M4 Cats, The

A novel for children aged 9-12. The London cats are fleeing along the M4 to find refuge in Tircoed in West Wales. they are escaping from the cat flu virus and unpleasant memories of Old Gap-tooth, a giant rat in the sewers beneath Trafalgar Square. Meanwhile, there is a power struggle among the Welsh cats, and their cockney visitors can expect a stormy reception. Can they survive the ambush on the bridge at dawn? ~Publisher: Y Lolfa

There are three stories that converge here: the tale of the London cats escaping to Wales; the tale of the Welsh cats of Tircoed and their unpleasant leader; and the tale of twelve-year-old Iwan whose mother has left home to go away with her lover.



The night-time journey the London cats undertake along the hard shoulder of the M4 is fraught with anxiety; the motorway and its service areas are dangerous places. The cats are desperate to escape from London and expect to arrive in Tircoed to a great welcome.



But the reader knows something the London cats are not aware of: the Tircoed cats have a leader who is not willing to welcome strangers to his home. What will happen when the London cats eventually reach their destination?



Iwan lives in Tircoed. He is not certain how he feels about his mother leaving home. He misses her, but he does not miss the arguments she and his father used to have. But she has given him a great gift: the ability to understand cat language. After hearing the story of the London cats’ journey, Iwan is able to see meaning for himself in their arrival at Tircoed.



The anthropomorphism provides comedy, hinted at on the cover, which gallops along like a Disney cartoon with a good dash of the Carry On films. ~Mari Strachan @ www.gwales.com