Cat's Cradle: The Mole King's Lair

by Jo Rioux

Overview

Suri the monster tamer is back for the second volume of this thrilling graphic novel trilogy!

Suri has what it takes to be a monster tamer—she just knows it! She’s even tamed her first monster…if you count Byron. He’s less like a monster, more like a giant dog. He needs a master that’s just his size, so Suri, Caglio, and Byron set off for the land of the giants: the Monster’s Cradle.


An epic journey like this requires money and provisions, which they don’t have. But the treasure at the heart of the mole king’s lair might be the solution to their problem!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250336071
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	06/20/2023
Series:	Cat's Cradle , #2
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	94 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jo Rioux is an author and illustrator of children’s books. Since graduating from Sheridan College with a degree in illustration, she has created artwork for young adult books, chapter books, and picture books, but her biggest passion is comic books. She lives in the lush suburbs of Ottawa, where she spends her time drawing, reading, teasing her dog, and spinning tales of magic and monsters. See more of her artwork at jorioux.com.

Editorial Reviews

2023-04-12
A young monster tamer journeys in search of her family.

This sequel to The Golden Twine (2022) picks up with 12-year-old Suri looking for odd jobs to keep herself, imp Caglio, and giant doglike monster Byron fed as they make their way to the Monster’s Cradle, where Suri hopes to find her family. Being followed by a group of Caitsiths, catlike shape-shifters, they head to the mining town of Tancredi, where they hope to find work. But unbeknownst to them, the miners of Tancredi have been going missing, leaving the formerly prosperous town in ruins. On their way north, they are attacked by a mole king, but they manage to escape and in the process rescue Kolya, a thief on an impossible mission who harbors a secret. Kolya stumbled across the mole king’s treasure but was caught in the act of trying to take some of the gold coins. He and Suri team up to try again. The action moves at a quick pace, and the storylines are easy to follow, although readers familiar with the first volume will better understand some of them. Strong in comedic timing and banter, this entry follows plucky Suri as she continues to problem-solve, extricating her band of travelers from numerous sticky situations. Suri has brown skin and hair; Kolya has light skin and black hair.

An exciting, adventurous continuation centering a clever protagonist. (map, journal entries) (Graphic fantasy. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews