Time Cat

Lloyd Alexander

206 pages

Gareth's definitely not an ordinary cat. For one thing, he can talk. For another, he's got the power to travel through time-"Anywhere, any time, any country, any century," Gareth tells Jason. And in the wink of a very special cat's eye, they're off. From ancient Egypt to Japan, the land of young Leonardo da Vinci to the town of a woman accused of witchcraft, Jason and Gareth are whisked from place to place and friend to foe. - Full of fun, excitement, and a good dose of history, here's a fantastic tale that grabs the imagination and takes it far and wide, on the adventure of not one but nine amazing lifetimes.

Socks

Beverly Cleary

156 pages

Socks is the name of the newest character to be created by Beverly Cleary. He is a young tabby cat with four white paws, and he lives happily with a young married couple, Marilyn and Bill Bricker. The center of the Bricker household, Socks rules it affectionately but firmly. Into this loving home, however, comes another pet. This creature has a small, wrinkled, furless face, and Mr. and Mrs. Bricker spend an inordinate amount of time trying to burp it. Its arrival fills Socks with jealousy and a terrible anxiety. How the rivalry between Socks and Charles William, the Bricker baby, turns into an alliance makes a domestic drama both touching and funny.

Whittington

Alan W. Armstrong

191 pages

In this mingling of animal fantasy and an old English folktale, a stray cat named Whittington arrives at a barn and asks Lady, the duck in charge, if he can have a place in the barn to live along with the various other stray animals that live there. Whittington begins to tell the tale of English merchant, Dick Whittington and his famous cat, from which Whittington is descended. Born into plague and poverty during the Middle Ages, Dick Whittington runs away to London where he finds adventure and the cat that eventually will make him a rich tradesman.

Toes

Tor Seidler

164 pages

When a litter of cats is born into the McDonahue family, one kitten stands out from the rest. Intelligent and aptly named, Toes has seven toes on each foot. The other kittens tease him and refuse to include him in their games. So one night, a lonely Toes flees his house and takes refuge in a strange basement, where a struggling musician named Sebastian eventually finds him. It doesn't take Sebastian long to realize that this is no ordinary cat. As he grapples with his own insecurities as a violinist, Sebastian learns from Toes that the most beautiful duet can be the one made by true friendship.

NEED TO READ BOOK CLUB

APRIL ANIMAL

CAT BOOKS

Warriors: Into the Wild

Erin Hunter

272 pages

Rusty starts out as an ordinary house kitten, but his travels deep into the forest involve him in the epic battles of the cat warrior clans who roam (and rule) the wild. With a new name - Firepaw - and a position as a Thunderclan apprentice, our feline hero faces his destiny, struggles with issues of friendship, honour, courage, and betrayal, and learns what it truly means to be a warrior.

Catwings

Ursula K. Le Guin

48 pages

Four young cats with wings leave the city slums in search of a safe place to live, finally meeting two children with kind hands.

Carlotta's Kittens

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

131 pages

It is the coldest part of winter and all of the male cats in the Club of Mysteries -- which meets over Murphy's garage -- have one thing on their minds: Carlotta. Has anyone seen the she-cat that they all adore? Has she had her kittens yet? Because they all know that once Carlotta and her kittens appear, it will be their job not only to protect the young ones from the dangers of the world -- including being discovered and taken to the pound -- but also to teach them the skills they'll need to survive. Elvis plans to teach them to sing. Polo will teach them to leap. Marco, of course, will teach them to read, and Texas Jake, the imposing leader of the Club, will teach them how to hunt. Underlying all of their efforts is each cat's secret hope that he will shine brightest in Carlotta's eyes.
But the male cats soon learn that Hamburger, Scamper, Mustard, Sugar, and Catnip (as the kittens are named) are more of a handful than they had expected.

Pinky Pye

Eleanor Estes

258 pages

In Pinky Pye, the Pye family adds another member. A furious black kitten abandoned on their doorstep endears itself to the whole family-even Ginger-and foreshadows another addition to the Pye family that will change their lives forever.

The Grand Escape

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

160 pages

If only Marco hadn't read a newspaper article about a ranch and become determined to see one. If only Polo hadn't found himself longing for the mother he barely remembered as a soft-warm-wiggle-purr-milk-tongue. Then the two tabbies might have been content to remain pampered house cats forever. But when their owners leave a door open, Marco and Polo can't resist the temptation to escape to the outside world. Their search for food and a dry place to sleep leads them to Texas Jake and the cats of the Club of Mysteries. Life on the streets is a lot easier with friends, but Marco and Polo have to prove themselves before they can become members of the club. And that means facing the huge mastiff Bertram the Bad, a pack of savage river rats, and a barren landscape that may be the ranch of Marco's dreams -- even if it seems more like a nightmare. Home is starting to look better and better...