Nope. 🚫 Nope. 🚫 Nope. 🚫
I'm not supporting a book that thinks it is "cute" to kick a cat out of the house because of something they did. CATS ARE NOT TOYS. DO NOT BRING A CAT INTO YOUR FAMILY IF YOU DON'T PLAN ON BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. And making your child cry at Christmas because you tell them you're going to get rid of their pet? You shouldn't have children or pets. 🙄😤

I originally requested this book because I have cats who constantly want to knock the Christmas tree down. I thought it would be a cute holiday story I could relate to but no it was terrible. Do you know what I do instead of throwing my cats out... I use ornaments they can't break. I give them ornaments they can play with like bells so they won't want to mess with the tree. I use an artificial tree so they won't get sick from the water or chewing on the branches. I duct tape the base to the floor. (It works!) I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY CATS.

I get that the author wanted to do a cute retelling of A Christmas Carol but the execution was horrible and I would never let a child read this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review but this book was not for me.

Finally, Sophie read The Cat in the Christmas Tree, a very short (just 88 pages) chapter book about a mischievous black kitten called Shadow and his owner Nathan. Sophie picked it up because her family has just adopted three cats, including one all black kitten, who have all been a little too fascinated with the family Christmas tree and she thought her son would enjoy reading about a similar situation. She was right. Her son found the story so hilarious she frequently had to stop reading in order for him to catch his breath!

In the book, Shadow is causing mayhem for his new adopted family by attacking the Christmas tree and anything else he can get his paws into. Nathan loves Shadow and is desperate to keep him, but his father is getting increasingly angry with Shadow’s antics and threatens to send him back to the rescue center. Nathan hopes that the magic of the season will intervene which it does when their Christmas tree comes to life on Christmas Eve to show Shadow the error of his ways.

The story is as heavy-handed as that description makes it sound and Sophie struggled to read it without rolling her eyes thanks to dialog like this:

“[Nathan]’s such a sweet boy.”
“He sure is. Thank you Christmas Tree for showing me how to be a good cat.”

This was in addition to the two-dimensional characters like the grumpy father and simpering, placating mother, none of whom made her particularly enjoy the book. However, she is not the target audience and her nine-year-old son absolutely loved it. One to pick up ready for next Christmas if you have young cat lovers in your family (it’ll be here before you know it…!)

Lovely short story for 6-7 yo. Well written, with lovely descriptions throughout. My 10 yo daughter read it in one sitting and said it was a pleasant read but certainly aimed at a younger audience.

This book was exactly what you would expect from the title. While the story was completely predictable, the author wrote from the perspective of somebody who has evidently studied the movements and antics of cats in great detail. He describes every action in such fine detail that you have no difficulty in picturing exactly what mischief the cat is getting up to. A nice read for excited youngsters at Christmas.

This was a really cute story about a very naughty kitten. He learns how to be good from a magical Christmas tree after a little boy wishes for help.

The Cat in the Christmas Tree is a very quick read. I think it would be enjoyed by chikdren younger than eight years of age. The writing is simple yet effective.
The theme of the tree being magical in nature was creative, as was the story line of the tree revealing important lessons to be learnt in a similar vein to A Christmas Carol..
The large tree being described as Forest, and the cat as Shadow were good. I am unclear why "Mast" was the name of the famiky tree - had it been Mas I would have assumed the latter part of "Christmas" .....perhaps it is plus the "t" from tree.....
The book overall is a pleasant read.

This is written for children, and as such some of the dialogue isn't quite realistic but more of a cleaned up version like you often see in children's books. The plot holds together reasonably well and the magical transition was very good.

There were some good messages about learning to respect the property of others and not bullying, however, I have an issue with a few other messages that come across.

First of all, the father is in total charge of the family and the mother doesn't argue when he threatens to get rid of the cat. This gives a bad impression of relationship dynamics as well as of a father's role. To me, he's totally evil and his wife should divorce him and keep the cat so her son will be happy!

My other issue is with calling the cat bad for jumping into the tree. Really? You bring a real tree into a home with a cat and expect him not to jump into it immediately? The author is a cat lover and owner so he should know better than that! Also, when the cat is destroying things he shouldn't or biting, why aren't the parents making any effort whatsoever to teach him parameters? Cats do learn, and not by whining at them that they shouldn't do that as if they understood every word. (Secretly I do believe they understand every word but that's another matter.)

All things considered, the story has some brilliant elements from a Christmas magic point of view, but I would not buy it for a child because of these unacceptable messages about fathers and cat discipline.

This was a cute (very) short story about a naughty cat who learns how to behave via jumping into a Christmas tree. It reminded me of A Christmas Carol. The Christmas tree gives the cat lessons like Ebenezer Scrooge.
The writing style was a little bit weird for me, but overall it was a very cute Christmas Eve story. Definitely one to read to a child and they would love it!

this book was very cool. it was different from most other books. the cat in the Christmas tree had a very strong morale. it was a short but good story. it's a great idea and I would pay $20 for this amazing book. it's most definitely 10/10

A mischievous cat and it's abused Christmas tree bring your into a wonderful behind-the-scenes world for some important "do-unto-others" type lessons.
This books started great. I loved the introduction of the characters, the family member dynamics and their interplay. Night falls and the restless cat remains up to no good. The tree is about to show him some things he doesn't expect. In the morning the family sees the cat has had a change of heart about some of his old shenanigans.
I love this premise of this book. I appreciate the moral lessons it's teaching, but I think the ending doesn't match the beginning. The beginning is fleshed out well, the ending, which is the most important part, seems rushed. I do enjoy some of the descriptions of the world of trees, some are cute, some are funny. Overall this was a quick read and a nice story.

This is an adorable book about a rowdy kitten and a magical Christmas Tree. This is a great way to teach small children about treating others with kindness. I recommend this to teacher and parents of smaller children

I received a copy of this book for NetGalley in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

This is a short and sweet children's chapter book about a cat named Shadow who keeps getting into trouble. Shadow can't seem to resist the Christmas tree and often trashes out other parts of the house as well. Shadow is considered to be Nathan's cat and Nathan is often the one who's told that they are going to have to return the cat to the shelter so that he can be re-homed.

I thought the book was written well with only a few typos. My kids seemed to enjoy it, but I didn't appreciate the dad in the story who continuously threatens Nathan, the child, by telling him the cat is going back to the shelter if it doesn't shape up. I mean, I really don't see how a child can control a cat who wants to play. That's just how some cats are, especially when young, and Nathan was really worried about losing Shadow. So we didn't like that part of the story, but luckily Nathan's mom was a little more forgiving. The story turned out to have a very magical ending. We also enjoyed reading about the author and his cats afterward.

After we finished reading the book, my daughter went off to write her own little story about a cat who was causing trouble in a king's castle. She was very inspired by this story. Give this one a try!

4****

I's like to thank NetGalley for sharing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This is a cute book for young children who are learning by example. The cat is used as a proxy for a cheeky kid who needs to learn to behave.
A young black cat plays with the family Christmas tree, breaking some ornaments. This is a cat household and we did not put up trees while the cats were young. So the parents need to assume some responsibility here I think. Overnight, while under threat of being sent away from his boy, the cat is taken for a snowy stroll by a magical Christmas tree, much like Scrooge and the ghostly experiences.

This is a good-hearted tale and we should all learn to respect trees... and others. The author lives in Canada and the book would work for most countries.
I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley and read it in a few minutes. This is an unbiased review.

This chapter books shares the story of a mischievous black kitten named Shadow. Shadow keeps getting in trouble with Nathan's parents Justen and Sara. They threaten to send him back to the SPCA after Christmas. Fortunately the magical tree intervenes. The story itself was okay, but I was disappointed in the illustrations. Chapter books don't contain as many illustrations nor the illustration quality of picture books, but this one's would not please children at all. They all look pretty much like public domain .gif files. I love cats -- and I love cats in Christmas trees, but this book simply fails to capture the magic. I received an electronic copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

The Cat in the Christmas Tree, by Peter Scottsdale, is a children’s story about a playful cat named Shadow. The short chapters each include clip-art pictures of cats, Christmas trees and are appropriately holiday-themed. A story that aims to show a family Christmas and teach a message about taking care of our things and each other, it’s a quick read with good intentions, but falls short of joy.

The story opens in the living room of eight-year-old Nathan and his parents. Shadow, Nathan’s small black cat, has torn through the house, wrecking Christmas ornaments and wreaking havoc upon an otherwise-calm household. Nathan’s Dad is certain that Shadow has to go, and that evening Nathan’s Mom and Dad make the decision that the little cat must be given up after Christmas. But that night, something magical happens - and the story becomes a fantasy when Shadow leaps into the Christmas tree and into the Wondrous Woods. In the Woods, The Christmas tree comes to life, and in a move that feels much like the story of Scrooge - the tree shows Shadow what might happen to him if he continues misbehaving and wrecking his family’s things.

Though the story is no doubt meant to entertain, The Cat in the Christmas Tree also serves up a lesson to its young readers. Education within a children’s book is valuable, but here it becomes didactic, and took away from my overall enjoyment of the story. The mischievous, fun-spirited Shadow has charm and appeal (especially for cat lovers) - but this short chapter book doesn’t allow for development of his character. When Shadow entered the Wondrous Woords, what felt like a leap into wonder ended up being a step into the classroom - and though the book ended on a positive note, it left me searching for the joy that could’ve been.

This is a story of a cute kitten named Shadow who discovers his family’s tree at Christmas. I think everyone has experienced the frustration of having a naughty and curious kitten at Christmas, I know I have.
Shadow is about to be adopted out if his behavior doesn’t improve as the family has had enough! I enjoyed reading about his mischief and thought the story was going well until something unexpected happens and the story takes a magical turn. This part of the story was just not my cup of tea and unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. It might be more fun to a younger reader.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher BooksGoSocial for this e-copy. My opinions are my own.
This will be on my blog Sunday November 25th, 2018.
www.colecampfireblog.com

Scottsdale's book about a naughty young cat named Shadow starts off very cute as he describes Shadow's fascination with the family Christmas. This fascination, unfortunately, includes jumping on the tree, which sends it crashing to the ground. This was the last straw for the family (mainly the father) but eight-year-old Nathan pleads to not send Shadow back to the SPCA. It is Christmas Eve and his mother agrees that the cat needs to go after the holidays unless he can learn how to behave. It would take a Christmas miracle to calm the hyper kitten.

This is where the story goes from cute to What? to A Christmas Carol-esque lecture. In short, change your ways or go back to the SPCA. This lecture is told through a series of watched vignettes that include being disobedient and bullying.

It really felt as though the second half of the book was written by a different author. Nathan's behavior and vocabulary (thought process) is more of a four-year-old than an eight-year-old, and frankly, the father just comes across as a young man who doesn't place fatherhood as a priority.

I loved the first half of the book and would give that five stars, but the second half and its attempt to teach two stars. Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A magical Christmas story about a cat and a Christmas tree! My kids enjoyed this story and got a few laughs as well at the naughty kitty. Great story!

This was a lovely children’s story which my children loved. It kept them hooked as it was about a cat which is their favourite animal & Christmas which is always magical!
I loved the meaning behind the story, helping children understand bullying & to tell adults in a child friendly way.

Sorry but the writing style is too awkward for adults to enjoy and that's before the magical Christmas tree part kicks in.