The Thirteenth Cat

Product Description \nFrom master of middle grade horror Mary Downing Hahn, a new thriller about bravery, unexpected friendship, and sinister cats that will captivate readers with its chilling mix of mystery and magic.\nZoey loves spending the summer with her Aunt Alice, and her aunt's new house is the perfect place to cozy up with a good book. But she's unnerved by the overgrown forest next door, which is creepy even in the daytime and full of eerie sounds at night. Worse, there are rumors in town of a dark force in those woods. And Zoey can't deny that the wild black cats who live there seem to be watching her.\nWhen she encounters a mean old woman who claims to be their owner, Zoey realizes there's more to the cats than meets the eye. But little does she know that the closer she comes to discovering their secret, the more danger she's in . . .\nFrom School Library Journal
Gr 3-7-Twelve-year-old Brooklyn, NY, native Zoey is spending her summer in Bexhill with her Aunt Alice when strange events start to occur. Zoey notices a pack of black cats, led by a long-haired white cat. They are all owned by the cruel yet fashionable Miss Dupree who is not pretty, but not ugly; not old, but not young. After a run-in with Miss Dupree, Zoey and her friend Lila are turned into cats. Lila and Zoey team up with Nia, another girl-turned-cat, to break the evil spell Miss Dupree has cast on them. This tale is creepy and reminiscent of Roald Dahl's The Witches. Readers will feel a sense of dread as the story comes together and they realize why the girls have been turned into cats. There is little character description, so it's up to the reader to imagine what Zoey and Lila look like. The ending is happy, but also sad; not everyone is saved, which makes the horror all the more effective. VERDICT This twisted tale would be good for older elementary students who love stories with magic, witches, and impending doom.-Maeve Dodds, Charlotte Mecklenburg Lib., NCα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
"Horror maven Hahn conjures up another heart-pumping read for the younger set that strikes the right balance between thrills and chills."—
Booklist
About the Author \nMary Downing Hahn’s many acclaimed novels include such beloved ghost stories as Wait Till Helen Comes, Deep and Dark and Dangerous, and Took. A former librarian, she has received more than fifty child-voted state awards for her work. She lives in Columbia, Maryland, with a cat named Nixi.\nExcerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
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Last fall, my aunt Alice moved from a Boston suburb to Bexhill, a small town in Vermont. For the first time she had enough space for me to spend my summers with her instead of going to camp. Mom was delighted. She knew how much I hated camp, but even though I was almost thirteen, she didn’t think I was old enough to spend my summers alone in Brooklyn while she worked. What could be better for me—and safer—than a summer in a small town? When we pulled into her driveway, I thought my aunt’s house was like something out of an old-fashioned kid’s picture book, almost too pretty to be true, with flowers, blooming vines, and shade trees. There was even a front porch with a wooden swing at one end. All that was missing was a cat curled up on a mat by the front door. I hadn’t been allowed to bring my cat, Suki, but I hoped to convince my aunt she needed a cat. I couldn’t imagine living without one. While we unloaded my luggage, I took a quick look at the neighbors on either side. On the right was a house similar to my aunt’s—what people call a Victorian cottage, with dormers and fancy wood trim. Aunt Alice’s house was yellow with blue trim, and the one beside it was blue with yellow trim. Sweet, I thought. What really caught my attention, though, were the woods on the other side of my aunt’s yard. The