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jesscinco's review against another edition
3.0
A fun seafaring adventure. I'm not usually a fan of books with animal protagonists, but this one really makes it work. Jacob's sense of helplessness and wonder really mirrors that of a child. I think kids will relate to him and enjoy his story.
ktcarlston's review against another edition
3.0
I know I'm not the demographic for this book - but it was the library's "Boys Book Club" read for the month so me and my son read it. And you know what - he would NEVER have read this on his own (and I would never have read it had I not been making my son read it) - but I really liked it. It's a fun tale and honestly - I had no idea what a life as a cat on a ship would be like. And now I know a little bit more. Totally recommend for children just because it's a little bit different than what is so prevalent and that's a good thing.
ego8's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
nerfherder86's review against another edition
3.0
Cute historical novel for middle graders, set in 1847. Told in first person, it's the adventures of a ship's cat, born on a ship and growing up on the seas. He experiences mutiny against the captain, survives being marooned on an island, and gets captured by crooked marketeers, among other things. Thoroughly researched, nice sense of time and place, with rich historical details and accurate-sounding nautical vocabulary. The cat's personality is a bit too humanlike, however; he can understand the words spoken by all of the humans around him. And even as he does very feline things, he also has the weird pacifist attribute of refusing to kill a mother rat who has babies! Really?? You call yourself a cat?? He does have a nice character growth arc, as he matures from frightened kitten to hardened sailor/warrior. But sometimes I was like, oh give me a break.
m0usey's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Adorable book about a little kitty kat <3
annieliz's review against another edition
5.0
This book really, really surprised me. I mean - I love orange cats and sea voyages, so I thought I'd enjoy this, but I did not know I was going to love it. I thought it would feel familiar, but it didn't. I found the main character's voice to be believable and compelling. I can't wait to share this with some of my students!
pussreboots's review against another edition
3.0
http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2016/comments_12/nine_lives_of_jacob_tibbs.html
woobat's review against another edition
4.0
Nate and I read this at his bedtime over the past month, and we both enjoyed it. It was told from the perspective of Jacob Tibbs, ship’s cat, and that was an excellent hook for Nate (he loves all things cat related). It was surprisingly gritty and suspenseful in places - Jacob and his mates were in serious danger at various points, and several significant characters died. I actually got teary-eyed at one point and we had a good talk about how books can make us feel sad but still be good stories.
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