Book Review of Bad Kitty Takes the Test
The Children’s Book Review

Written and Illustrated by Nick Bruel

Ages 6-10 | 144 Pages

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press | ISBN: 978-1-62672-589-8

What to expect: Favorite characters, humor, comic-style illustrations, beginning readers

Get out your number two pencils: it’s time to take a test with Bad Kitty!

Bad Kitty is never really happy.  Fans of his original picture books will remember he can be a bit grumpy, and he really hasn’t changed. In this exciting book, Bad Kitty is informed that his cat license has been revoked for a series of “shameful, un-catlike embarrassments,” like allowing the baby to dress him up like a flower for Halloween. The only way to get his cat license back? Take a big, scary test!

 Kitty is full of anxiety, and he’s not happy at all about what’s to come. Why does he have to take a test, anyway? What will he do in the test? What does it all even mean?! So off to class Kitty goes, where familiar friends (like Uncle Murray) show up to take the class with him. They learn all sorts of crazy things about taking tests and then taking tests to prepare for the big test. It’s a crazy, silly, number two pencil adventure where Kitty learns that tests aren’t everything in life and that as long as she tries her hardest, she can’t go wrong.

Nick Bruel’s hilarious illustrations and the pithy, witty dialog will make kids and parents laugh. Tests are hard and nerve-wracking! And watching Bad Kitty go through the rigamarole of preparing for one is pretty funny. With engaging illustrations and sparse text on most pages, BAD KITTY TAKES THE TEST is an excellent choice for an early reader. Kitty’s anxiety and fear over the upcoming test are so relatable for most school-aged children. Bad Kitty Takes the Test helps poke fun at the ridiculousness and spells out how tests are just something you have to do. They are not a measure of your worth as a cat (or a person!).            

A fun romp with a very Bad Kitty!

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About the Author and Illustrator

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of the phenomenally successful New York Times bestselling Bad Kitty series, including the 2012 and 2013 CBC Children’s Choice Book Award winners Bad Kitty Meets the Baby and Bad Kitty for President. Nick has also written and illustrated popular picture books, including A Wonderful Year and Little Red Bird. Nick lives with his wife and daughter in Westchester, New York.

Bad Kitty Takes the Test, written and illustrated by Nick Bruel, was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like Bad Kitty Takes the Test by following our reviews and articles tagged with Bad Kitty, humor, and beginning readers.