Blitzcat is a 1989 novel by Robert Westall, and recipient of the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize.[1][2]
 First edition | |
| Author | Robert Westall |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | 1 January 1989 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Hardback; Paperback) |
| Pages | 231 pp (1st edition) |
| ISBN | 0-333-47498-8 |
Plot
editBlitzcat is told through the point of view of a black domestic cat, called Lord Gort, as she travels across England during the Blitz in search of her owner, who is serving with the RAF.[3] The story includes a detailed depiction of the bombing of Coventry.[1]
Reception
editIn 1989, Blitzcat was named winner of the Smarties Book Prize in the 9 – 11 years category.[1] In 1994, the American Library Association named Blitzcat as one of their 100 Best Books for Young Adults of the previous 25 years.[4]
Publishers Weekly wrote "Sensitive readers will realize at once that the story of Lord Gort is one of those tales that, once begun, demands to be finished." and "Each of these glimpses of men and women in wartime is as perfect as a pearl; Lord Gort's journey is the single black thread on which the precious beads are strung."[5]
It has been studied at school and appears on reading lists.[6][7][8]
References
edit- ^ a b c Agnew, Kate; Fox, Geoff (2004). Children at war from the First World War to the Gulf. New York: Continuum. pp. 105–106. ISBN 0-8264-7759-3.
- ^ "Nestlé Children's Book Prize 2007". Book Trust. Archived from the original on 2017-03-26. Retrieved 2023-06-03.
- ^ Rogers, Katharine M. (2006). Cat. London: Reaktion Books. pp. 159–160. ISBN 1-86189-292-6.
- ^ Carter, Betty (Fall 1994). "Best of the Best: Twenty-Five Years of Best Books for Young Adults". The ALAN Review. 22 (1). The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents: 67. doi:10.21061/alan.v22i1.a.16. ISSN 1547-741X. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
- ^ "Blitzcat". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ^ "Reading List & Our Book Reviews". Amherst School in Riverton, Kent (UK). Amherst School. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ^ Marcia S. Popp (2006). Teaching Language and Literature in Elementary Classrooms: A Resource Book for Professional Development. Routledge. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-135-60517-9. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ English language arts 10: a bibliography for the secondary level (PDF). Saskatchewan Education. 1997. p. 7. ISBN 0-921291-55-8. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
