{"id":25813,"date":"2015-01-25T00:50:51","date_gmt":"2015-01-25T04:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25813"},"modified":"2015-01-25T00:50:51","modified_gmt":"2015-01-25T04:50:51","slug":"review-of-the-cat-at-the-wall-by-deborah-ellis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25813","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Cat at the Wall, by Deborah Ellis"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cat_at_the_wall_large\"<\/a>The Cat at the Wall<\/em><\/p>\n

by Deborah Ellis<\/p>\n

Groundwood Books, Berkeley, 2014. 152 pages.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

The Cat at the Wall<\/em> is narrated by a cat. A cat who used to be a thirteen-year-old girl. Here\u2019s how she introduces herself:<\/p>\n

My name is still Clare.<\/p>\n

That much is the same, although no one calls me Clare anymore.<\/p>\n

No one calls me anything anymore.<\/p>\n

I died when I was thirteen and came back as a cat.<\/p>\n

A stray cat in a strange place, very far from home.<\/p>\n

One moment I was walking out of my middle school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Then there was a period of darkness, like being asleep. When I woke up, I was in Bethlehem \u2013 the real one. And I was a cat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Clare the cat is running from some mean neighborhood cats when she sees the chance to run into a house being opened by two soldiers. The soldiers are commandeering the house to conduct surveillance on the neighborhood, looking for terrorists. However, what they don\u2019t know, and what Clare soon sniffs out, is that a boy is hiding in the house.<\/p>\n

In alternating chapters with what\u2019s going on in Bethlehem, we also hear about what happened in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It turns out that Clare wasn\u2019t a very nice girl. And she had particular conflict with one teacher in particular. That teacher made her write out a poem for detention \u2013 the same poem the Arab boy recites when he is worried or scared.<\/p>\n

The soldiers in the house are with the Israeli army, but one is an American who\u2019s come over to help. Clare the cat can understand all languages since her death, so she\u2019s in a good position to see what\u2019s going on. There\u2019s a crisis eventually between the soldiers and the boy and the people of Bethlehem. But what can a cat do to help? And why should she bother?<\/p>\n

I enjoyed this book. I admit, there were no explanations given why Clare would turn into a cat on the other side of the world, and no explanation why her teacher\u2019s favorite poem would also be the favorite poem of a Palestinian boy. However, I like the way Clare\u2019s story as a mean girl \u2013 which American kids will understand and recognize \u2013 is interwoven with the story of the Palestinian conflict, which is more removed from their experience.<\/p>\n

And I admit, I was so intrigued by the poem, I looked it up on google. It is Max Ehrmann\u2019s \u201cDesiderata,\u201d written in 1952.<\/p>\n

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
\nand remember what peace there may be in silence.
\nAs far as possible without surrender
\nbe on good terms with all persons.
\nSpeak your truth quietly and clearly;
\nand listen to others,
\neven the dull and the ignorant;
\nthey too have their story\u2026.<\/p>\n

Therefore be at peace with God,
\nwhatever you conceive Him to be,
\nand whatever your labors and aspirations,
\nin the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
\nWith all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
\nit is still a beautiful world.
\nBe cheerful.
\nStrive to be happy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

groundwoodbooks.com<\/a>
\ndeborahellis.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/cat_at_the_wall.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a book sent to me by the publisher.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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