Cat's Cradle (Cat Royal)
Encyclopedia
Cat's Cradle is the 6th novel in the Cat Royal
series by Julia Golding
. It is a young adult, historical fiction book that continues to follow Cat on her adventures- travelling to Scotland
to find her family, as Cat was abandoned as a baby on the doorstep of Drury Lane
.
with Billy from Jamaica
on a slave ship
and goes to visit Syd. Syd is ecstatic to see her and they decide that Cat should stay with the Fletchers as she currently has no home. Unexpectedly, Mr Sheridan (Cat's unofficial guardian) turns up looking rather troubled. He informs Cat that he has received a letter from Mrs. Moir, a Scottish lady who claims to know something about her family. However, Mr Sheridan and Cat are both wary as the woman asks for money and could be a fraud, but Cat is very interested and deep down she wants to meet this woman, as she is curious and eager to find her family, as she has never had one.
To celebrate Cat's return Cat, Syd and the gang go out for a party and some dancing. There, Cat feels uncomfortable as Syd is making his feelings increasingly obvious, but she only loves him like a brother, but then he later reassures her that it's her choice and 'he won't go all queer on her.'
Suddenly the good mood of the public turns nasty as the London
ers are disgruntled as some Irish
workers arrive. A fight breaks out and as Cat is trying to escape the affray she encounters another girl, Bridget O' Riley, and the two escape together. Cat takes Bridget to Syd's place as it's late at night and Bridget, being Irish, doesn't know her way around.
Cat and Bridget are suddenly awoken in the morning by Bridget's rowdy brothers, who hit her and force her home. Cat is sorry to see her go but she visits her later, and stands up for herself against Bridget's brothers and takes Bridget out. Cat then decides to go to Scotland with Bridget, but as a worker at a Cotton Mill
, so Mrs Moir wont know who she is, and she can study her undetected.
Upon arrival in Scotland, Cat is teased for having a different accent but she soon impresses everyone with her cheeky remarks and daring acts. She is frustrated at first because she doesn't find out anything about the Moir family, but Bridget convinces her that these things take time.
When the Moirs fall ill, Cat voluntarily helps the out, feeding the younger ones and handing out medicine. In this way, she meets Mrs Moir and learns the truth: Mrs Moir is not her Mother, but her Aunt. She is ashamed of her sister as Cat was born out of wedlock
and makes Cat promise that she wont reveal who she is to her cousins (Mrs Moir's children.)
Cat is relieved to find out the truth but also slightly hurt that Mrs Moir doesn't love her. Soon after, Mrs Moir dies from her fever. At the funeral Cat resolves to find her brother, as Mrs Moir had also revealed that she had a younger brother, Rabbie, who had joined the bandits.
Cat isn't encouraged to go and look for her brother, but she stubbornly refuses to leave without meeting him. When they finally meet, Rabbie refuses to believe that Cat is his sister as that shames his Mother. When they are both locked up for theft and have a chance to talk, he warms towards her and calls her 'Sister.' When they are both called forward to be judged, all Cat's friend and acquaintances (Frank, the Duke of Avon, Syd, Nick etc) arrive and convince the judge to let Cat go, upon the fact that Rabbie must go with her. Rabbie isn't pleased at first as he travels with Cat and Frank, but he soon starts joking around and teasing Frank.
Curtain falls
Characters:
Cat Royal The protagonist
of the series. An orphan abandoned on the doorstep, she was named Royal after the theatre. Cat is very strong willed and independent, and curious to find out about her family as she has never known her own origins. She has many friends, including the Duke of Avon who come to her aid.
Bridget O'Riley An Irish girl who has come to London with her mean brothers. She doesn't feel loved by them and follows Cat to Scotland. Bridget is very pretty and Cat wants her and Syd to be sweethearts.
Mrs Moir Cat's aunt. She sent a letter to Mr Sheridan which is how Cat heard of her. Before she died, Mrs Moir told Cat the truth about her flamboyant
mother Jesse.
Rabbie Cat's younger brother. He initially denies Cat as being his kin but soon warmed to her, and accompanied her back to London.
Cat Royal (series)
Cat Royal is a series of 6 historical fiction books by Julia Golding, the British novelist. The main character of the series is an orphan named Catherine Royal. The series are set in 18th Century London where Cat lives in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. The main themes are slavery and equality...
series by Julia Golding
Julia Golding
Julia Golding is a British novelist.Julia Golding grew up on the edge of Epping Forest. She originally read English at the University of Cambridge. She then joined the Foreign Office and worked in Poland...
. It is a young adult, historical fiction book that continues to follow Cat on her adventures- travelling to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to find her family, as Cat was abandoned as a baby on the doorstep of Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
.
Plot Summary
Cat returns to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with Billy from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
on a slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
and goes to visit Syd. Syd is ecstatic to see her and they decide that Cat should stay with the Fletchers as she currently has no home. Unexpectedly, Mr Sheridan (Cat's unofficial guardian) turns up looking rather troubled. He informs Cat that he has received a letter from Mrs. Moir, a Scottish lady who claims to know something about her family. However, Mr Sheridan and Cat are both wary as the woman asks for money and could be a fraud, but Cat is very interested and deep down she wants to meet this woman, as she is curious and eager to find her family, as she has never had one.
To celebrate Cat's return Cat, Syd and the gang go out for a party and some dancing. There, Cat feels uncomfortable as Syd is making his feelings increasingly obvious, but she only loves him like a brother, but then he later reassures her that it's her choice and 'he won't go all queer on her.'
Suddenly the good mood of the public turns nasty as the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
ers are disgruntled as some Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
workers arrive. A fight breaks out and as Cat is trying to escape the affray she encounters another girl, Bridget O' Riley, and the two escape together. Cat takes Bridget to Syd's place as it's late at night and Bridget, being Irish, doesn't know her way around.
Cat and Bridget are suddenly awoken in the morning by Bridget's rowdy brothers, who hit her and force her home. Cat is sorry to see her go but she visits her later, and stands up for herself against Bridget's brothers and takes Bridget out. Cat then decides to go to Scotland with Bridget, but as a worker at a Cotton Mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
, so Mrs Moir wont know who she is, and she can study her undetected.
Upon arrival in Scotland, Cat is teased for having a different accent but she soon impresses everyone with her cheeky remarks and daring acts. She is frustrated at first because she doesn't find out anything about the Moir family, but Bridget convinces her that these things take time.
When the Moirs fall ill, Cat voluntarily helps the out, feeding the younger ones and handing out medicine. In this way, she meets Mrs Moir and learns the truth: Mrs Moir is not her Mother, but her Aunt. She is ashamed of her sister as Cat was born out of wedlock
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
and makes Cat promise that she wont reveal who she is to her cousins (Mrs Moir's children.)
Cat is relieved to find out the truth but also slightly hurt that Mrs Moir doesn't love her. Soon after, Mrs Moir dies from her fever. At the funeral Cat resolves to find her brother, as Mrs Moir had also revealed that she had a younger brother, Rabbie, who had joined the bandits.
Cat isn't encouraged to go and look for her brother, but she stubbornly refuses to leave without meeting him. When they finally meet, Rabbie refuses to believe that Cat is his sister as that shames his Mother. When they are both locked up for theft and have a chance to talk, he warms towards her and calls her 'Sister.' When they are both called forward to be judged, all Cat's friend and acquaintances (Frank, the Duke of Avon, Syd, Nick etc) arrive and convince the judge to let Cat go, upon the fact that Rabbie must go with her. Rabbie isn't pleased at first as he travels with Cat and Frank, but he soon starts joking around and teasing Frank.
Curtain falls
Characters:
Cat Royal The protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the series. An orphan abandoned on the doorstep, she was named Royal after the theatre. Cat is very strong willed and independent, and curious to find out about her family as she has never known her own origins. She has many friends, including the Duke of Avon who come to her aid.
Bridget O'Riley An Irish girl who has come to London with her mean brothers. She doesn't feel loved by them and follows Cat to Scotland. Bridget is very pretty and Cat wants her and Syd to be sweethearts.
Mrs Moir Cat's aunt. She sent a letter to Mr Sheridan which is how Cat heard of her. Before she died, Mrs Moir told Cat the truth about her flamboyant
Flamboyant
Flamboyant is the name given to a florid style of late Gothic architecture in vogue in France from the 14th to the early 16th century, a version of which spread to Spain and Portugal during the 15th century; the equivalent stylistic period in English architecture is called the Decorated Style, and...
mother Jesse.
Rabbie Cat's younger brother. He initially denies Cat as being his kin but soon warmed to her, and accompanied her back to London.
External links
Official Julia Golding website:- http://juliagolding.co.uk/85ca2f91f8/52abb5ab65.html