Inside this post are my affiliate links if you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a percentage from the products you purchase.
I was blessed yesterday to be able to celebrate Summer with my niece Lily and my nephew Jason. We went to the movies, and to the park and came home to make Pizza. I needed to keep them busy while I cooked. I let them look through Charlie’s library and Lily picked out Don’t Trust the Cat by Kristen Tracy (Author) to read which I had received for a review. Not only will you get my families thoughts on the book but Lily’s as well and even Jason who looked through the book when Lily would share which wasn’t often.
Charlie being the oldest and the self-appointed protector of Lily let me know he wasn’t sure she would be able to read or understand the storyline of Don’t Trust The Cat because Lily is only 8 and going into third grade. Charlie let me know he would need to read the story to Lily. But Lily not wanting the boys to do anything she can’t do sat down and began reading the story to Charlie.
I wish you could have seen the surprised look on Charlie’s face when Lily finished the first chapter and moved on to the second chapter. By then Jason who is 9 and going into fourth grade asked Lily to let him see the book and he read the second chapter. Then it was time for lunch so they took the book home with them to finish reading and they will be calling me on Zoom each evening to read a chapter to me. I’m so excited because this is the first time we’ve done this and allows me to spend a little time with them each day.
Charlie let me know they need to hurry up and finish Don’t Trust The Cat because even though it’s a Middle School book he wants to know what happens in the story. For a mom this was a Godsend because it means Charlie found a book he enjoyed and would read which he has to do in our Homeschool Reading Class.
This morning Charlie and I were discussing the book and David even said once we get it back he would like to read the story as well. This is wonderful as I signed us all up for Summer Reading programs and we can read as a family instead of watching TV or being on electronics all the time.
When you begin reading Don’t Trust The Cat you will find yourself laughing out loud and asking yourself what would happen i real life if your Cat switched bodies with you. Charlie and I had so much fun making up even more things that could have happened leading us to creating new memories.
About:
WHAT IF YOU SWITCHED PLACES WITH YOUR CAT? Mean Girls meets Freaky Friday in this laugh-out-loud story about self-acceptance, learning who your friends are, and coming of age . . . as a cat.
Fifth-grader Poppy McBean likes rules and order. She’s a follower, and she’s totally okay with that. And if you judge her for that, she’s okay with that too! But after falling prey to her friends’ bullying one too many times, Poppy makes a wish to be happy—and it comes true in a very unexpected way: She wakes up in the body of her cat, Mitten Man.
Mayhem ensues as Poppy-the-girl attempts to navigate the wilds of the wilderness as a cat . . . and her free-thinking, groundbreaking kitty has had it with his owner’s timidity. He’s out to put the purr in perfectionist and take over middle school—as Poppy.
Hilarious and unexpected, Don’t Trust the Cat is a coming-of-age adventure that will keep readers cringing, cracking up, and reconsidering what it means to be a good person.
HILARIOUS: Guaranteed, this will be many kids’ favorite book of the year.
EMPATHY READ: This book is a sneaky way to talk about empathy with kids. Both cat and human learn a lot about each other and change over the course of the book. Each becomes a better being because of their unusual experience.
DEEPLY FELT: This book has a funny premise and is packed with hysterical scenes, but it’s also grounded and emotional. Readers will sympathize with all characters and leave the book feeling like they made friends while reading.
CAT SHENANIGANS: When Poppy’s cat takes on Poppy’s body, she wants to transform Poppy’s life, turning her from a timid kid into someone who believes in herself. Like most cats she has good intentions, but things don’t always go according to plan.
LEARNING NEW WAYS OF COMMUNICATING: For anyone who has ever wanted to communicate with their pets, this novel might make you think twice! Poppy and her cat come to meet in the middle, but they have to learn a lot about communication along the way.
EMPOWERING: Friendships are often messy, but this book shows that it’s important to never lose sense of yourself within a friendship, and that sometimes it is necessary to stand up for yourself even to your best friends.
Perfect for:
- A smart, funny book for girls and boys of all ages!
- Cat owners and cat lovers
- Parents of tweens, teachers, and librarians looking for chapter books for 5th graders or reluctant readers
- Gift or self-purchase for kids seeking self-empowering books with humor
- Fans of Frindle, the Mr. Terupt series, the Wayside School series, Katherine Applegate, and R.J. Palacio books
I would like to let you know I enjoyed getting to know the Author through her Bio below and she has led a interesting life and I would like to know more about Alcatraz. But as for going on a hike I wouldn’t mind helping the Birds but since she likes SNAKES I will just remain at home and go walking on my own. How about you?
About the Author: Kristen Tracy
Kristen Tracy grew up in a small town in Idaho, near Yellowstone Park, where she learned a tremendous amount about bears. Her deep curiosity in all things, a love of language, and her desire to eat less Potatoes led her to exit Idaho and earn an M.A. in American Literature, an M.F.A. in poetry, and a Ph.D. in English.
Her poetry manuscript, Half-Hazard, earned the prestigious Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation, and her poems have appeared in dozens of literary journals including the New Yorker, Poetry Magazine, and Southern Review. She writes board books, picture books, middle-grade novels, and Young Adult books.
At one time in her life, she was a college professor and aerobics instructor. At another time she was a volunteer gardener on Alcatraz and aspiring Bird docent. Now she makes her home in Los Angeles with her husband Brian Evenson and their young son. If you ever go hiking with Kristen, please be aware she attracts seriously injured Birds, apex predators, and large, nonvenomous Snakes.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
