The Nine Lives of Montezuma

The Nine Lives of Montezuma by Michael Morpurgo is a farm story for 6 year olds about a cat's adventures and the boy who cares for him.

What happens

Montezuma's life begins in a barn where safety is hard to find. His mother has kittens to protect and an owl is watching from above. Matthew discovers the litter while doing his jobs around the farm.

The book follows Montezuma from those early days through his life as a farm cat. He has a proud, mischievous side, but his bond with Matthew is part of the story too.

Although the title sounds cheery enough, the first few chapters are quite dark which is worth knowing. One kitten is born dead, an owl takes its body, and Matthew's father drowns others. So, this one is definitely not for anyone who might find animal death upsetting (this isn't a spoiler by the way, these things happen very early on in the story).

For a child that might find harm to animals upsetting, that might make it less enjoyable even with the appeal of a mischievous cat. If you have a reader that's already quite used to the goings-on on a working farm, this could be a great look into how it is for an animal.

You spend time with the animals before Matthew appears. The mother cat needs to feed herself without leaving her kittens in danger. The owl is hungry and waiting for a chance.

That makes even finding somewhere to sleep feel important. If your reader enjoys seeing the world through an animal's needs, there's plenty to follow in those early scenes. The barn is full of places to hide, but also things to watch out for.

Matthew's feelings make the farm life more complicated. He loves caring for animals and finds the killing difficult. You hear him wondering how his father can do something that he couldn't bring himself to do.

What to read next

The Butterfly Lion is another Michael Morpurgo animal story in the library. Its boy and white lion face separation, with a promise to bring them together again. That also has sadness, but it offers a different setting and friendship to follow after Montezuma.