Murray and Bun (1) - Murray the Viking

Murray the cat lives with Fumblethumb, a rubbish wizard, who is terrible at magic. Bun is a bun transformed by Fumblethumb into a rather sticky bunny with a cherry for a tail. Together, Murray and Bun have adventures when they travel through the enchanted cat-flap which sometimes leads into the garden, but often leads elsewhere!  On this occasion, they find themselves in the land of the Vikings where they are sent on an important mission to Troll Island.

Murray the Viking is a wonderful story! Packed with wonderful illustrations, there is plenty of action and plenty of humour, making it a thoroughly engaging and entertaining read. In Murray, Adam Stower has captured so many of the adorable cat-characteristics which make them such fantastic companions! A great lover of snoozing, endowed with plump parts and very fond of a snack or two, this loveable feline makes a very different kind of hero. Fortunately, he is (probably!) able to draw on the wisdom and experience of his relatives when faced with challenges and brilliantly solves his mission. Bun is a ball of energy, pinging all over the place and frequently getting stuck, adding much humour along the way. The illustrations are absolutely brilliant, cleverly used in places to develop and move the story forwards, really engaging readers and adding to the enjoyment of the reading experience.

Children (and adults!) will love spotting the differences between the spreads where the trolls wait for Murray to acknowledge that he is expected to go and investigate! At the end of the book, there are pages showing the reader how to draw Murray and a bun and information from Murray's family album among other things.

Sure to be incredibly popular with readers of all ages, this is a wonderful new series and I can't wait to read the next one!

192 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher

Suggested Reading Age 7+