Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Lloyd Alexander |
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| Cover artist | Bill Sokol Wayne McLoughlin (Puffin) |
| Country | United States |
| Genre | Fantasy novel, Children's literature |
| Publisher | Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
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Publication date
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1963 2004, Puffin Books |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback) |
| Pages | 191 (first); 206 pp |
| ISBN | 0-14-240107-2 (Puffin) |
| OCLC | 872567416 |
| LC Class | PZ8.A37 Ti |
Time Cat is an exciting fantasy novel written by Lloyd Alexander. It was first published in 1963. Lloyd Alexander was an American author famous for writing over forty books, especially fantasy stories for young readers. This book was his very first fantasy story written for children.
How the Story Began
Lloyd Alexander found writing fantasy for kids to be a very creative and freeing experience. The idea for Time Cat came from one of his own pet cats named Solomon. Solomon would often visit Alexander's office while he was working. The author noticed that Solomon would appear and disappear without him ever seeing him come or go.
Alexander started to imagine that his cat could magically appear and vanish. He thought, "If a cat has nine lives, maybe he's gone off to visit one of his nine lives." This thought sparked the idea for the whole book! He decided each chapter could be about one of the cat's nine lives. He even joked that Solomon deserved credit for inspiring the story.
To create the different settings for the book, Alexander did a lot of reading and research. He wanted to find nine places in the past that a cat might logically visit.
Jason and Gareth's Amazing Adventures
The story begins when a boy named Jason discovers that his cat, Gareth, can actually talk! Even more amazing, Gareth has the power to travel through time to nine different moments in world history. These trips are Gareth's "nine lives."
Jason convinces Gareth to let him come along on these incredible journeys. Their adventures start in Ancient Egypt around 2700 BC. In this ancient land, cats were seen as very special, almost like gods!
After Egypt, they travel to Rome. There, they meet the "Old Cats of Caesar." Later, they are taken to a village where the chieftain, Cerdric Longtooth, tries to harm Gareth. Luckily, Cerdric's wife stops him. The villagers soon learn about Gareth and call him a "Catamountain," which sounds like a fierce beast. Jason pretends to be the master of this supposedly wild creature. Soon, they become friends with the villagers. They leave after another "catamountain" arrives, this time with kittens!
Jason and Gareth visit many other fascinating places and times:
- United Kingdom in 55 BC
- Ireland in AD 411
- Japan in 998
- Italy in 1468
- Peru in 1555
- The Isle of Man in 1588
- Germany in 1600
- The United States in 1775
After these nine amazing adventures, Jason and Gareth return home. Gareth tells Jason that he will never speak to him again. He also forbids Jason from ever telling anyone about their travels. Jason finds it easy to obey because he doubts anyone would believe his story anyway. However, Jason has a special ankh pendant that he got during their travels. He uses it to communicate with Gareth without needing to speak.
