Description
The first book in this series, The She Team, described how the team was formed and related their adventures as they took on their first jobs. The She Team is made up of four cats – Smig, Ebi, Trig and Roisïn and a dog, Mags. The fact that they are all female led them to choose the name ‘The She Team’.
All five animals were rescued from a variety of undesirable situations by two kind boys, Diarmuid and Eoghan, who then persuaded their parents to take the animals in. The boys rescued Smig from a bush near the side of the road, where she had been dumped by her cruel owner, Pandora. Ebi was found by the boys in the nick of time since Pandora was trying to drown her in the laboratory of the Animal Research Institute. Both Trig and Roisin were saved out of Tarrentino’s circus at different times and the boys found Mags near their school after her owners, Liz and Paddy, were burgled and taken for safety to their son’s house.
When the animals discovered that they all had different superpowers, they decided that they would form The She Team to get back at the people who hurt them and prevent
them hurting other people. Smig’s claws can extend up to six inches, Ebi has deformed but strong claws capable of unusual tasks like typing, Trig possesses a tail that can extend, wrap itself around objects, and move them, and Roisïn can squeeze through very small spaces. Mags has two related superpowers. If she holds her left ear with her paw, she can understand what humans and other animals are saying. If she presses down harder on the ear, she can make herself understood by humans and other animals.
These superpowers proved to be very useful in The She Team. No doubt they will be just as beneficial in The She Team Does Lockdown. “What is lockdown?” I hear some of you ask. At the end of 2019, a deadly virus, named Covid-19 was identified in China which rapidly spread all over the world. This was a very contagious disease which was spread very quickly from one person to another. This is the reason why lockdowns were put in place in most parts of the world, where by people, by law, had to stay at home most of the time and could only move a short distance away if they did leave. All schools and universities, cinemas, churches and most public buildings were closed and all concerts, sporting events and any public function which involved the gathering together of people was cancelled. You can see why it was called a lockdown!
Pat Clarke
I bought this book for my 7 year old son recently and did not realize at first that it was about the Covid lockdown. It was actually a very good way to explain to him what COVID was all about, without frightening him since he was only a toddler during it. He found the book amusing and was very interested in how the animals used their superpowers to help the family with certain problems that arose during the lockdown. He was fascinated with the fact that the animals were based on the real pets of the author and the boys were based on her grandchildren.
Kate O’Hanlon, Educational Consultant and Psychologist
Here comes a welcome and much-awaited sequel to Susan McGovern’s first book, “The She Team.”
We are again invited to join in with the clever antics of the 4 cats: Smig, Ebi, Trig and Roisin and the dog, Mags. Each has a very individual talent which enables them to connect with the world of the humans. Mags is a wonderful character who is the leader and interpreter for the team. She is the middle-woman between the humans and the animals.
Set in the time of the pandemic lockdown, when humans were feeling vulnerable, isolated and disempowered, the animals are well placed to help them resolve problems.
The reader becomes ever more engaged as the events unravel and the humans begin to gain an awareness of the special talents of their cats and dog.
This book offers a development in the characters as they become more involved in the lives of the humans around them. It is exciting, humorous and satisfying for the reader. It is a book which can be shared by parents, read to a class or devoured by a young reader. We look forward to more of the same.
Strongly recommended.
Kate O’Hanlon.
Educational Consultant and Psychologist.