Book Review: Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires

General Information

Title: Binky the Space Cat

Author: Ashley Spires

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Kids Can Press

Date of Publication: 2009

Illustrator: Ashley Spires

Lexile Level & Target Audience

Lexile: GN740L

Age Range: 7-10

Audience: girls and boys, cat lovers, fans of astronauts and space

Brief Summary

Binky the Space Cat is a graphic novel detailing the story of Binky, a typical house cat thirsty for big adventures. He dreams of blasting off into "outer space" (outside) to protect his humans from "alien invaders" (bugs)––but when he finally departs, he realizes he has forgotten something very important...

Evaluation: Pros & Cons

Pros:

1. Good, clean fun. There are no overly mature aspects or inappropriate themes; it's good, clean fun about a lovable character––something wonderful for young readers to engage with.

2. Humorous story with a delightful ending. Young readers will enjoy the humorous fictional elements of this book––especially Binky's obsession with warding off "alien invaders"––which are really just bugs. The ending will have readers chuckling and longing for another story from Binky's adventures.

Cons:

1. No real struggles or growth. This isn't a huge "con," but it's worth mentioning that Binky doesn't change much throughout the story; there aren't real character building or academic building opportunities to branch off with for this book, but, it is an enjoyable and comical story of adventure which could help to spark students' interest in reading. 

Literary Elements

Structure: In addition to this novel being in a comic-strip style, it also has various random artifacts of text placed outside of the comic strip altogether––such as Binky's "acceptance letter" into the "Felines of the Universe Ready for Space Travel (F.U.R.S.T.)" agency and his handwritten list comparing "alien qualities" with "bug qualities."

Dialogue/Diction: Spires uses speech bubbles within the comic strip to indicate the speech of Binky and his humans; she also includes various "sound effect" text lines, shaped to reflect the sound (i.e. "zooom" runs diagonal across the page).

Tone: Spires' tone is light and cheerful; she writes from an all-knowing narrator point of view. An example of her humor includes the lines: "Obviously, bugs and aliens are the same thing. Too bad humans aren't smart enough to figure this out. That must be why they need a cat around."

Illustrations

The illustrations follow a refreshingly distinct style; it's evident that Spires is just as much an artist/designer as she is a writer. The format of the book is organized in a unique structure, with each page feeling different from the last, and the characters themselves (including Binky) are crafted with lots of personality.

Mini-lesson Idea(s)

Spires' use of vivid imagination and a ridiculous plot line is something that young readers can apply in their own writing. Students could be encouraged to come up with something utterly unbelievable and then "normalize" it by talking about it like it's actually possible (just like Spires does). Alternatively, or in addition, students could craft their stories within a comic-style format like Spires. 

Cheers!

- Aubrey