I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review may contain some spoilers.

I deal with a 5 and 9 year old, and my guess would be that the reading level of this book would be for around age 8, maybe 7.

I think what I liked most about this book was the gravity of the struggles Jimbo had. Many children's books seem to be afraid to tackle difficult issues. I appreciated the way Jimbo lost his home, and then his owner, and had to deal with homelessness and the loss of a friend.
I also liked how Jimbo had a mentality that followed him throughout the book. Even though he was a simple character, he remained consistent and had his own quirks. His owner told him being clean was good, and when he runs into a wild animal one of the first things he brings up is that they smell dirty. He continues to be concerned about how clean he is throughout the book. Even when he meets the little girl, she never comments on how clean or dirty Jimbo is, but he is self-conscious about it and cleans himself up. I like that this thought process can be something that he worries about more than anyone else.

This could be a good book to teach kids why we should empathize with animals. Especially in these times we've had many cats who have been abandoned and left roaming the neighborhood, and it's good to show kids that there's nothing wrong with these animals; they've just fallen on hard times, too. It would probably be a good idea for parents to read this with the kids and discuss some of the problems Jimbo goes through. ( )

Free 2/14/2013 and 2/15/2013 at Kindle.