However Tuffy did not actually kill the rabbit this time and finally, after a few unfortunate events, manages to prove this to Ellie. The punctuation, repetition and use of various lengths of sentences enable the book to be an easy yet interesting read, and therefore can be used to help children develop their writing skills. Lessons involving an examination of the writing can be followed up with a lesson in which the children are asked to write an account from the point of view of their own pet involving repetition, exclamation marks, speech marks and the use of both long and short sentences.

Guided Reading: Diary of a Killer Cat | Teaching Resources Guided Reading: Diary of a Killer Cat | Teaching Resources

Themes and topics:Diaries, animals and nature, cats and other pets, guilt and innocence, family relationships, different time periodsAnne Fine was born and educated in the Midlands and now lives in County Durham. She has written numerous highly acclaimed and prize-winning books for children and adults. The story is written in the first person. Can you write a story from somebody else’s point of view? Tuffy knows what he likes. And he doesn't like the 'art' that Ellie's mum brings home from her new classes. So what's a cat to do? This book is told from the point of view of Tuffy, a pet cat who drags a dead bird into the house. His owner, a young girl called Ellie is horrified but Tuffy cannot see a problem, "So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity's sake, I'm a cat" says Tuffy. He then brings a dead mouse into the house. Before long, Tuffy brings his next victim, the next door neighbor’s rabbit. And this time Tuffy is in deep trouble, Ellie’s parents are very cross.

The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine Group and guided reading

Write a diary entry from the point of view of your own (or a friend’s) pet. How does it feel about living with the family? What does it like? What does it dislike?I am sharing this guided reading resource with you in the hopes that it will save you some bit of time and enhance your guided reading lesson. I know I lose countless hours looking up resources, creating resources and copying resources myself, so if this helps you in any way, then I count that as a small victory for our educating community.

The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine | Waterstones

The comical aspect of this book makes it an extremely useful tool in aiding the development of both children’s reading and writing skills:

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First sentence: Monday. Okay, okay. So hang me. I killed the bird. For pity's sake, I'm a cat. It's practically my job to go creeping around the garden after sweet little eensy-weensy birdy-pies that can hardly fly from one hedge to another. But I showed them. I was Tuffy the Acting Cat, superstar. How was I supposed to know things would get so . . . messy? Poor Ellie is horrified when Tuffy drags a dead bird into the house. Then a mouse. But Tuffy can't understand what all the fuss is about. An excellent resource. Thank you so much! Vocabulary focus and assessment document equally as valuable as the questions for each chapter.