The book can be used to inspire creative writing. As it is from the perspective of a cat (in first person), children could use this technique to practice writing from different points of view. From the point of view of their own pet to the point of view of Ellie in the book there are a range of different perspectives that can be explored. The punctuation, repetition and use of various lengths of sentences enable the book to be an easy yet interesting read, and therefore can be used to help children develop their writing skills. Lessons involving an examination of the writing can be followed up with a lesson in which the children are asked to write an account from the point of view of their own pet involving repetition, exclamation marks, speech marks and the use of both long and short sentences. Find all of the words that the author uses to describe how something is said (e.g. asked, muttered, cried). Make a poster to teach other children about good vocabulary to use in their writing.

Because let's face the facts here, Tuffy is able to be such an unrelenting hunter and "killer cat" because Ellie and her family in The Diary of a Killer Cat are shown by Anne Fine as obviously having no qualms whatsoever regarding letting their pet freely and continuously roam outside and with there even being a designated cat door so that Tuffy can freely enter and exit at will. And well, for me personally (and as someone who is increasingly aware of the fact that domestic cats are an invasive species and can be a major threat to and for birds), permitting pet felines to be outside cats or even both outside and inside cats is (at least for me) totally unacceptable and also environmentally problematic behaviour and that at the very least, there should be in The Diary of a Killer Cat more attempts being made to keep Tuffy inside, with me also thinking that Anne Fine as an author and as a person probably seems to think that outside cats are acceptable (with which I beg to differ and that this kind of even makes me, makes my adult self see a bit proverbially red regarding The Diary of a Killer Cat, and that my five star rating for my inner child is lowered to only three stars when my adult reading self thinks about Tuffy being continuously outside in The Diary of a Killer Cat and this all being pretty much considered tolerably unproblematic by Anne Fine). Can soft-hearted Ellie manage to get her beloved pet to change his wild, wild ways before he ends up in even deeper trouble? The hilarious antics of Tuffy and his family are told by the killer cat himself. Teaching Ideas and Resources: English This short story is a humorous diary account, written from the point of view of a very naughty and sarcastic ginger cat. The story depicts a casual, child friendly approach to life and death and shows the circle of life from a cats perspective. Throughout the week, Tuffy manages to horrify his owners on a daily basis, by causing chaos in and out of the house. From ruining flower beds, killing birds and even dragging a dead rabbit through the cat flap, Tuffy’s family are beside themselves and cannot understand why he insists on killing things. Tuffy repeatedly justifies his behaviour to the reader, by stating he is a cat and killing is what cats do! Tuffy also seems to try and convince the reader to be on his side, by claiming that ‘it’s practically his job’ and he believes he deserves credit for managing to get the rabbit through the cat flap at all. The twist in the story reveals that Tuffy may not be quite so mischievous after all, which leads to his owners apologising to him and treating him a little more kindly. However, the reader is lead to believe that Tuffy is about to embark on another adventure, as shown by the big cheeky grin on his face in the last illustration of the book. The diary of a killer cat would be suitable to read with children from a 6-9 age range, depending on their reading ability, as I believe they would find it the most comical. It would also be perfect to use with children who have pets (especially cats) as it could spark the conversation of where they go at night when they are able to sneak around the garden and through the streets. Although slightly macabre with its undertones of death throughout, it may be more suitable to use with boys, as they may appreciate the language and humor which seems to be aimed in their direction. I would consider reading this story first before sharing with children, as the content may be less enjoyable depending on your child’s personal experiences.

Goggle-Eyes

This book is brilliantly written and had me laughing throughout. Anne Fine manages to give Tuffy a brilliantly cheeky personality, which children and adults alike will fall in love with. It is the first story in a series of four, all of which are as good as this debut. Highly recommended for children, parents and teachers. The chapters are named after each day of the week. Could you write a story where a different event / paragraph / chapter takes place on a new day?

Okay, okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity's sake, I'm a cat. It's practically my job to go creeping round the garden after sweet little eensy-weensy birdy-pies that can hardly fly from one hedge to another. So what am I supposed to do when one of the poor feathery little flutterballs just about throws itself into my mouth? I mean, it practically landed on my paws. It could have hurt me." Tuffy is grounded for his behaviour. Can you write a new story about a pet who is grounded for their bad behaviour? What does ‘woe betide you’ mean? Can you find other examples of older language that isn’t used much any more? Poor Ellie is horrified when Tuffy drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. But Tuffy can't understand what all the fuss is about. If you like this book, here are some other books you might enjoy - including the further adventures of Tuffy the Killer Cat.

Bill's New Frock

I took great pleasure in reading this book. Throughout the twists and turns of the cats cheeky comments and actions I had a smile on my face, and I believe that children would thoroughly enjoy reading this book also. The familiar settings of the book causes readers to consider what their own cat (pet) is thinking about their family, and what they could potentially get up to when they go off into the garden and beyond.