Don't Trust the Cat by Kristen Tracy (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Don't Trust the Cat by Kristen Tracy April Spisak Tracy, Kristen Don't Trust the Cat. Chronicle, 2023 [336p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781797215068 $16.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 Fifth-grader Poppy knows that she is a pushover, but she finds it easier than trying to fight the status quo. When some of her friends don't even help her after an embarrassing moment, however, she finds solace in her beloved cat, Mitten Man. Somehow a fervent wish made by Poppy (and a less despairing but still heartfelt feline wish) and a newly arrived collar that just happens to be magic come together at the right instant for a cat/girl swap. Mitten Man is elated to be Poppy: he is certain he can make her the confident, shining star that he believes she actually is—plus human food is amazing. Poppy is less happy, especially after Mitten Man completely ignores (with gleeful wild abandon) her exhortations to just blend in until they can switch back. Poppy finds herself outside after being unceremoniously tossed out by her aunt (who did not know her niece is occupying Mitten Man's body), and now she needs to learn how to navigate this cat form and his apparently complex and often troubling relationships with other neighborhood animals. Mitten Man isn't finding his human form any easier: it's hard enough to be a fifth grader but exponentially worse when you literally don't know anything being taught in school. The humor is light and gentle, the empathy each character learns is warmly conveyed and believable, and the deep love between these two protagonists are all strong selling points for fans of animal books, as well as readers who don't mind a dose of magic mixed in with their realistic middle-grades fiction. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois