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Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick
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The Great Lab Escape (The Kitten Files Book 0) Kindle Edition

by Perry Kirkpatrick (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 213 ratings
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What do you do when you discover you're the first cat to learn to read?
You run!

Before Mia was the remarkable detective cat, she was a test subject at Caput Laboratories. When she begins to notice words jumping off the page, she's determined not to spend the rest of her life in the lab.

Everything goes awry when her plan to intentionally fail her test backfires —badly. Can she make her escape with only her wits and her newfound reading skills? And will she make it in the big world outside the lab's walls?

This is a short story prequel to The Kitten Files mystery series, and takes place several weeks before "The Case of the Tabloid Tattler." Average read time is approximately 20 minutes.
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  1. Print length
    22 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    October 30, 2018
  5. File size
    674 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07K1P68VQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (October 30, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 30, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 674 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 22 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 213 ratings

About the author

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Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick

Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick lives in an undisclosed location outside of Phoenix where she and her husband chase their four little boys and an escape-artist dog. They don’t chase their cats, however, because cats hate that. She is the author of “The Kitten Files” mysteries, “The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott” spy series, and multiple short stories.

In addition to her writing, Perry enjoys graphic design, playing a number of musical instruments, and watching movies that make her laugh.

I love giving my newsletter subscribers the opportunity to help shape what I’m writing, as well as sharing book deals and a monthly giveaway. Subscribe at perrykirkpatrick.com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
213 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

In the Bookcase
5.0 out of 5 stars A cat with superpowers!
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2023
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A fun, quirky short story about a cat with superpowers. She is a cat that can read! It is her heart's desire to escape from the science lab that she has been held captive in, and go out into the world for a grand adventure.

The writing style reads well; I enjoyed the jaunty pace and comical remarks. I am definitely interested in checking out book 1 of the series.
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Kenya Starflight
4.0 out of 5 stars Short but enjoyable read for cat lovers of all ages
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2021
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Be warned -- this is a short story, not a full novel. It's only about 23 pages... but despite its length, it's still a cute read. Intended as an introduction to a longer book series, it still manages to be a good stand-alone read, and has a charming protagonist in the bargain.

Our hero is a sweet-natured tabby cat living in a laboratory, tolerating occasional injections and tests and with a love for watching the lab assistant's mystery shows. When she realizes she can read, she decides that her best option for leaving the lab is to fail her next test... but when failure brings unexpected and terrible consequences, she decides she has to escape on her own. And her newfound knowledge of words just might be the thing that saves her life...

Despite its short length, "The Great Lab Escape" is still a fun, quick read. It gives us a charming and capable feline protagonist, maintaining her catlike nature without either making her unlikable (too many writers make their cat characters unnecessarily mean) or anthropomorphizing her to a degree where she simply becomes a human in a cat suit. And while her story is a familiar one (animals escaping laboratories happens quite a bit in fiction, such as in "The Secret of NIMH"), it's still enjoyable to read, with a steady pace and writing that flows naturally. There's not much in the way of conflict or a climax, but that didn't detract much from my enjoyment.

"The Great Lab Escape" definitely makes me curious about the rest of the series, and I just may spring for more books in said series. But this story stands decently on its own as well, and can be enjoyed by cat lovers of all ages.
One person found this helpful
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Karis
5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Start of An Amazing Series
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019
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Awww… This novelette/short story charmingly sets the stage for the amazing Kitten Files series. I love Mrs. Kirkpatrick’s unique and fun writing style that is so wholesome and humorous and that even in a story like this the Maker of cats would be honored and given glory.

This entire series—four books all of which I’ve read—is extremely readable and perfect for readers of all ages. Just the other day I literally handed my kindle to my almost teenage brother and told him he had to read this short story. When he finished and I went to ask him how he liked it, he just kept repeating “next, next, NEXT” until I pulled the desired story up on my kindle for him to read.

In this particular story, I enjoyed seeing the ludicrous but super sweet and funny start to Mia’s life as a cat that can read and understand human. Janet and all the other side characters were developed nicely, and I love how Mrs. Kirkpatrick tied in Mia’s early love for detective stories with her eventual finding a home with her own private investigator human.
2 people found this helpful
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Cat
5.0 out of 5 stars Great start for the series, The Kitten Files.
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2019
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Just read Great Lab Escape by Perry
Kirkpatrick Book 0 in series). Quite an interesting start to this series. I love all animals & as an avid cat owner the main character, the cat, is believable & has a unique personality, as all cats do, but this is enhanced by this kitty being part of an experiment, which has resulted in her ability to read & write! It's a fantastic premise, especially for a kitten who wants to work with & ultimately finds her way to, a private investigator! Can't wait to read the other stories in this series. A comfortable & yet interesting read that doesn't bog you down or drown you in unnecessary details. Also doesn't carry all the ugly & disgusting gore, sex, violence & foul language that is much to prevalent everywhere today. My congratulations & gratitude to Perry Kirkpatrick.
One person found this helpful
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Zoom Zoom Red
3.0 out of 5 stars Short Story
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2020
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Every once in awhile, I enjoy a short story as I am not interested in a lengthy investment.

This was enjoyable. I'm not sure I would be interested in following through with additional books along this story line. I enjoy stories about cats (and animals in general) as I have 4.
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Virginia Henderson
4.0 out of 5 stars I found a new series to binge
Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2023
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I highly recommend by this author: Red Rover, Red Rover, and Stronger for Language

A short, easy read about a special cat with dreams of detective work. What more could you possibly want? I really enjoyed the writing, and the ending was so perfect. I'm sold for the rest of the series!

A definite recommendation for cat lovers (and non-cat lovers), and fans of the Emily Abbott series. It felt like a Studio Ghibli storyline, minus any magic or high adventure elements so if you enjoy that, you should give this a read.
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Richard and Liz
5.0 out of 5 stars ~~ The prequel that explains it all :) ~~
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2019
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If you've read the Kitten Files book you will likely, like us, be curious as to how Mia (not her original name in this book) came to learn that she could read. More importantly how did she manage to escape from the Caput Laboratories? What about teaching herself to write? How did she determine who was going to be her new owner?

If you have not yet read the Kitten Files books you are missing out. They are WONDERFUL! Read this short prequel first and then don't hesitate to delve into the series. I downloaded this onto my Kindle. I was not required to write a review but chose do so. Thanks, Liz
One person found this helpful
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B J
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read. Very brief intro to a series.
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2019
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I liked this one. I've not read any of the other books that this is a prequel to. I'm hoping, somewhere in the subsequent books, the author really 'gives' it to the crappy so-called humans engaging in the inhumane animal research and not only do they get prosecuted, but their victims have more than a hand in the prosecution. I'll have to take a look at the rest of the series to find out!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Katja H. Labonté
3.0 out of 5 stars Fun & Cattish Read ;)
Reviewed in Canada on April 24, 2019
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3 stars & 3/10 hearts. Perry Kirkpatrick did it again. This story is even more cattish than the other Mia books and it’s quite funny. Keith is super nice. :) The clompy-sandles-toddler line is hilarious. My only objection is Mia kinda prays twice, which raises some theological issues for me. It's a fun read though, and a great start to the series.

A Favourite Humorous Quote: “I yawned. I'd known the letter "A" and its 25 friends for weeks now. I knew they made sounds, too. But I didn't particularly care for the scientists or the injections, so I'd conveniently forgotten to let them in on this fact.”
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Fluffy fun for younger readers
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 20, 2019
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A cute short story intro to the world of The Kitten Files, where a scientifically enhanced kitty decides she's had enough playing lab rat. Why be stuck in a cage watching detective shows over her minder's shoulder when she could be out there, living a real cat sort of life?

Very young in style, so maybe not for me. I'd guess this is a mystery series suitable for kids and those looking for a light fluffy (and tabby) read.
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Suzanne
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good
Reviewed in Canada on March 26, 2019
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Different, however good story line put together. Quick paced, unusual subject. Couple times almost closed the book, but peaked my interest.
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Rosalyn R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended! :)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2018
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I love it!!! <3 I loved reading how Mia met Keith and all that!! Keith is so great!

This one - like the rest of the series - is humourous, cute, and the best! I always laugh when I read these! Totally recommended!
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A J Richards
3.0 out of 5 stars it is ok
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2019
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Good story but so short
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