ALA Booklist

That bad kitty is back, this time in a celebratory mood. Well, it's her birthday, anyway. In the now-familiar mix of wry story and high-impact cartoon-style art, this features Kitty's unseen owner trying hard to get the party underway. A mix of guests and some missing presents (including some awful ones, like a sweater!) mar the festive mood, but a special visitor makes things right. Spreads of fun facts (don't feed cats chocolate) disrupt the story line but are interesting enough to make the intrusion worth it. Cute kitty, even if she is bad.

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

It's Bad Kitty's birthday. All her friends come bearing gifts (though not the World's Greatest Cat-Scratcher she'd been hoping for). As the party progresses, the gifts disappear. It's a mystery until Puppy unveils his present: a cat-scratcher cobbled together from the other gifts. Spirited black-and-white illustrations display the hijinks. Brief descriptions of breeds of cats included in the story are appended.

Kirkus Reviews

Bad Kitty is back; and, just like every morning, she doesn't want to get out of bed. Today, however, is a special day: Bad Kitty's birthday! After a special alphabetical breakfast made of everything from Aardvark Bagels to Yak Zabaglione, Bad Kitty "helps out" with the decorations (i.e., destroys them). She picks out what she really wants from the Cat-alog of Cat Toys just before the guests start to arrive. She unwraps their... questionable gifts, which promptly vanish. Who is stealing them? Bad Kitty's human gives her a truly hideous gift, and Bad Kitty has a major freakout until a special guest calms her down. Then Poor Puppy gives Kitty his homemade present, and it's time for bed. Bruel's follow-up to Bad Kitty Takes a Bath (2008) is nearly as much fun. Uncle Murray returns with his real facts about cats, and an appendix offers information on the breeds of each of the guests. The frenetic black-and-white illustrations are just plain hysterical, and the translations of Siamese Chatty Kitty's blathering is a stitch. Fun for all, especially fans. (Fiction. 7-10)

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

In the second early chapter book starring this perennial sourpuss, Bad Kitty's day starts off with a special alphabetical “Birthday Breakfast” that includes Aardvark Bagels, Clam Doughnuts and Eel Fritters. Each chapter focuses on a different part of the day's festivities (Bad Kitty is excited about the prospect of presents, but less so about looking through an old photo album and decorating the house). Eventually, some aptly named guests such as Strange Kitty, Chatty Kitty and Stinky Kitty arrive, and the story becomes a whodunit when Bad Kitty's presents vanish and the prime suspect ends up being the lovable slow-wit, Puppy. The appearance of Bad Kitty's Mama, who sports a pearl necklace and a vacuous expression, offers—briefly—a softer side of the feline. Bruel has fun with the format, using footnotes, different font sizes, comedic/informative interludes about cat behavior (“Uncle Murray's Fun Facts”) and lengthy side stories that take place in corner panels to add to the story's freewheeling atmosphere. But as usual, it's Bad Kitty's unapologetic, curmudgeon nature that delivers the laugh-out-loud funny. Ages 7–10. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

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

Gr 1-3 Bad Kitty is back for another adventure, and children who have met this cantankerous feline in her previous outings know that a typical birthday celebration just won't do. Kitty "helps" with the decorations, "welcomes" the guests, and gets the best gift of all in a surprise visitor at the disastrous party's end. Bruel's fast-paced humor is just right for the beginning chapter book set, and the interplay of the text with the comic black-and-white illustrations ratchets up the zaniness level. "Uncle Murray's Fun Facts" sections sprinkled throughout offer facts about why cats sleep, scratch, and engage in odd behaviors, and an appendix tells more about each of the breeds represented by Bad Kitty's party guests. A frenzied fusion of fiction and nonfiction with plenty of appeal for young readers. Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD