Member Reviews

‘Mog and Tom’ by Leila Summers presents a creative and unique approach to storytelling by incorporating words that are anagrams of the phrase “stomach flu” and related terms. The story aims to weave these words into a cohesive narrative featuring the characters Mog and Tom.

Plot: ★★★☆☆
The concept of using anagrams and connected words is intriguing and inventive, but it sometimes makes the story feel a bit strained. While the idea is clever, the execution can come across as forced, as if the author struggled to integrate the wordplay smoothly into the narrative.

Character: ★★★☆☆
The characters Mog and Tom are likable, but their development is somewhat overshadowed by the focus on the wordplay. They are engaging enough, but the constraints of the anagram-based approach limit the depth and relatability of their personalities.

Illustrations: ★★★☆☆
The illustrations are pleasant but do not significantly enhance the story. They complement the text well enough but lack the vibrancy or uniqueness that might have helped to offset some of the narrative’s challenges.

Engagement: ★★★☆☆
The book's inventive use of language is engaging to a degree, but it can also be distracting. The focus on fitting in anagrams sometimes detracts from the overall flow of the story, potentially making it less captivating for readers who are more interested in a smooth narrative.

Readability: ★★★☆☆
The readability is adequate but impacted by the experimental nature of the text. While the anagrams are an interesting challenge, they can occasionally make the text feel cumbersome, potentially affecting the overall reading experience.

Enjoyment: ★★★☆☆
‘Mog and Tom’ offers a novel approach to storytelling that may appeal to readers who enjoy wordplay and linguistic creativity. However, the execution may not fully satisfy those looking for a more traditional or fluid narrative experience.


‘Mog and Tom’ is a creative and unique book that explores the use of anagrams in storytelling. While the concept is intriguing, the execution sometimes feels forced, which can affect the overall flow and enjoyment of the story. The book may appeal to those interested in linguistic experimentation but might not fully resonate with readers seeking a more straightforward narrative.

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I really enjoyed reading this story about Mog and Tom and the adventure that they went on.

The book is well written and the story has a great flow to it - it was an addictive read and my daughter really enjoyed it.

There were a few bumps along the way in the mission but they conquer these and it made the book enjoyable and positive.

The illustrations in the book are great and they bring the book to life, they really suit the wording used.

It is 4 stars from me for this one - highly recommended!

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This was a cute book. about two kitties. One of them wanted to go to Mars and the other one was coming along. It was well written and the illustrations were adorable. This book was different cause it's written in anagrams. I didn't know much about anagrams, so I found it quite fascinating.

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I'm a Sucker for a good story about an animal. This was a cute and fun story about an adventurous cat with a wild imagination. This allows kids to build an active imagination

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just read this advanced reader's copy with my ESOL student. It was pretty cute. I will probably buy a copy for my children's library

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Hmmm… This young read is designed around the premise that the mind can sometimes need to be forced to a better place. If you have an issue, and for this book that issue is "stomach flu", for some unknown reason, all you have to do is wrench the brain away from that problem, but take the letters of the words in the issue along with it. When you have them you can fix a list of as many smaller words built from those letters as you can, cram as many of them as possible into a short story, and voila, you've been suitably diverted. If you own this story you can also choose one sentence from it as a mantra that will help fix the mind away from the issue from now until eternity.

I mean it must be true. I chose the issue "the quick brown fox jumping over lazy dogs", used those letters and created this review, and just look at me now! No, in all seriousness, this technique might actually work – I can see it being a firm favourite diversionary tactic, and in that there is a fair bit of logic to it. But in crafting the word list, in being almost as OuLiPo as needing that to come up with your story, feels like a task too many in freeing the mind from its problem. It almost smacks of homeopathy – use a chunk of your issue, in unrecognisably dilute form, to defeat the issue. And with the best will in the world the story here, of a pair of cats trying to reach Mars, is never going to be as useful or as entertaining to the reader as actually trying the technique on. This book invites that, but that's also my point – what I'd prefer to have bought is the quick read discussing the approach (which is covered by the author's website, it seems) rather than this light, friendly but inessential drama.

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'Mog and Tom' is a short illustrated book for children that tells the story of two cats named Mog and Tom who start their journey to go to Mars.

I am thankful to #NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

#MogandTom#NetGalley

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Cats Mog and Tom are good friends who live together in a cottage by the sea. Tom is a homebody who enjoys relaxing on his soft, red sofa in the sun, whereas Mog is a daredevil who enjoys adventures. One chilly evening, Mog has an idea to visit Mars because she has read books about the planet and loves the colour red. So, she creates a map of her journey and persuades Tom to accompany her. Their first stop is to meet Ed, a famous cat who will be able to get them to Mars using his custom atom ramp to turn them into spacecats. However, their journey to Mars does not go as planned, and along the way, they meet new friends who help them find their way back home. They realise that some of the most unique adventures in life happen when you lose your way and do not know what you might see.

This is a beautiful story of friendship and adventure with gorgeous, bright illustrations.

The author uses anagrams throughout this book, and at the end, she lists the words used throughout the story.

I recommend this story for children aged between 5 and 8.

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This is a story about two very different cats who embark on an adventure together. As a cat lover, I found the story absolutely adorable. The illustrations are wonderfully sweet, and the animals make the tale even more delightful!

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this book has amazing drawings and an extremely cute story for children! Also loved the list of anagrams in the end

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Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

If I didn’t know, I would have never guessed any anagrams were used in this story and at the end of the story I had no idea which child issue was involved. I even feel ike this story would have been less messy, so better, if the author didn’t use them.

The illustrations were beautiful and charming. My favorite moment was the one at the campfire with the horses. But as I said already, this story felt in need of editing, it was a bit all over the place. But I think this could make a great story. The potential is there.

Mog and Tom are two cats living in a cottage by the sea. Tom is a homebody and Mog is the adventurous one.

Mog wants to go to Mars and convinces Tom to go with her. They end up a bit all over but not at Mars unfortunately..

What I did take away from this is that even if you feel like staying at home and/or if you feel anxious to take the first step, you should go on adventures, you never know where you will end up and you might experience some amazing things and even make new friends!

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I read this with a 2.5 year old. It was a cute story line but just didn’t hold his attention well. Some of the words were too big to hold his interest, and overall just wasn’t the best fit for us. I do think it would be great for pre-school and younger school age children!

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A cute little story about two cats who want's to go to Mars. The illustrations are beautiful, not the ordinary style but never the less very nice. It felt a little short. The anagram part was ignored by my part.

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An amusing story about two cats who go on an adventure. This is an interesting concept to use anagrams to shift focus from an issue to a fun activity, and the pictures are cute. The cats have very different personalities but are still very good friends, which is a lovely lesson for kids. Thank you to NetGalley/the publisher/author for this eARC.

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I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Mog and Tom is a story about two cats who are opposites to each other. One likes adventure while the other would rather stay at home. The story is formed by using anagrams formed from the words stomach flu. I was intrigued, so I requested this book. Although the pictures are cute, finding anagrams was quite distracting as I read through it. I'd suggest reading it a time of two before starting to look for anagrams or the other way round - look for them first, then read the story. It might also be a good idea to include a wipeable pen with the book so children can underline/highlight them as they go along. The beginning of the book explains what anagrams are, and at the back, there are a few pages listing anagrams from a-z.

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What a cute book with anagrams! The story was very sweet. We are a cat household so my son and I love books with cats! Loved the adventure they went on and the friends they met along the way!

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A fun adventure story following two cats who are complete opposites as they learn some lessons along the way.

This was a cute story however I was hoping for more from this one.

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I feel genuinely bad for rating this book 2 stars. Based on the blurb and the reviews, I had the impression that my child and I would love this but this was not the right book for us.

Pros: cute characters on a curious adventure, the personalities of the characters, the other characters they meet and the settings in which they meet (the part by the campfire was my favourite), the expressiveness of the characters’ faces at times, the concept. My child found some parts funny.

Cons: subjective but this is how I feel; the artwork was not my favourite. The book has imaginative settings and nice colour schemes but the imperfections of the artwork distracted me. The plot is not well executed and the concept is not fully realised.

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The adventurer gets an idea to go to mars with the homebody friend to keep company. They learn a few things along the way and await the next bright idea. The story is entertaining and the artwork is engaging, but sharing the anagram story principles is beyond me.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from BooksGoSocial via NetGalley.

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Read this one without focusing hard on the anagrams. I tried to find them and didn't/couldn't. The illustrations are cute; the story was not...I don't have the word. It's missing something.

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