Cosmo and the Magic Sneeze, by Gwyneth Rees, is about a cat called Cosmo. And Cosmo is not an ordinary cat but a witch cat with magic whiskers … yes! Cosmo can cast a spell with his sneeze!

It isn’t surprising that Cosmo has magical powers because his father too is a magic cat, working for a witch Sybil. And Sybil is no ordinary witch, this one is more scary than a witch should be.

One day, Cosmo sneezes at the right moment and passes a test set by Sybil, proving himself worthy enough to work for the witch alongside his father Mephisto. And this gives him the special privilege of riding along with the witch on her broomstick, something he had long desired to do.

But once Cosmo’s works closely with Sybil, he realises that all is not good and Sybil may just not be as powerful a witch as others believe because without the help of Mephisto, Sybil can’t do all the flying she does. So is the power behind Sybil’s magic really hers?

And Cosmo also realises that Sybil is also not that much of a cat lover as she pretends and there is something really fishy about a secret magic formula that Sybil wants to use to make strange golden kitten statues that look very much alive.

So Cosmo and his friend Mia do some snooping of their own and stop the witch from fulfilling her evil intentions.

This kitten adventure tale is all it takes – suspense, cuteness, magic and mystery – to make readers who have just started reading stories independently to read and enjoy the book. It is right for anyone over eight years, who may or may not be a cat lover.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 29th, 2016