power of his other books, this is one well worth reading!
About the book:
Abandoned in the swamp by Luke Troll, a man whose only ambition in life is to make another dollar, Frosty fights for survival. When young Andy Gates comes across him caught in a trap, the two become friends. Andy needs to come up with a way to support himself, and since growing crops is out of the question on his mostly swampy land, his options are limited. That is, until he comes across the idea of stocking his swamps with muskrats. Once he has his muskrats, he has to figure out how to keep hungry predators—and poachers—at bay. When Luke Troll begins stealing muskrats, Frosty does his best to try to protect Andy’s holdings. But old rivalries run deep, and Luke isn’t above some cruelty to get his way.
My thoughts:
I found the setting of Swamp Cat particularly striking. Kjelgaard’s books often have a backwoodsy sort of feel to them, and this book certainly has that. The swamps described here sounded beautiful—and frightening. Added to that, the idea of making money off muskrats was a fascinating one to read about—I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that talked about muskrats so much before!
As with many of Kjelgaard’s other books, he does an excellent job getting to know his characters, both human and animal. His animals are realistic and dynamic, and you can tell throughout the story that Frosty is a cat. I loved that!
If you have children who enjoy animal stories with a good dash of adventure, Swamp Cat could be an excellent choice for them. There’s some mystery in the story, as well as a strong theme of doing what’s right, even if it’s hard, and what happens when people are greedy and selfish. Highly recommended.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book, and this is my honest opinion of it.
WARNING: Chapter 1: Lying. Chapter 2: Kittens abandoned, two killed. Chapter 3: Several muskrats die, a fox and owl are shot and killed, “glory be”, darn. Chapter 4: Owl killed. Chapter 5: Goodness, gosh. Chapter 8: A man punches another man. Chapter 10: “I’ll be doggone.” Chapter 11: “Raise the dickens.” Chapter 12: A man stealing animals, an animal is trapped, and someone dies.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | MP3 CD
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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