Mister Mishkins is a magical cat who owns an Apothecary on Mosaic Street - a place that appears mysteriously in town overnight and is only visible to those in need. Whenever anyone enters the Apothecary, Mister Mishkins listens as they share their troubles and fears, before turning to the rows of wooden drawers where, hidden within, is an eclectic mix of cats. These cats take whoever needs them on a journey of transformation, replacing negative emotions with hope, optimism, and a small sprinkling of magic.
Author Samantha Mattocks has created a beautiful world filled with cats, rainbows and butterflies, that take away the worries and fears common to so many of us. This fully illustrated first book in the Magical Mister Mishkins series is sure to become a family favourite.
Samantha is an award-winning author and journalist who has spent a life owned by cats. She lives in Norfolk with Mishkins and the rest of the family. A graduate of York University, Samantha owns The Arabian Magazine, a beautiful coffee-table publication about Arabian horses. She has appeared on MasterChef and she loves to cook to good music then share the food with Mishkins and friends.
When not writing about horses and cats, Samantha loves reading, photography, and collecting an ever-growing collection of notebooks! You can find out more at samanthamattocks.com
5.0 out of 5 stars The Marvellous Mr Mishkins worked his magic!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 February 2024
We bought this book as a Christmas present for our daughter who finds reading difficult and is, to say the least, a reluctant reader! She was receiving additional literacy support at school and was allowed to choose what she reads so after Christmas we encouraged her to take Mister Mishkins' Apothecary to school.
Previously, when asked how the additional lessons were going, she’d reply something like “Alright I suppose” so I was astounded and delighted at the response when I asked about The Magical Mr Mishkins. Her face erupted into a smile and she beamed as she retold stories of fantastic friendly felines jumping out of mystical drawers in an enchanted apothecary. She went on to explain how these wonderful cats listened to children who visited the apothecary, reassured them and took away their troubles, worries & fears. She said her literacy support teacher loved the book too!
Last week when we received an email from school saying that, following a reading test, one-to-one reading support was no longer required, the marvellous Mister Mishkins truly is a magical cat!