Book Review: The Pharaoh’s Catacombs (The Cats of Caylor Academy)

Reviewed by Andrea Marks-Joseph

Treasure-hunting kittens with magical talents go on a purr-fectly action-packed adventure that’s rich in Egyptian history and grounded in middle-school angst.

The Pharaoh’s Catacombs zooms into action with the power and passion of a cat’s midnight zoomies. This is the second book in The Cats of Caylor Academy, but author Karen Bitzer ensures that standalone readers never feel lost or left out. With her skillful prose, we’re immediately invested in the escapades.

From treasure-hunting to life-or-death puzzle-solving, the kittens of Caylor Academy go from magic-school stages to haunted, spellbound caves, making The Pharaoh’s Catacombs unputdownable.

“This was just supposed to be finding some gold and jewels. Simple stuff, right!”

We meet the Caylor kittens about a week before their supervised tour trip to Paris, where they hope to escape their tour guide and find a treasure that’s rumored to be buried in the catacombs with a disgraced Pharaoh.

Upon arriving in Paris, they stumble upon “meowfia” cats who are trembling at the mention of a ghost they say lives in the tunnels. Could this be their legendary Pharaoh, scaring the meowfia away from his treasure? Or is the meowfia head-honcho’s instruction that the Caylor Academy cats carry his boxes into the tombs (because his cats fled in fear) a big trick to take advantage of tourists?

They’re too scared (and too interested in potential leads on their treasure hunt) not to go down into the tombs and find out. And the ghost rushes out into the tunnels to meet them! While they’re running away from his frighteningly powerful magic and “bone-rattling laugh,” the ghost suddenly shouts “Present yourself to your Pharaoh!” potentially proving their treasure hunt true in the most terrifying moment.

Karen Bitzer writes moments of horror (like the ghost Pharaoh describing how he watched his sarcophagus being lowered down into this tomb) with equally compelling brilliance as its spellbinding magic and thrilling adventure.

When they figure out that the ghost is the legendary banished Pharaoh Ramesses VIII, he demands the kittens perform a ritual to release him from the underground purgatory, sending him to the afterlife. While gathering the tools the Pharaoh instructed them to find, the kittens meet a young girl named Bennu, who says she is his slave. Bennu warns the kittens of the Pharaoh’s lies, identifying the ritual as one that will actually bring him back to life! Whether they should believe the Pharaoh or Bennu’s word sparks a fracture in the kittens’ trust of each other; it’s a hairline fracture, fine as a cat scratch, but equally (by which I mean: alarmingly and undeniably) as painful and irritating for them. Perhaps that was Bennu’s plan all along?

“Bennu let the kittens argue amongst themselves. It was entertaining. They were cuter than the human adventurers before them.” She’s right about both of these things. Karen Bitzer writes their sibling-like arguments with humor and heart and casual childish pettiness. But then Bennu continues, presenting an excellent example of the multifaceted magic spell of curiosity, charm, and creepiness that Bitzer continuously infuses and intertwines into the story: “‘It will be a little sad when they fail the quest like the rest’, she thought. ‘But their pelts will make gorgeous decorations on my wall.” Our alarm bells are still ringing about this when another plot-twist reveal turns everything on its head all over again.

I loved that sometimes I’d forget they were cats and not kids, until suddenly they’d scream a loud “high-pitched MEAOOOOWWW!” or yell a frustrated “Furballs!” in a stressful moment when a human child might use a less feline phrase. I loved all the cat-related details like the popular Whisker’s Delight catnip tea, MarvelousMouse Trail Mix snacks, and Christmas being called ‘Crispmouse.’ I loved that they traveled with their friend, Quinn, a sentient quill pen who communicates with the kittens in British Sign Language. I loved that, when the kittens are acting out of sorts, Quinn remarks that his friends “get like this when they had little food and missed their regularly scheduled cat naps.”

The found family vibes between the kittens is strongest when Bitzer leans into a realistic dynamic for their ages: They spend so much time together that they’re attuned to each other’s strengths and weaknesses; they bicker often but are able to shift into teamwork mode when they’re all motivated to. Each kitten is going through a phase of self-discovery about their talents and skill-level, with many questioning their biological family’s stories. There’s a heightened awareness of the scary stage of pre-teen “becoming”—which middle school-aged readers will find highly relatable.

Ramesses taps into Sheba’s anxious desperation to remain accepted by her friends, calling her a “bad kitty” for feeling negative emotions like anger and hate. Knowing how much the adults rely on Sheba to keep the group safe and on the right path, despite being a kitten herself, readers in this same complicated position may feel seen in the pressure that Sheba feels to be good and her belief that she is loved only because of that perceived goodness.

Bitzer writes with compassionate intention for young readers to see themselves (in the true sense, “bad kitty” qualities and most vulnerable thoughts out in the open) in the Caylor Academy heroes. And they are heroes! Not only of the story, but for being brave enough to scold a Pharaoh—while he’s threatening them with ancient evils—for using his power to enslave people, reiterating the scale of his cruelty to his face when he doesn’t seem sufficiently ashamed. The kittens even stage a workers’ rights movement in a blink, strategizing about freeing captive factory workers just seconds after discovering their role in the meowfia’s catnip tea scam.

Domesticated kitten, Tank, knows that his dream school has an ancient policy of non-acceptance for “domestics,” but he doesn’t allow that to dull his determination to apply and impress them: “I have to try. Things don’t change if you don’t try.” This is the same kitten who, in the middle of their spontaneously-extended quest to free the Pharaoh ghost, notices his hunger and realizes he’s grown used to eating every two hours, remarking that “This was the first time he had felt real hunger since leaving his feral life on the streets behind.” Sheba’s nervous habits and worried thoughts are written so naturally and believably. This representation would be great for a reader who shares her experience. As would the patience with which Panther cub among kittens, Ruby, shares breathing techniques with Sheba to help manage her panic attacks.

I’d highly recommend this book for readers who find extensive worldbuilding introductions frustrating—and for readers with shorter attention spans, because the fast-paced adventures keep on coming. The kittens save themselves from increasingly strange and fascinating puzzles built to destroy, distract, and detract them. With its challenges that highlight each of the kids’ skills, The Pharaoh’s Catacombs frequently reminded me of the Dora and the Lost City of Gold movie and the brilliance of their shared historical knowledge shining brighter the deeper into the quest they get.

If you love fun, fantastical adventure books like the Magnus Chase series and films like Jumanji, where the quest is the main story, you’ll enjoy this book. If you love cats, world history, and stories of young people awkwardly adjusting to their natural talents, The Pharaoh’s Catacombs is for you.

Thank you for reading Andrea Marks-Joseph’s book review of The Pharaoh’s Catacombs (The Cats of Caylor Academy, 2) by Karen Bitzer! If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

The post Book Review: The Pharaoh’s Catacombs (The Cats of Caylor Academy) appeared first on Independent Book Review.