His Royal Whiskers

by Sam Gayton, Sydney Hanson (Illustrator)

Overview

A young alchemist and a giant cat stage a meow-tiny to take down an evil czar in this charming middle grade adventure.

Something bad has happened to Prince Alexander, the only heir to the mighty Petrossian Empire.

Something worse than kidnapping.

Something worse than murder.

Somehow, the Prince has been miraculously transformed into a fluffy kitten—and a large one, at that. Giant, in fact. Dinosaur-sized.

Why has this terrible catastrophe happened? Who are the boy and girl brewing secret potions down in the palace kitchens? And how are they possibly going to avoid getting their heads chopped off?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481490924
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date:	11/14/2017
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sam Gayton grew up in Kent with a cat called Archibald, a dog called Ruby, a bunch of humans, and a ghost called Kevin. He spent his days playing with Lego, and making comics with his friend Loo Loo. Nowadays, Sam still loves Lego and comics. But he also loves drinking tea (milk, no sugar), eating pizza (pepperoni, extra cheese), and wondering how long he would survive a zombie apocalypse (probably about fourteen minutes).

Sydney Hanson is the illustrator of Construction Cat. She was raised in Minnesota alongside numerous pets and brothers. When she wasn’t tunneling through snowdrifts or rescuing frogs from rain gutters, she was drawing. Her illustrations and paintings still reflect these early adventures and are marked by a love for animals and the natural world. She lives in Los Angeles where she’s worked for several animation shops. In her spare time she enjoys traveling and spending time outside with her adopted brother, a Labrador retriever named Cash.

Read an Excerpt

His Royal Whiskers

Bloom and Swoon and many a moon ago, in the lands beyond the Boreal Sea, there lived a mighty king who loved conquering. He conquered crowns and cities and countries. His name was the Czar.

Conquering was the Czar’s favorite hobby. He practiced all the time, so he was really rather good at it. He could conquer a whole kingdom guarded by ten thousand soldiers using nothing but a tin whistle, a fishing rod, and a herd of reindeer.1

He was a terrifying beast of a man—broad as a bear, strong as an ox, clever as a pig, and hairy as a goat. His burgundy boots shone, his midnight cloak swished, and his Iron Crown sat slowly rusting on his head. He could crush coconuts with his hands and do push-ups with his mustache. He was simply the mightiest conqueror of all time. Everyone agreed. And if you didn’t, the Czar would fight you until you changed your mind.



One bleak morn at the end of Dismember, the Czar woke late and sat down to conquer his huge breakfast of twelve ostrich eggs. He cracked the shells first, one by one. It was his favorite part. He liked imagining they were skulls.

He dipped all his buttered soldiers, gobbled them up, then called the butler and demanded toasted reinforcements.

The butler left to inform the cooks. After a while, the doors to the chamber crashed open. On a velvet cushion by his elbow, the Winter Palace poodle wagged his tail and sat up, as the maids marched up from the kitchens, carrying a whole new battalion of toast that was buttered on both sides.

“Down, Bloodbath,” growled the Czar, jabbing the poodle with his fork. “My breakfast.”

But the Czar and his poodle were surprised by another visitor along with the maids. It was one of the Czar’s War Council. And he was carrying bad news.

Editorial Reviews

10/02/2017
Fantasy and fable intermingle in this whirling story set in the fictional Petrossian Empire, ruled by a bombastic czar with a “ceaseless appetite for conquering.” Disgusted that his six-year-old son, Alexander, lacks “bloodthirst” and “butchery” and instead has a “stubborn streak of kindness,” the czar turns apoplectic when he learns that his heir has morphed into a kitten. Two young palace residents—Pieter Abadabacus, a number-obsessed “mathemagician,” and Teresa Gust, a budding alchemist—are responsible for the transformation, after accidentally dousing the prince with a potion concocted for the czar. An ancient and kind sorceress plays a key role in the escalating battle between good and evil, which leads to a beheading and a visit to the afterlife that melds comedy and the macabre. Gayton (Hercufleas) spices his sprawling narrative with puns, invented words, fairy tale allusions, and tongue-in-cheek footnotes that make for funny and high-energy reading. Yet this fantasy remains firmly grounded in meaningful messages about identity, loyalty, and friendship. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Becky Bagnell, Lindsay Literary. Illustrator’s agency: Shannon Associates. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Terry Pratchett meets Roald Dahl in this textured, tongue-in-cheek fairy tale....the twists and turns will keep the pages flipping. Kids who love riotous fantasy will get a kick out of this."

November 21, 2017 - Booklist

"Terry Pratchett meets Roald Dahl in this textured, tongue-in-cheek fairy tale....the twists and turns will keep the pages flipping. Kids who love riotous fantasy will get a kick out of this."

November 21, 2017 - Booklist

11/01/2017
Gr 4–6—In this creative fairy-tale adventure, an evil, selfish, bloodthirsty czar rules the land of Petrossia with an iron fist. His six-year-old son and only heir, Alexander, has been turned into a kitten. The czar's henchman inform him that it's all the fault of Alexander's two friends, Pieter and Teresa. Pieter is an Abadabacus, a master mathemagician employed by the czar. Teresa, described as a "Spice Monkey," is a servant who swings from ropes collecting ingredients for the kitchen staff. But Teresa isn't all that she seems. She's been dabbling in alchemy, and it will take her, Pieter, and a whole lot of magic to convince the czar to keep their heads attached to their bodies. Puns, wordplay, and footnotes keep readers on their toes. What is lacking in character development is made up with numerous plot twists and unpredictable outcomes. The cover art and black-and-white interior illustrations are a bit young for the intended audience, so this one might take some handselling. VERDICT Funny and a little bit creepy, this is a solid addition to any upper elementary or middle grade collection.—Mandy Laferriere, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX

School Library Journal

2017-09-18
Love conquers all, sort of, eventually, maybe, in this quirky fantasy that incorporates alchemical transformations, hidden identities, inventive wordplay, and terrible (mostly off-stage) violence and destruction.The multilayered story, which takes place in Petrossia, a vaguely medieval country with Russian overtones, follows a feisty girl named Teresa, a serf who works in the czar's kitchen, and Pieter, a young "mathemagician." Teresa is intrigued by alchemy and motivated by revenge. She believes that Pieter can help her learn—so she kidnaps him. Against all odds, this rash act is the unlikely start to a friendship that leads them through a multitude of dangers up to and including a quest to the land of the dead. Along the way British author Gayton sprinkles references to amusingly skewed traditional tales and to his own earlier work, The Adventures of Lettie Peppercorn (2016). Arch authorial asides explain the calendar of Petrossia, the makeup of the czar's war council, death, and other relevant topics. Readers with a taste for sly humor, grim events, and (literally) undying loyalty will gobble this up. Those who are attracted by the charming cover illustration of a cartoonish cat wearing a tiny crown, however, may be dismayed by the distinctly different direction taken by the narrative within.Complex and convoluted, this tale will repay close attention from fans of offbeat fantasy. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews