The Cat Kin by Nick Green

SF Said gave us cat ninjas. Now, from Nick Green, we have children who learn to be ninjas by imitating cats.

Okay, no-one calls them ninjas. The art they are learning is pashki - "somewhat akin to dance... not unlike t'ai chi. And it will bring you closer to nature." What isn't mentioned in that description, and what proves most important to the story, is the great atheletic abilities it gives you.

I wish I could learn pashki. Like Tiffany in the story, I have a great love of cats - and even if you don't, their grace is still enviable. Tiffany and Ben are the protagonists of the story. Tiffany is unpopular and reclusive; Ben a pinball wizard whom the kids at school bet upon. Both have their own problems, and they take an instant dislike to each other. Part of this is competitiveness - of the students in Mrs Powell's pashki class, they are the two to whom it comes easy.

So, of course, they have to learn to work together - particularly when they find they are both connected to an old factory, where the health supplement Panthacea is being produced. Ben's family is being harried from their nearby property by the company, whilst Tiffany's have found Panthacea the only thing that can help her severely ill brother. Mrs Powell has a connection too, to Dr Cobb, the head villian of the piece. And there are all sorts of revelations and horrors and moral dilemmas, plus a fair few fight scenes - it all makes for a highly enjoyable book.

Some of that's the wish fulfilment element - but whilst it occasionally gets over-the-top, it's a solid story with enough twists to keep it interesting. It would probably make a good movie - and indeed there is a lot that feels filmic about the construction. It's got the action, the revelations, and there are lot of scenes that are very visually striking. Even the length is about right.

It's fun, but not deep - the ethical dilemma gets sidestepped at the end, which was disappointing but not really a surprise. But if you want a light, engaging read, there's plenty to recommend it. You'll come away wishing you, too, could learn pashki - even if you'd rather not have the other struggles the characters face.