James Bowen – trippingdifferently

So roughly 6 months after we read the first Bob book (that’s what it’s now known as in our home now), i have finished reading the second one (Tobias still has not read it yet cos i only bought one copy, there is no children’s edition for the second book).

And it is as good as the first one. It is still that same honest humble voice of James, simply telling you his adventures with Bob on the streets of London. This one is a little more reflective than the first, i feel.

The second book takes us from where the first left off (James was on his final step to being completely clean) through the next few months as they cope with being a bit more known, to the book (the first Bob book) coming out and how different people reacted to their new “status” as “stars”. It isn’t all sunshine and roses. And that is what is sad about it; that people can be so jealous of someone else’s good fortune as to be cruel and even try to take “legal” action against them.

My favourite parts are when Bob plays doctor and nurse to James. It is amazing how sensitive pets are to their owners’ health condition and what they try to do to help. (i won’t give more away.)

It ends on a happy note with both James and Bob looking forward to the future which is now a little brighter for each of them as they will always have each other.

So if you have read the first book, i recommend getting this one. If you have not read ‘A Street Cat Name Bob’, get both and enjoy!

syc

A little over 2 weeks ago, i wrote this post about how excited we were to be starting our Bob journey. And as promised, here’s the book review of both A Street Cat Named Bob and Bob: No Ordinary Cat.

This is also Tobias' first read of a true story... — This is also Tobias’ first read of a true story…

We’ll start with Tobias’ review of Bob: No Ordinary Cat. Since he doesn’t yet have an idea what a book review is, i sort of interviewed him. Here’s it:

S: What do you think of the book?
T: It’s good. It’s funny. I like Bob.

S: Why do you like Bob?
T: Cos he’s intelligent and cute.

S: Which is your favourite part?
T: I liked the part where Bob copied James on the toilet.

S: Which is the saddest part?
T: When James lost Bob.

S: Would you like to meet Bob and James?
T: Yes, very much.

S: Would you tell other kids to read this book?
T: Ja.

That must be the world’s shortest book review interview ever. But he truly did love the book very much and talked about it for days. Of course, he also liked the fact that he finished his book before mummy finished hers (he finished in 3 days actually). In my defense, even though his book had a few more pages than mine, his had pages with pictures of Bob (such cute pictures) and the font size was bigger.

Now for my review of A Street Cat Named Bob.

It is an honest book – i love that it reads like James is sitting right there telling you his story. There are no embellishments, just simply his story; a journey from drug addict to a recovering addict to being clean, all along Bob was there, bearing witness, keeping him on track, giving him a reason to be responsible and shape up.

Make no mistake, Bob needed James as much as James needed Bob. A street cat, however smart, can always do with a warm home and a good human to feed him and care for him. And Bob knew how to pick his human.

This is a story which i found amazing and heartwarming, and i highly recommend it for feel-good summer read.

i can’t wait to read the next one; The World According to Bob.

syc

Tag: James Bowen

Book Review: The World According to Bob by James Bowen…

Book Review: A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen…