ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Sala, with his gothic expressionism charms intact, offers his first graphic novel for a YA audience. Katherine (who goes by K.) was raised in an orphanage by a mistress who indoctrinated the children in the arts of thievery. Now, she finds herself at a musty old boarding school run by a secret organization called "The Obtainers," dedicated to the finer points of cat burglary. Along with four other students, K. embarks on a high-wire series of art heists, but when the other girls start disappearing and a bit of light gets shed on the organization's darker secrets, she begins to reconsider her role. Sure, readers might hope for more substantial characterization or smoother plot development, but the spooky, tiptoeing atmosphere of Sala's art and the sneakily sinister undertones of the story are the real draws. This high-quality caper comic should appeal to readers dismayed by the shuttering of DC's teen girl centric Minx imprint, but it will by no means be limited to them. Several unresolved elements hint at possible sequels.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

In this boisterous graphic novel crime caper, K. enrolls at the secluded Bellsong Academy for Girls. But K.'s past--as an orphan corralled into thievery--is closer to her present than she suspects. Sala's nightscapes are deep-hued and creepy, in stark contrast to the jewel-toned outdoor scenes. The zany backstories, tongue-in-cheek hints, and quick-moving plot make for an entertaining tale.

Kirkus Reviews

Sala usually aims his pulpy gothics at older teens and adults, but here he tries for a younger audience. The art is far more finished than the sketchy plot. Trained since childhood by Fagin-esque Mother Claude to be a thief, teenage K. is dispatched to a supposed girls' school in a creepy mansion surrounded by dark woods and, along with a trio of fellow "students," breaks into three nearby houses to steal paintings that contain clues to a pirate treasure buried nearby. Filling in the back story requires so much explanation that swollen dialogue balloons nearly fill some of the cartoon panels, but the contrast between the hulking and misshapen adult nogoodniks in the cast and the four slim, leggy teens adds retro charm to a tale well stocked with menacing characters, mysterious voices, rococo hazards and atmospheric shadows. Expect sequels. (Graphic fiction. 10-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Sala's charming new graphic novel recalls a revamp of the Nancy Drew mysteries—produced under the hypnotic gaze of Edward Gorey. Silver-haired orphan K. is a prodigious young thief who struggles with the legacy and implications of her larcenous talent. Her enrollment in a peculiar young women's academy promises respite from her troubled upbringing, but soon reveals a direct link to her own mysterious past as her skills are pressed into service for an unknown goal. Sala meets the publisher's smaller, digest-sized format with an economical visual style, fleshed out with gemlike watercolors, brilliantly reproduced. His disciplined images work to support efficient storytelling that is as crystal clear to the reader's eye as his sinister characters' motives are unclear to his headstrong, inquisitive heroine. Suitable for a YA audience, <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Cat Burglar Black is less gloriously eccentric than the author's previous adult works, but features the same sort of effortlessly eerie style. If the resolution is somewhat pat, its pattern of successive revelations implies further developments to come in a sequel. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

School Library Journal (Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 5-9 K. arrives at a peculiar, isolated private school after having been raised as a pickpocket in an orphanage following the disappearance of her circus-acrobat-cum-cat-burglar father. It turns out that the only other three girls at the school are also thieves, and the instructors are part of a guild of criminals and were allies of K.s dador so they hastily claim when pressed. The school is owned by her aunt, who is very ill, and the guildThe Obtainershope that the teen will help them discover lost treasure on the grounds that could pay for medical treatments and the restoration of the school. Nothing is what it seems, particularly the disappearances of K.s classmates during heists to procure clues about the treasure. The artwork is a winning mixture of lovely and comically ugly. This dichotomy, shown in the visuals, is further evidenced in the dialogue, where the guild members are transparent and broad in their motivations and delivery, while the girls are given casual dialogue and a number of funny moments. The story is structured like a lighthearted cross between a fable and a horror film, but only ever teetering on the edge of horror without depicting it. This could have resulted in a mishmash, but Sala elegantly dances through the creepy and the sweet. Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH

Voice of Youth Advocates

Trained in thievery by the orphanage matron, K has led a life of crime until her aunt finds her and invites her to her boarding school. K soon discovers that the school and its occupants hold a mystery to be solved. The schoolÆs founder had hidden clues in paintings of herself that would lead to a pirateÆs treasure. The school occupantsùall thievesùneed K and her three fellow students to steal the clues and piece them together to find the treasure. If Nancy Drew were a criminal, she would be K. Each crime involves acrobatic feats and imagination. The foursome dwindles down to a lone survivor, as the girls are caught in traps one by one. The artwork is cartoony with a flair for gothic. K is a character reminiscent of many tween detectives found in literature or television, but she remains unique. The setting of an abandoned school in the forest is typical, but it works adequately for the story. The one-dimensional villains could be straight from Scooby Doo. The storyÆs biggest downfall is the mystery itself. Instead of allowing readers to become involved in the solution, Sala tells the end of the mystery rather than showing it. Best suited for the tween mystery readers who are looking for a graphic novel to try, the title will need hand selling to everyone else.ùKristin Fletcher-Spear.