By: Michele Jaffe Publisher: HarperTeen Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: HarperTeen Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 320 Publication Date: July 01, 2008 Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: July 01, 2008
So it wasn't her idea of SuperFun to move halfway around the world to Venice, Italy, leaving her fab pals and hot new boyfriend back in Los Angeles.2 But Venice isn't so bad . . .
Until Jasmine's Evil Hench cousin, Alyson, and her Best Fiend Veronique arrive,3 Jasmine's secret plan to jet to California is foiled,4 her boyfriend starts hanging with someone named Candy,5 and her only friend in Venice turns out to be in deadly peril.6
Faster than you can say "gelato," Jasmine is caught up in a catastrophic caper featuring a runaway heiress, a smoldering gondolier, 142 kinds of pizza, and a bothersome kitty. But before she can face off against a dangerous adversary, she has to face herself.
While wearing white leather pants.7
1 Rock star boyfriend, homicidal hair, fabulous pals, iNsAnO father . . . 2 No, this was the work of Dadzilla, smiter of life's happiness. 3 They ask to be called by their faerie names, Sapphyre and Tiger's*Eye. No, I am not joking. What? I'm supposed to keep the scary stuff inside the book? 4 Hello Dadzilla! 5 Who may or may not have perfect hair and boobs and be able to communicate with dolphins. 6 Not that anyone believes it. Until— What? That is for inside the book too? Okay, fine. 7 Only part of the time. The rest of the time I have to wear . . . oh, right. ScArY stuff inside.
Just as good as the first! In BAD KITTY, Jasmine Callahan discovered a murderous plot afoot in Las Vegas. In KITTY KITTY, she leaves the canals of the Venetian to the canals of Venice, only to stumble across the path of another murderer. Only this time, she isn't soon enough to prevent tragedy. She can track down the killer and prevent more murders, by following the guidance of Mr. T and using her Italian gleaned from Commissario Rex and translated episodes of CHiPs.
Little Life Lesson 1: Mr. T might not be the best role model. ESPECIALLY if white leather pants are involved.
Of course, the rest of the cast is still along for the ensuing mayhem. The Thwarter has morphed into Dadzilla, a more dangerous version of the breed. Jack just might be off with another girl who can stop a rhinoceros in its tracks with a single look. And while Polly, Roxy, and Tom are in the United States, they've just had a very worrying IM conversation with Jas. (Princess P: "Ah. I see that we are using the alternate universe definition of "plan" meaning "a massively horrible idea.") Oh yeah, and there's the Evil Hench Twins - call them Sapphyre and Tiger's*Eye (the star is silent).
BAD KITTY knocked my socks off when I first read it. Hip, funny, and clever. Jaffe follows it with a sequel that's every bit as fun. I want Polly as my fashion designer, with Roxy providing the armament. Jas's horrible Italian adds to the book's strong sense of language. Jaffe has a knack for teenage lingo. Instead of copying current slang, she - like any self-respecting teen - invents her own. The language Jas and her buds share, as well as that of the Evil Hench Twins, rings true with any teenager because it evokes the private words they share with their friends.
Many books aimed at young adult girls in the market today feature bad role models. Jas's ideas of bad are incredibly funny because she's such a good girl at heart. Reading a mainstream YA book where the teens use their brains and don't smoke, drink, or do drugs is a pleasant change. So parents, don't worry if you see your daughter or son reading KITTY KITTY.
The Compulsive Reader's Reviews Venice, Italy better watch out...Jasmine Callihan is on the loose. But this time she's determined not to get involved in anything Dadzilla would disapprove of...especially after what happened in Vegas, resulting in him whisking her away from her wonderful new boyfriend. She will be perfecting her skills as the Model Daughter. But all of her intentions go poof in the wind when her new friend Arabella is found dead. With her keen knack for solving crimes, super power for attracting cats, and le crazy friends, how can Jas not get involved?
Jump in quick, Kitty Kitty is yet another wild and hilarious ride. Never boring, Jas is an upbeat, witty, and dramatic narrator whose flair for trouble and intelligence will enrapture the reader. Each character is vividly expressed, unique, and entirely unforgettable. Throw in a completely absorbing mystery with some unexpected plot twists and you have yourself an extravaganza that is le fabulous!
How Do You Say Meow in Italian? The Bad Kitty books by Michele Jaffe blend elements of comedy, romance, mystery, and fashion into highly funny stories that teens will lap right up.
In the first book, Bad Kitty, teenaged Jasmine took what was supposed to be a laid-back trip to Las Vegas with her dad and stepmother only to get entangled - literally - in a murder mystery involving a little boy, a three-legged cat, and a rock star.
In the sequel, Kitty Kitty, intrigue follows our heroine (and her cool hair) all the way to Venice, Italy, where Jasmine's father has moved his family for professional reasons. Thousands of miles (and ocean!) away from her friends and her rock star boyfriend, Jas is miserable.
Just when she finally makes a new friend, something tres tragic happens, and Jas starts searching for a murderer. While on the prowl, she eats delicious pizza, fights her inner bad girl, looks for goldfish, and translates (bad) Italian cop shows (badly). Along the way, she encounters plenty of strange people and familiar faces. She almost gets killed herself - while wearing an awesome pair of boots, natch. Those boots are made for walking, and that's just what they do until she finally figures out the mystery.
If you liked Bad Kitty, then you'll love Kitty Kitty. Both books are good fun. Footnotes scattered throughout the books act as conversations between the characters, correcting and embellishing the narrative. The light tone and quick banter will appeal to Meg Cabot and Lauren Myracle fans.
Jas is back and better than ever! Jasmine Callihan is back and better than ever in Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe! And, boy am I excited about that.
Kitty Kitty picks up a month or two after the ending of Bad Kitty (Jaffe's madcap YA debut featuring Jasmine). This time around, Jasmine is in Venice, the most romantic city in the world, and in a beautiful hotel. The only problem is that Jasmine is there with her ogre-iffic father and her step-mother Sherri! In other words, Jasmine is really far away from her friends, her rock star boyfriend, AND the prestigious high school that would look great on her college applications.
Why you may ask? So Jasmine can be home-schooled (not from her actual home) while she takes intensive Italian lessons and her father writes his definitive book on the history of . . . soap. Jasmine is understandably put out by all of these abrupt life changes. But what really upsets her is the apparent suicide of her friend from Italian class-the mysterious and eccentric Arabella. Except Jasmine isn't so sure that Arabella's death really was a suicide.
Mayhem ensues as Jasmine begins to investigate Arabella's life in order to understand what could have provoked her death. Atrocities include bangs on the head as well as an unfortunate encounter with a pair of white leather pants. Oh, and Jasmine turning to Mr. T as a new role model (although that last one might not be so bad depending on who you ask!).
Stylistically, Jaffe continues to use a variety of writing techniques to create a truly modern reading experience. Techniques that reappear in this volume include footnotes, email and instant messaging excerpts as well as pictures created with words. These devices help keep the novel interesting-there's a lot of information presented in a lot of different ways. At the same time, it makes readers extra aware that they are reading. But that's okay here because it encourages a close reading of the text in some cases-an important skill found in what can be called a light read.
Some parts of the novel seem contrived, such as Jasmine's friends coming to her rescue, but with blow dart pens and tricked out cowboy boots this novel, like Bad Kitty before it, is more cartoon than true-to-life-drama anyway. (A style that Jaffe once again pulls off very well.) And who wouldn't want to read more about Jasmine's motley group of friends? Best friend/fashion genius Polly; lock picking, wise-cracking twins Tom and Roxy; and even Jas' evil cousin Alyson and her evil sidekick Veronique reappear with just as many made up words and fashion faux pas as before. My only qualm about the novel is that the cat angle that was so crucial to Bad Kitty is also not as strong here since no cats feature as more than passing characters in the narrative.
Another odd addition is the presence of a mysterious sender of e-mails and an as yet undeveloped sub-plot involving Jasmine's dead mother (this person and the fact that Jasmine's mother died when she was six turn up more in this novel than the first, which didn't mention mysterious e-mails at all). Aside from being a fine example of a writer spinning backstories into a series as she writes the series, this new plot thread suggests that Jasmine will return again soon.
Courtesy of Teens Read Too Jasmine Callihan is back in yet another crazy and zany escapade!
This time Venice, Italy is her prowling grounds.
Despite her father's desperate attempts to keep her out of trouble, Jas finds herself entangled in yet another mystery. Trying to find out who killed her new friend, Arabella, will lead her from small, overstuffed apartments, to churches, and to large manors inhabited by the rich.
Luckily for her, she has many, many allies to help watch her back. And one of them includes a mysterious stranger who might know something about her history.
Full of convoluted mysteries, witty segues, and good fashion, KITTY KITTY is a glittering beach must-have, and the perfect follow-up to BAD KITTY.
Anything Goes Trivia
Last Kiss
Megaton Man
Trevor
