Tuesday, September 7, 2021

139. Negative Cat


Negative Cat. Sophie Blackall. 2021. [August] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: On day 427 of asking for a cat...my parents finally give in.

Premise/plot: The boy who stars in this story has been BEGGING his parents for a cat. (426 off-screen days of begging for a cat. I can sure relate!) When his parents do say yes, there are a few conditions. He has to keep his room clean--or cleaner. He has to read for twenty minutes a day...at least. And he has to do a better job of keeping in touch with his Grandma. But the cat he picks from the shelter ends up being...well...a negative cat. Plenty of people in the family give up on Max (the cat), but not the boy. NEVER the boy. It turns out what this "negative cat" needs is to be read to!

My thoughts: I like this one I do. I love, love, love cats. I love, love, love reading. A story that combines my two favorites--I'm going to like it maybe even love it. If I have any hesitation about this one at all it is that the family considers taking the cat back to the shelter like it's no big deal to dump a pet. Fortunately, this doesn't happen. The little boy discovers Max loves to hear him read aloud...and all is well and good. 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Young Readers

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