Sunday, July 24, 2022

108. The Purrfect Show


The Purrfect Show (Home for Meow #1) Reese Eschmann. 2022. 128 pages. [Source: Library] 

First sentence: “I think this is my best idea yet.” Pepper purrs. She leans over the side of the mixing bowl and sniffs the batter inside. Then she licks the tip of her heart-shaped nose. That’s how I know this is a really good idea. I, Kira Parker, have a lot of ideas. Some of them are pretty good and some of them are really good. My little brother, Ryan, would probably tell you that my ideas are not so good, but I know he’s going to love this one. After all, who doesn’t love cupcakes and cats. Our family owns The Purrfect Cup, the best and only cat café in town. We live right upstairs, in an apartment with blue walls and yellow tiled floors. Mama runs the business and takes customers’ orders. Dad bakes the treats we sell. And I get to spend all day with the best friends a girl could have: the cats!

Premise/plot: Kira Parker's parents run the Purrfect Cup a cat cafe that features cats in need of adoption. (Though the family's own cat, Pepper, also is a regular.) She's wanting to find homes for the cats, so when she hears of an upcoming talent show--for dogs--she gets the idea that cats should participate too. But will all go like planned? Can the cats be trained to perform tricks? Will they behave at the talent show? Will people fall so in love with them that they find new forever homes?

My thoughts: I liked this one. I liked the writing. I was expecting this to be sugary-sweet perhaps with a side of cheese. So super adorable, of course, but not much else. It had more substance than I was expecting. I liked the family-and-friends-and-neighbors element. I also liked that things did NOT go according to her plan, but, that was okay too. Because sometimes great ideas don't work out in the end. I found the narrator relatable.

Quote: And then I get the best idea ever. Getting a great idea is like making cupcakes. It starts with thoughts sitting in separate bowls. Dogs. Tricks. Talk of the town. Then my thoughts mix together like flour, sugar, and eggs. I put the idea into my brain-oven and it grows, like scoops of cake batter puffing up into cupcakes.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers

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