Have you ever wondered what your cat is thinking? Have you ever felt like your cat only needs you for meals and that, given the chance, cats might overthrow humans? Hans Ness brings this idea to life in the novel Rolo and the Legend of Jack Bones.

The story begins with the revolution in 2199, known as the Night of a Billion Claws, when cats overthrew humans in their sleep. After the revolution, they established the Felion Empire, which ruled across the continent. Shortly after, the War of Cats and Dogs began in 2361 and lasted for four brutal years, leaving the dogs defeated and forced to leave Earth, while the remaining dogs were treated as uncivilized canines. Everything is about to change after the abduction of the Jolly Wagger and Rolo from the Meowmi Maritime Museum. Who is Rolo? What conspiracy threatens the Felion Empire following the theft of the Jolly Wagger?

First, I would give full credit to the author’s narrative ability, which was exceptional. The story begins with Rolo’s abduction and how he met Jack Bones, the famous captain of the Jolly Wagger. The belief that dogs were uncivilized turns out to be untrue, as Rolo witnesses firsthand the kind gestures he receives from the dogs, especially from Jojo Bones, Jack’s daughter. Rolo becomes involved in an adventure he never asked for but eventually finds it exciting, particularly as he gets to know the dogs. Second, the dialogue of each character is remarkably fluent. The Scottish, American, and British accents are portrayed exceptionally well, showcasing Hans Ness’s mastery. The descriptions of events allow readers to imagine the scenes vividly, even without the pictures included in the novel. In addition, the suspense, drama, action, love, and betrayal in this novel evoked emotions I did not expect from a children’s book. I was constantly eager to see what the next chapter would bring, which made the novel engaging and exciting from start to finish.

The novel was an exciting read. I could not find a single thing to dislike about it. I found the story of Rolo and the Legend of Jack Bones by Hans Ness to be truly captivating.

While I noticed a few minor grammatical errors, they did not detract from the entertainment I got from the novel. I can clearly state that the book has been professionally edited. Even with these small mistakes, I cannot deduct a single star, as this novel is truly deserving of a full rating. I am delighted to give it 5 out of 5 stars for being such a fantastic read.

In conclusion, I would recommend this novel to older teenagers, as some of the vocabulary may be challenging for younger readers, and there are a few strong word choices. Apart from that, lovers of science fiction should consider reading this book, as I believe they would find Rolo and the Legend of Jack Bones by Hans Ness to be highly entertaining.

Loved it! — A swashbuckling tale of war between cats and dogs and a father’s fight for a better future for his beloved daughter.

Rolo is no stranger to wild adventures in his futuristic world, where genetically modified cats have control over Earth and have renamed everything according to their humorous and often silly system of puns. The young hooman loves his blended family of animals and aliens, but struggles to find a place among the other young hoomans at school. When a group of pirate pooches steals their ship back from the Meowmi Maritime Museum with Rolo aboard, you better believe this boy is about to have a boatload of fun. That is, if he can convince the mangy houndrels he’s not a chew toy.

Rolo and the Legend of Jack Bones by Hans Ness is a wildly fun adventure that explores the ups and downs of life among the pirate crew of the legendary Jack Bones. In this tale of misunderstandings and misconceptions, Rolo must learn the truth about the nefarious houndrels and share their true colors with the rest of the Felion Empire. A rough start to his adventure brings him face-to-face with the very beasts that history has taught him to fear. Rolo’s eye-opening journey helps him learn about getting to know someone, avoiding assumptions of character based on someone else’s opinion, and extending understanding to someone who grew up differently or has lived through different circumstances. The story begins somewhat slowly, with Rolo lacking agency and primarily observing the events going on around him. He spends the majority of his adventure capturing moments on his scrollscreen and seems to have only a minor role in this adventure. However, a delightful houndrel named Jojo takes the spotlight and presents a compelling narrative, which will leave readers eager to cheer her on as she speaks up in the fight for a peaceful future. In the end, Rolo does prove himself to be an important part of helping Jojo and her friends. He even learns a very valuable lesson that young readers will find relatable and applicable to their own school situations.

This imaginative tale is sure to please middle-grade readers with colorful character art, playful interactions between the vast cast of creative creatures, plenty of humor, silly situations, engaging endeavours, and important lessons. While this is Rolo’s third novel, there are minimal references to the events of the first two books in the series. This story stands on its own and can be read without reading the rest of the series. The book contains some mild language and occasional toilet humor. D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer

Rolo and the Legend of Jack Bones is the third story in the elementary- to middle-grade romp through adventure and humor, blending genetically enhanced dogs, cats, and us “hoomans” in a rollicking escapade replete with close encounters of the pirate kind.

Rolo faces Jack Bones and his hound crew, who steal the pirate ship on exhibit in a museum. The hooman finds himself trapped at sea with thieves who have no experience with hoomans, in a world no longer ruled by hoomans.

As he learns more about how the Felion Empire banished these hounds and how the war between cats and dogs has simmered ever since, Rolo finds himself in the unusual position of possibly settling matters once and for all.

Readers will relish the fantasy and encounters that inject many characters and surprises into Rolo and the Legend of Jack Bones, which excels in high-octane action and many satisfying twists of plot.

Once again, Sofia Komarenko’s exceptionally colorful portraits of dogs, cats, and hoomans enhance the story with visual attraction that will keep kids engaged and immersed, with Hans Ness at the helm with such characters as Jojo, Master Boopnose, Cap’n McGnaw, and pirate ships with names such as Pug’s Revenge.

Replete with humor throughout, Rolo and the Legend of Jack Bones will introduce many a young person to a special brand of fun and laughter as the characters strive to right wrongs and help this strange, adversarial world come together.

Ness is particularly adept at injecting thought-provoking insights about friendship and the kinds of connections that can change the world, using dialogue to cement intention and psyche in an inviting, thought-provoking way:

Rolo’s origins as an outsider serve him well in this latest adventure as he learns what it means to be hooman, animal, or something greater.

Librarians who have seen prior enthusiasm for the Rolo adventures, or who look for standalone stories for young readers packed with colorful high-seas adventures, will find Rolo and the Legend of Jack Bones just the ticket for an attention-grabbing leisure read packed with action and insight.

“You consort with cats. I smell it on you,” declares an old sea dog to beleaguered human Rolo in Ness’s third series offering (following Rolo on the Planet of Cats). As in prior entries, Rolo’s adventures take place in a future where genetically enhanced animals rule Earth after overthrowing Hoomans (the book’s play on words for our now-second-tier species). Cats call the shots and run the Felion Empire, while other engineered creatures occupy lesser roles. Rolo — who lives aboard a flying circus sky ship with his adoptive family — serves as the story’s main perspective, allowing readers an intimate glimpse of his insecurities in this strange new world. But when a field trip goes awry and Rolo’s swept out to sea aboard the historic pirate ship The Jolly Wagger — commandeered by its former crew of houndrels — he’s in for a rude awakening.

Ness returns readers to a world where reality is flipped upside down and society’s formerly underappreciated members are now large and in charge. Between the genetically engineered animals, ruling felines, and bio-machines, Rolo’s environment is immersive, and Sofia Komarenko’s bold digital illustrations cleverly depict the book’s interesting inventions and characters. Rolo’s family is an equally entertaining mix: Scram, a one-eyed feline engineer; Madame Marvelli, an elephite fortune teller and circus owner; Ailey, Rolo’s human adoptive sister and aerial performer; and their pet Quiggles, a suspected “genetic experiment gone awry.”

Ness manages all that creativity while still tackling crucial coming-of-age themes and some empathetic twists revealing the true history of the houndrels. Though Rolo has a happy home life, he feels alienated at school and longs for adventure and purpose — which he finds during his captivity on Captain Jack Bones’s ship. There, Rolo develops a close bond with Bones’s daughter, Jojo, a young female houndrel who becomes a steadfast friend. As their escapades rev up, readers learn there’s always two sides to history — and sometimes those who should be protected are vilified instead. Fans will look forward to future adventures.

Takeaway:  Inventive SF for kids, with feline sovereigns and immersive worldbuilding.

In Ness’ illustrated middle-grade novel, a young boy is stranded at sea by dog pirates on a future Earth run by giant cats.

Since the 2100s, genetic engineering has resulted in colorfully named animal species that are larger and smarter than their traditional counterparts and have the ability to talk. Rolo, a “hooman” boy who spent most of his childhood off-world, now lives aboard a flying circus with his adoptive parents, an elephite fortuneteller named Madame Marvelli, and a catling custodian and engineer named Scram. His family also includes an adoptive sister—a hooman girl named Ailey—and his pet alien, Quiggles. Unused to Earth customs, Rolo is reluctant to attend school, but his father makes him go anyway. While on a field trip to the Meowmi Maritime Museum, Rolo is exploring a historic pirate ship when houndrel pirates suddenly take it over, and soon Rolo’s stranded out at sea with a group who’s never interacted with a hooman before. Rolo, together with a houndrel named Jojo, will have to uncover secrets of the Felion Empire if he ever wants to see his family again.

Ness has clearly put a lot of thought into what a world with intelligent animals would look like, which adds to the enjoyment; for example, genetically engineered plants grow meat, so the animals don’t have to eat one another. Young readers are also sure to enjoy the nonstop animal puns and wordplay scattered throughout the book (one character is known as the “Furry Fury”), as well as Komarenko’s full-color illustrations that appear in every chapter and add detail to the text’s descriptions. Most of the characters depicted are of the four-legged variety, which is sure to thrill animal lovers of all ages.

A fun SF creature feature that will keep readers engaged.