Definitely aimed at children, you know it is going to be upfront about its influence and sympathies on the first line, when it mentions Judge Scrooge. I was partway in (when his dead partner appeared) before I realised it was going to be a full retelling of a Christmas Carol with cats instead of ghosts. That was also when I realised the title was a pun. Groan.

Set in the twenties with references to prohibition and bootleggers Judge Scrooge is visited by three magical cats. Although I did laugh out loud at the line insisting that because Tatiana was a good cat she never shed fur. Only if she was shaved. This is definitely an American bent – under UK law cats have a right to roam and someone shooting them would be in severe trouble with the police. This may make it unsuitable for British children.

With a cute cat on the cover there’s only one way it can go, and what really matters is how well it does it. There are two exerpts at the back, but they are very short and not a problem.

It is a cute cat story at Christmas with a happy ending, but it is not really unique enough to stand out, and as I am reviewing for the British market shooting cats is a problem.