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John Millen

Kaspar Prince of Cats
By Michael Morpurgo
Published by HarperCollins
ISBN 978 0 00 726699 9
Famous international hotels like The Savoy in London, The Raffles in Singapore and Hong Kong's Peninsula Hotel have been welcoming guests through their doors for decades.  Famous and infamous names have  stayed,  leaving hotel staff with a mountain of stories to tell.
After a stay at The Savoy, award-winning children's author Michael Morpurgo knew precisely who was going to be the central character in his next novel. In one of The Savoy's bars, there is a statue of a black cat who was once a resident at the hotel. Legend has it that the cat still haunts The Savoy following certain mysterious events, including a dinner party and a violent death.
But Morpurgo decided he didn't want to flesh out this tale for his new book, Kaspar Prince of Cats. He wanted to take The Savoy's cat and give him a completely new story.
Kaspar arrives at The Savoy in a basket. He is the prize pet of Countess Kandinsky, a rich Russian opera singer who has come to London to sing at the Royal Opera House. Johnny Trott, one of the hotel's bellboys, helps carry the Countess' luggage to her suite.
Kaspar's story is told through Johnny's eyes. An orphan abandoned at birth, Johnny has spent most of his young life in a poor children's home. He gets a job as a bellboy, and the hotel is now his home.
Morpurgo paints a fascinating picture of a young servant's life in a top hotel in days gone by, and this forms a great part of the novel's charm and drama. Johnny works very hard for many hours each day. He has to deal with guests who sometimes treat him just like a slave, but he knows he has to do his best,  whatever the circumstances. Otherwise, he will be sacked and sent back to the orphanage. It's hard work keeping rich guests at The Savoy smiling and happy.
But Johnny's luck changes when the Countess sweeps into the hotel. She takes a liking to the young bellboy and gives him the job of looking after her beloved Kaspar when she is at the theatre. But when a terrible tragedy strikes, Johnny is left responsible for Kaspar.
Boy and cat are now on their own, and events force them to escape from The Savoy. They board a ship heading for America. The name of the ship is S.S. Titanic.
Kaspar Prince of Cats is an inspiring, heart-warming adventure story from a well-loved writer of children's fiction. Morpurgo has fans all over the world who know what to expect from one of his novels. They won't be disappointed by Kaspar, and neither will readers discovering Morpurgo's magic for the first time.
John Millen can be contacted on MillenBookshelf@aol.com



Orphan boy and pampered cat join forces to fight for survival