Illustrated by Stephanie Yue
For ages 8+
Reviewed by Ava, aged 11 (in Year 7)
About the book
🌱Katie has defeated Owl Guy and is finally allowed to start Sidekick training but… it’s harder than it looks. Beth (Katie’s best friend) has wanted to start sidekick training too, so when her mum agrees Katie assumes that it would make everything ten times easier! Little does she know that it turns out that Beth is actually a (way!) better sidekick than Katie and if that’s not painful enough, Beth and another girl Marie are getting on really well! (A little too well…) Added to this, another friend, Jess, is acting SUPER weird since she started dating the son of the extremely suspicious robot company owner (robots have been running around destroying the city). Now, an Owl Guy lookalike has appeared in the city and seems to be following Katie and the robots around. On top of all that Katie needs to tell her mum about her second life as a sidekick!
🌱Will Katie be able to solve the world tell mum the truth and be the inclusive friend that Katie wants to be? With the help of 217 cats Katie will have to face all these challenges?
🌱I love this book because it has such descriptive pictures and that you really get to see in to Katie’s life. It is super relatable to lots of young tweens. What I think is really cool about this book is that it is less about all the super hero stuff and more about Katie and her friendship struggles, which is lovely because it provides reassurance that if you are going through the same things, it is ok, and that you are not alone.
About the creators
Colleen A.F. Venable (author)
Colleen AF Venable is the author of the National Book Award Longlisted Kiss Number 8, a graphic novel co-created with Ellen T. Crenshaw. Her other books include the Katie the Catsitter series with Stephanie Yue, Mervin the Sloth is About to Do the Best Thing in The World with Ruth Chan, The Oboe Goes Boom Boom Boom with Lian Cho, and the Guinea Pig, Pet Shop Private Eye series, also with Stephanie Yue and nominated for the Best Publication for Kids Eisner. Previously Colleen was the sole designer for hundreds of First Second Books, worked as a Creative Director for Workman and Macmillan, and now works for Epic! Kids as Associate Director of Original Content. Colleen lives in North Adams, MA with her two litter-trained bunnies. Pronouns: She/Her/They
(Source: colleenaf.com)
Website: http://www.colleenaf.com
Stephanie Yue (illustrator)
Stephanie Yue is the illustrator of several picture books and chapter books in addition to Katie the Catsitter, and was the colorist for Smile by Raina Telgemeier. Steph travels the world by motorbike and spent the past year and a half converting a Sprinter van into a full-time mobile studio. She’s currently drawing the next Katie the Catsitter from all over North America, and eating and climbing all the things. (Source: Random House Children's Books)
Website: https://stephanieyue.com
Key themes
Friendship
Problem-solving
Cats
Mystery
Heroes and Villains
Tweens
Buy the book
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Format: Paperback
Publication date: 2 May 2023
Also in this series by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue:
'Katie the Catsitter' (Random House USA, 2021) - book 1
'Katie the Catsitter: Best Friends for Never' (Random House USA, 2022) - book 2
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