Jumble Cat

Jumble Cat

Billy Slipper is a fairly normal boy with a definitely not-so-normal family. All he wants to do is add to his -Collectabillya' (an assortment of weird and wonderful objects he finds) in peace, but his cleaning-mad mum (she even cling films the carrots!) and his fantastically horrid twin sister have other ideas.

However, they don't bargain on Billy finding his best ever Collectabillya – Jumblecat! Jumblecat is a…well, a jumbled-up cat (who talks, by the way), and he's set to change the Slippers' lives forever. With the help of his batty old-lady next-door-neighbour, Billy must battle to win the town pet show , find a vet who can un-jumble Jumblecat, Rescue Jumblecat when he is stolen (culprit: an insane taxidermy-obsessed general) – and then stop Jumblecat from getting stuffed, all with the help of dad's milk float. Sounds easy? Well, you just haven't met Jumblecat yet. Beautifully illustrated by the Greenaway Medal nominated artist Kate Hindley, Jumble Cat is sure to capture your heart.

Jumble Cat
The Five Mile Press
Author: Archie Kimpton
ISBN: 9781471402784
RRP: $12.95

Interview with Archie Kimpton

Question: What inspired the story of Jumble Cat?

Archie Kimpton: It all began with Dobby, a wide-eyed plastic doll that belonged to my older sister. When I was five, I realised that without too much effort I could pull off Dobby's arms, legs and head and put them back in the wrong sockets. I thought Dobby looked brilliant like this, though my sister was less impressed. Either way, a lifelong attraction for jumbled-up creatures was born.


Question: What was the best thing about creating the character of Billy?

Archie Kimpton: As Jumblecat is full of larger-than-life characters, Billy Slipper needed to be someone that children could easily relate to on an every day, more human level. He's a happy-go-lucky young boy: enthusiastic, kind, mischievous and most importantly he's very patient when he becomes responsible for the ever-demanding Jumblecat.


Question: Honestly, how -normal' is your family?

Archie Kimpton: Put it like this: one or two members of my family actually think that they were the inspiration for some of the more extreme characters in Jumblecat. Can you believe it! Of course this is NOT TRUE. As the book states, 'any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental.' The Kimptons, well, we are very, very normal and a very well-adjusted clan. We brush our teeth eight times a day and we are always kind to animals. Sometimes we are so normal it hurts.


Question: What's next for Jumblecat?

Archie Kimpton: Ideally, it's Jumblecat the Movie followed by Jumblecat the Musical with original songs by Tim Minchin and Bono. In reality, Jumblecat is having a well deserved rest, a catnap, while I work on my next book, which is not about cats. This time it's about mind-bendingly disgusting porridge...


Question: What was it like working with Kate Hindley?

Archie Kimpton: I was very happy when Kate agreed to illustrate Jumblecat. She's an enormously talented artist who has brought all the characters to life in a way I could never have imagined. Jumblecat himself was particularly hard to get right - we didn't want him looking like some terrible, feline monster. But as you can see from the finished book, Kate nailed it.


Interview by Brooke Hunter