Bad Kitty (series)

Last updated
Bad Kitty
BadKittybook.jpg
The cover of second box set in the series, "Bad Kitty's Very, Very Bad Boxed Set"
Author Nick Bruel
IllustratorNick Bruel
Cover artistNick Bruel
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Comedy [1]
Publisher Mcmillan (Neal Porter books, Roaring Brook Press); Scholastic Corporation
Publication date
2005 (original)
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)

Bad Kitty is a series of American children's books by Nick Bruel, about a housecat named Kitty, who often wreaks havoc about her owner's home. The first book, Bad Kitty, [2] was a picture book, published in 2005, and featured Kitty encountering foods and doing activities categorized by the alphabet. It was followed by Poor Puppy, which deals with Kitty's housemate, Puppy. Bruel also created chapter books including Bad Kitty Gets a Bath, Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty, Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray: The Uproar at the Front Door, Bad Kitty Meets the Baby and Bad Kitty for President. The chapter books feature tips on caring for cats. In late 2011, Bruel published A Bad Kitty Christmas as a picture book. The series won a Wyoming Buckaroo Book Award. [3] The series has spawned three boxed sets. A TV series based on the book series is currently in development.

Contents

Characters

Main

Nick Bruel draws Bad Kitty at Mazza Museum Nick Bruel drawing Bad Kitty at Mazza Museum.jpg
Nick Bruel draws Bad Kitty at Mazza Museum

Kitty's friends

The following is a list of cats that make their debuts in Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty.

Minor characters

Books

No.TitleDateFormatLengthISBN
1Bad KittyOctober 1, 2005 [5] Picture book 40pp ISBN   978-1596430693
Kitty was a good kitty until her owners make her eat vegetables, listed from A to Z. Kitty is repulsed, and becomes a bad kitty. She does a bunch of activities. The owners come back from the store and present Kitty with good food. Kitty is very happy, so she does some good activities. The owners then reward Kitty with a new friend: Puppy!
2Poor Puppy
Poor Puppy and Bad Kitty
July 24, 2007 [6] Picture book40pp ISBN   978-1596432703
Puppy wants to play with Kitty, but Kitty refuses. Puppy ends up having to play by himself from "Airplane" to "Zoo Animals". He then naps and dreams of activities he can do with Kitty, from "Apple Bobbing in Antarctica" to "in Zimbabwe, they run Zig-Zags with a Zebra, a Zebu and a Zorilla". He wakes up and sees Kitty dangling a toy mouse in front of his face. He jumps up and chases Kitty.
3Bad Kitty Gets a BathAugust 19, 2008 [7] Chapter book 128pp ISBN   978-1596433410
Kitty needs a bath, but does everything she can to avoid it.
4Happy Birthday, Bad KittySeptember 1, 2009 [8] Chapter book160pp ISBN   978-1596433427
Kitty prepares for her birthday party. She hopes to get a fancy scratching post. Kitty's friends come and bring presents. but trouble ensues. Marks a cameo of Kitty's mother, Mama Kitty.
5Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray: The Uproar at the Front DoorAugust 31, 2010 [9] Chapter book160pp ISBN   978-1596435964
Kitty's owners are leaving for a week, but they bring Uncle Murray as a pet sitter. Kitty thinks Murray is scary and hides from him, only to be surprised as Murray almost sits on her or uses her as a dish rag. Kitty gets hungry, thinking of minutes like days, and hours like weeks. Murray talks about his old dog, then almost sucks Kitty with a vacuum cleaner. Kitty's friends raid the house and Murray leaves, taking Puppy with him. He later returns, and promises to take care of them. Kitty's owners return and bring a surprise guest: a new baby!
6Bad Kitty Meets the BabyJune 7, 2011 [10] Chapter book144pp ISBN   978-1596435971
Bad Kitty is told she will get a surprise when her owners come home and she gets stuck with Puppy and Uncle Murray babysits her. He has to call the fire department several days in a row. When they come back they have a baby which Kitty has no clue what she is. The other cats come and decide she is another kitty. They have a special Pussycat Olympics, but the baby wins all of the events, even the ones that Kitty expects to win. Kitty throws a tantrum and kicks everyone out. Kitty's owner tries to settle her down and then informs her the baby is adopted and needs love just like her. Kitty sympathizes and cries. Kitty tries to help the baby but then when it is bath time, she picks the baby up and runs off.
7A Bad Kitty ChristmasSeptember 13, 2011 [11] Picture book40pp ISBN   978-1596436688
Kitty wants a stack of food and his father Papa kitty. But when he gets on the naughty list for eating a baby bird, he tries everything he could to get on Santa's nice list!
8Bad Kitty for PresidentJanuary 17, 2012 [1] Chapter book144pp ISBN   978-1596436695
Kitty runs against Big Kitty to be president of the Neighborhood Cat Club.
9Bad Kitty School DazeJanuary 8, 2013 [12] Chapter book160pp ISBN   978-1596436701
Kitty and Puppy go to obedience school, where their classmates are a dog named Petunia and the insanely evil Dr. Lagomorph.
10Bad Kitty Drawn to TroubleJanuary 7, 2014 [13] Chapter book128pp ISBN   978-1596436718
11Puppy's Big DayJanuary 6, 2015 [14] Chapter book160pp ISBN   978-1596439764
Kitty keeps on having bad moods so puppy decides to take a little vacation with Uncle Murray!
12Bad Kitty Goes to the VetJanuary 5, 2016 [15] Chapter book144pp ISBN   978-1596439771
When Bad Kitty is forced to visit the vet, she is put to sleep for surgery and has an odd dream in which she imagines that she is on the brink of death and must repent for her crimes against Puppy or be cast down into "Puppydog Paradise," which is kitty hell.
13Bad Kitty Takes the TestJanuary 3, 2017 [16] Chapter book144pp ISBN   978-1626725898
After her cat license was revoked, Kitty must take a class and pass a test to get it back.
14Bad Kitty Camp DazeJanuary 2, 2018 [17] Chapter book160pp ISBN   978-1626728851
Kitty creeps out Puppy, sending him to Uncle Murray’s camp for stressed-out dogs... But Kitty sneaks along.
15Bad Kitty Kitten TroubleDecember 31, 2018 [18] Chapter book160pp ISBN   978-1250182081
Kitty's owners bring in a number of little kittens to foster.
16Bad Kitty Joins the TeamJanuary 7, 2020 [19] Chapter book160pp ISBN   978-1250208071
Kitty exercises to get in shape.
17Bad Kitty Goes On VacationDecember 29, 2020 [20] Chapter book160pp ISBN   978-1-250-20808-8
Kitty goes to Love Love Angel Kitty World with Uncle Murray.
18Bad Kitty Gets a PhoneDecember 28, 2021 [21] Chapter book144pp ISBN   978-1-250-74996-3
Kitty wants a cell phone.

Reception

The series was met with mostly positive reviews. Lynn Beckwith at Bookpage.com describes Kitty as "a joyfully silly portrait of a picky eater with attitude", and that Bruel's illustrations are bold and humorous. [22]

In 2020, the Bad Kitty series was named the 37th most banned and challenged book in the United States between 2010 and 2019, according to the American Library Association. [23]

Related Research Articles

William Bradley Strickland is an American writer known primarily for fantasy and science fiction. His speculative fiction is published under the name Brad Strickland except for one novel written as Will Bradley. By a wide margin his work most widely held in WorldCat participating libraries is The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer, which concluded the Lewis Barnavelt series created by John Bellairs (1938–1991).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morris Gleitzman</span> Australian writer

Morris Gleitzman is an English-born Australian author of children's and young adult fiction. He has gained recognition for sparking an interest in AIDS in his controversial novel Two Weeks with the Queen (1990).

<i>Dogsbody</i> (novel)

Dogsbody is a 1975 children's novel by British writer Diana Wynne Jones, first published by Macmillan. It tells the story of Sirius, a star who is forced to live in the body of a dog on Earth. The book was Wynne Jones' fifth full-length novel.

<i>Into the Wild</i> (novel) 2003 novel by a team with the pseudonym Erin Hunter

Into the Wild is a fantasy novel about the lives of fictional cats, written by a team of authors using the pseudonym Erin Hunter. The novel was published by HarperCollins in Canada and the United States in January 2003, and in the United Kingdom in February 2003. It is the first novel in the Warriors series. The book has been published in paperback, and e-book formats in twenty different languages. The story is about a young domestic cat named Rusty who leaves his human owners to join a group of forest-dwelling feral cats called ThunderClan, adopting a new name: Firepaw. He is trained to defend and hunt for the clan, becomes embroiled in a murder and betrayal within the clan, and, at the end of the book, receives his warrior name, Fireheart, after a battle with another clan. He must face the evil Tigerclaw. The novel is written from the perspective of Fireheart.

Joyce Dunbar is an English writer. She primarily writes books for children, and has published over seventy books. Dunbar is perhaps best known for Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go To Sleep, This Is The Star, and the Mouse and Mole series. She is the mother of the children's writer-illustrator Polly Dunbar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilfrid S. Bronson</span> American painter

Wilfrid Swancourt Bronson was an American natural history artist and a "prolific writer and illustrator of children's books on various aspects of animal life".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane E. Clarke</span> English writer of childrens books and poetry

Jane Elizabeth Clarke is an English writer of children's books and poetry. Her best known books include Gilbert the Greatillustrated by Charles Fuge, and Neon Leon illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. Jane has published more than 80 books, including the Dr. Kittycat series for Oxford University Press, and children's reading scheme books used in schools. CBeebies Bedtime Stories have featured two of Jane's books, Stuck in the Mud and Knight Time. Stuck in the Mud is also featured with a US Scholastic Book Club edition which includes a CD audio edition. This audio edition is produced by Beatstreet Productions, NYC, directed by Cheryl Smith, read by Cassandra Morris and features music composed by Michael Abbott.

<i>T.U.F.F. Puppy</i> 2010–2015 Nickelodeon animated series

T.U.F.F. Puppy is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It premiered on October 2, 2010, on Nickelodeon along with Planet Sheen, which premiered a half hour earlier. T.U.F.F. Puppy is Hartman's third animated series for Nickelodeon, after The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom. The series was cancelled after three seasons and aired its final episode on April 4, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Koudounaris</span> American author and photographer

Paul Koudounaris is an American author and photographer from Los Angeles. He has a PhD in Art History, and his publications in the field of charnel house and ossuary research have made him a well-known figure in the field of macabre art and art history. He is also a feline historian whose book A Cat's Tale, told feline history in the voice of his rescue cat, Baba the Cat. He is a member of The Order of the Good Death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Bruel</span> American author and illustrator of childrens books

Nicholas Tung Ming Bruel is an American author and illustrator of children’s books, most notably the Bad Kitty series. The first book in the series, Bad Kitty, is an alphabet-themed picture book, and expanded series includes both picture books and chapter books, as well as a guide to drawing comics. His books have been New York Times bestsellers.

<i>Shelter</i> (novel)

Shelter is the first novel of the "Mickey Bolitar" young adult series by American crime writer Harlan Coben. It features the teenage nephew of Coben's popular protagonist Myron Bolitar. The novel was first published on September 15, 2011, by Orion Books in the UK and Puffin Books in the US.

Bad Kitty may refer to:

Let's Go for a Drive! is a book by Mo Willems, published in 2012. It is a book in the Elephant and Piggie series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Lauren</span> American writing duo

Christina Lauren is an American author duo of contemporary fiction, teen fiction and romance novels.

<i>Poseidons Arrow</i> 2012 novel by Clive and Dirk Cussler

Poseidon's Arrow is a Dirk Pitt novel, the twenty-second of that series, co-written by Clive Cussler and his son Dirk Cussler. The hardcover edition was released November 6, 2012. Other editions were released on other dates.

Warriors: The Prophecies Begin is the first story arc in the Warriors juvenile fantasy novel series about feral cats. The arc comprises six novels which were published from 2003 to 2004: Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path, and The Darkest Hour. The novels are published by HarperCollins under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, which refers to authors Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry and plot developer/editor Victoria Holmes. The sub-series details the adventures of the housecat Rusty, who joins ThunderClan, one of four Clans of feral cats living in a forest which adjoins the human town in which he originally lives. The arc's major themes deal with forbidden love, the concept of nature versus nurture, and characters being a mix of good and evil. Though the novels have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List and have been nominated for several awards, none of the novels in the Warriors sub-series have won a significant literary award.

Bruel may refer to:

<i>Mouseheart</i> Series of adventure novels by Lisa Fiedler

The Mouseheart series is an ongoing series of children's adventure novels by Lisa Fiedler. The series currently comprises three books, the first of which was released in 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry Books.

<i>Ketzel, the Cat who Composed</i> 2015 picture book by Lesléa Newman

Ketzel, the Cat who Composed is a children's picture book by Lesléa Newman. Based on a true story, it is about the friendship between Moshe Cotel and a kitten, Ketzel, who composes a musical piece that Cotel enters into a music competition and receives a special mention.

Robert Kalich is an American novelist, journalist, and producer. He is the author of non-fiction books and novels, best known for his national best-seller, "The Handicapper" (1981) a novel about an obsessive gambler published by Crown Publishing Group. Robert was born and lives in New York where he co-directs a film company with his twin brother Richard Kalich.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  2. "'Zoopa,' 'Bad Kitty' and 'Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack'". The New York Times. January 25, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  3. "Bad Kitty at Macmillan". 2011-02-11.
  4. 1 2 3 Bruel, Nick (January 9, 2014). "Ten Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Bad Kitty - A Guest Post by Nick Bruel". MacMillan Kids Books. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014.
  5. "Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel (First edition)". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  6. Bruel, Nick (July 24, 2007). Poor Puppy (Bad Kitty). ISBN   978-1596432703.
  7. "Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel (first edition)". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  8. "Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel (first edition)". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  9. "Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray by Nick Bruel (first edition)". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  10. "Bad Kitty Meets the Baby by Nick Bruel (first edition)". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  11. "A Bad Kitty Christmas by Nick Bruel". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  12. "Bad Kitty School Daze". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  13. "Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble". Barnes and Noble.com. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  14. "PUPPY'S BIG DAY by Nick Bruel , Nick Bruel - Kirkus Reviews" . Retrieved February 8, 2019 via www.kirkusreviews.com.
  15. Bad Kitty Goes to the Vet: Nick Bruel: 9781596439771: Amazon.com: Books. ISBN   1596439777.
  16. "BAD KITTY TAKES THE TEST by Nick Bruel , Nick Bruel - Kirkus Reviews" . Retrieved February 8, 2019 via www.kirkusreviews.com.
  17. "BAD KITTY CAMP DAZE by Nick Bruel , Nick Bruel - Kirkus Reviews" . Retrieved February 8, 2019 via www.kirkusreviews.com.
  18. "KITTEN TROUBLE by Nick Bruel". Kirkus Reviews . Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  19. Noble, Barnes &. "Bad Kitty Joins the Team|Hardcover". Barnes & Noble.
  20. "Bad Kitty Goes On Vacation: Nick Bruel". Indigo.ca.
  21. "Bad Kitty Gets a Phone: Nick Bruel". Macmillan.com.
  22. Beckwith, Lynn (October 2005). "A picky eater with attitude". Bookpage.com. Pro Motion. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  23. Banned & Challenged Books (2020-09-09). "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019". Office for Intellectual Freedom. American Library Association. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2021-05-04.