Pencil. Check. Ruler. Check. Calculator…Check.’ Molly Potsome finished packing her bag for her first day at her new school and sat on the end of her bed.
Her eye fell on her neat school uniform hanging from the wardrobe. For the first time she felt a little nervous. What will school be like tomorrow? Will my teacher be strict? Will I make any new friends?
Molly looked after her neighbours’ cat, Mimi, while the family were on holiday. She was amazed to discover that Mimi talks, and loves dressing up. What a cat! But now the very rich Von Volavons are home and Mimi has gone home too. Now there’s school to worry about. Molly is new to this school and knows no one, not even Saffron Von Volavon. And it seems that Saffron is keen to keep it that way. Not a good start. Things become worse when Molly is paired with Saffron to do the costumes for ‘Bring a Pet’ day. Saffron has no intention of working with Molly. Things are looking miserable for Molly who doesn’t even have a pet, until Mimi becomes her pet for the day. Mayhem and madness ensue as Mimi and her costumes threaten to steal the show.
The best way to deal with a bully is to ignore them. But that’s hard to do when they live next door, they’re in your classroom and you have to sit next to them. Then it helps to have a really thick skin and some diversions. Oh, and the affection of a really unusual cat. Then you are so busy wondering what that cat is going to get up to, that the bully’s antics almost pass you by. Wrapped up in a fun and fantastical adventure, Molly is shown how to manage a bully, the bully gets her comeuppance and Molly learns how to make friends. Recommended for newly independent readers to mid-primary.
Paws, Claws and Frilly Drawers , Sarah Horne
Scholastic Australia 2011
ISBN: 9781741698817
review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
www.clairesaxby.com
This book is available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.