Cat Stories

J FICTION (Grades 2-3)

Titanicat by Marty Crisp
Jim is a cabin boy on the Titanic as it prepares for its first voyage. He is assigned to care for the ship’s cat, but the cat disappears right before the ship is launched. Will Jim stay on board or follow the cat?  Unpaged

The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine
Tuffy the cat tries to defend himself against accusations of killing other animals, including the neighbor's pet rabbit. Can his owner, Ellie, get him to change his vicious ways?  58 pgs. (Also look for: The Return of the Killer Cat.)

Kidnap at the Catfish Cafe by Patricia Reilly Giff     A 
Assisted by her cat, Max, Minnie starts up her new detective agency. Their first investigation involves a thief who will steal anything, even a hot stove.  73 pgs. (Look for other titles in The Adventures of Minnie and Max series.)

Pioneer Cat by William H. Hooks 
When a young pioneer girl smuggles a cat aboard the wagon train taking her family from Missouri to Oregon, it turns out to be the best thing she has ever done.   62 pgs.

Catwings by Ursula Le Guin         A
Four young cats with wings leave the city slums in search of a safe place to live.  39 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)

The Storm by Cynthia Rylant       P
Pandora the cat becomes a lighthouse keeper. After she saves the life of Seabold the dog, they create a family along with three young mice who were rescued from the sea.  79 pgs.

J FICTION (Grades 3-6)

Bad Kitty Gets a Bath by Nick Bruel
What happens when you give a cat a bath? In this humorous “how-to,” the process is described through text and many illustrations.  125 pgs. (Look for other titles featuring Bad Kitty.)

Cat Diaries: Secret Writings of the MEOW Society by Betsy Byars
At the annual gathering of the MEOW Society, cats from different times and places share their stories. Eleven tales from various felines range from ancient Egypt to the present day.  80 pgs.

Socks by Beverly Cleary
Socks the cat is happy with his family until a new baby arrives. The baby then gets all the attention, and poor Socks thinks he’s being replaced. 156 pgs.

Little Bo by Julie Andrews Edwards
Little Bo, a tiny kitten, is alone until Billy appears. She finds an instant human friend and an adventurous new life. Billy is the first mate on a fishing boat, and the captain does not like cats. How will Bo be able to stay aboard?   88 pgs. (Look for other titles featuring Little Bo.)

The Cats of Roxville Station by Jean Craighead George
After being abandoned, a young cat must fend for herself among the other feral cats living by a train station. Eleven-year-old Mike helps the cats, but others are not so kind to them.  163 pgs.

Smoke by Mavis Jukes
Twelve-year-old Colton is unhappy about moving from Idaho to a farm in California. After his beloved cat, Smoke, disappears, Colton sets out alone on a dangerous journey to find Smoke.  164 pgs.

Martin’s Mice by Dick King-Smith
Martin, a farm cat, wants to be friends with mice. He doesn’t understand why the mice don’t want to be his pets. 122 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)

Highway Cats by Janet Taylor Lisle   A P
After three kittens are abandoned along a highway, they find a group of feral cats living nearby. Do the kittens have a mysterious power? The cats all band together to scare off developers trying to build an Interstate exit through their woods.  118 pgs.

Otis by Ellen Miles
Michael and Mia take care of Otis, an abandoned kitten. Otis is wary of strangers and frightened by loud noises. Can they find Otis the right home?   89 pgs. (Look for other titles in the Kitty Corner series.)

Three Swords for Granada by Walter Dean Myers
In 1420s Spain, three young cat friends join the warrior cats as they struggle to save their beloved Granada from the vicious dogs of the Fidorean Guard.  105 pgs.

Meow Means Mischief by Ann Whitehead Nagda
A stray kitten turns out to be the perfect way to help Rana make friends in her new school and to feel more comfortable with her grandparents who are visiting from India.  92 pgs.

The Grand Escape by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
After years of being strictly house cats, Marco and Polo escape into the wonderful, but dangerous outside world. They are sent on three challenging adventures by a group of cats known as the Club of Mysteries.  148 pgs. (Look for other titles in The Cat Pack series.)

The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly by Luis Sepulveda
A dying seagull entrusts her egg to Zorba the cat, who promises to care for it until the chick hatches and then teach the chick to fly.   126 pgs.

Cat Walk by Mary Stolz
Yearning to be more than just a barnyard rat catcher, a young cat embarks on a journey that finally leads him to a special place that he can call home.  120 pgs.

Pie by Sarah Weeks
Alice’s Aunt Polly leaves the recipe for her world-famous pie crust to her cat Lardo. After inheriting Lardo, Alice must figure out the mystery about the recipe.  183 pgs.

JH FICTION  (Grades 6-8)

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy   A
Skilley the cat and Pip the mouse form an unlikely friendship in Victorian London at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Inn. When they are drawn into a mystery, will Charles Dickens be able to help them?  228 pgs.

The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein
Alley cat Aldwyn finds his familiar in young Jack the Wizard. As Jack’s animal magic assistant, he joins forces with a blue jay and a tree frog. When Jack is taken prisoner, can Aldwyn and his friends save the day?  360 pgs. (Look for other titles in the Familiars series.)

The One-Eyed Cat by Paula Fox
One night, Ned fires a single forbidden shot with his new air rifle. When a one-eyed stray cat then appears, Ned suffers from guilt and eventually assumes responsibility for it.  216 pgs.

Into the Wild by Erin W. Hunter
For generations, four clans of wild cats have shared the forest. When their warrior code is threatened by mysterious deaths, a house cat named Rusty may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all.   272 pgs. (Look for other titles in the Warriors series.)

The Tygrine Cat by Inbali Iserles
Lost and alone, catling Mati seeks acceptance from a pack of feral cats at Cressida Lock. Something old and evil has followed him from his homeland and it threatens cats everywhere. Mati must unlock the secret of his identity and the power of his Tygrine heritage and use it to defeat Mithos the Destroyer.  242 pgs.

The Stranger Next Door by Peg Kehret
Two twelve-year-old boys become friends after their families move to neighboring houses in Hilltop, Washington. A clever cat helps to unravel a mystery after things start going wrong.  162 pgs. (Also look for: Spy Cat.)

The Cat Master by Bonnie Pemberton
Buddy, a pampered indoor cat, and Jett, his powerful, evil brother, vie for the title of Cat Master after the current one dies. Buddy's friends risk highway crossings, animal control officers and many other urban dangers to escort him to The Gathering, where the next Cat Master will be named. 259 pgs.

Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett     E
A talking cat, intelligent rats and a strange boy cooperate in a Pied Piper scam. After they try to con the wrong town, they are confronted by an evil rat king.  241 pgs.

Varjak Paw by S. F. Said  A       
Guided by the spirit of his legendary Mesopotamian ancestor, the purebred cat Varjak Paw leaves his pampered home and sets out to save his family from the sinister Gentleman who kidnapped their owner.  254 pgs. (Also look for: The Outlaw Varjak Paw.)

Blitzcat by Robert Westall
WWII is seen through the eyes of a cat. A black cat journeys across war-ravaged England in an effort to track down her beloved master, a RAF pilot. 230 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)

revised 6/12 MSP 

This list was prepared by the Youth Services Department of the St. Charles Public Library.
(630) 584-9390

Ask Youth Services! at St. Charles Public Library
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