Haven: A Small Cat’s Big Adventure — Review

Thought for the Day:

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down but the staying down.”
~ Mary Pickford ~

Gifts for My Writer Friends:

HERE is a really good article from the Institute for Writers on Looking Through Your Character’s Eyes.

It’s great when we get an idea about a story or book to write, but how to begin? HERE is a good article from Writer’s Digest by Diana Abu-Jaber with 4 Tips on How to Begin a Novel.

Writers are image makers. It’s what we do, and we have to create images that jump off the page and smack our readers in the face. HERE Michael Hauge on Story Mastery has a great article on Creating Vivid Descriptions.

It has been a quiet week here, and I don’t have anything important to write about. I’m working on a new jigsaw puzzle, and it might be the hardest one I’ve ever done. Other than that, not much is going on. So I will simply leave you with some puns. I apologize in advance.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other, “You stay here; I’ll go on a head.”
A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it’ll still be stationery.
Two silkworms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
She was only a whisky maker, but he loved her still.
Why did the COFFEE file a police report? It got mugged.
I’ve been telling everyone about the benefits of eating DRIED GRAPES. I’m all about raisin awareness!
What did the GRAPE do when he got stepped on? He let out a little wine.
Want to hear a joke about PIZZA? Never mind, it’s too cheesy.

I keep saying I don’t particularly like books with personified animal characters, but I seem to keep finding them. And I keep enjoying them! I ran across Haven: A Small Cat’s Big Adventure by Megan Wagner Lloyd on the review list for the Seattle Book Review, and I requested it. I’m glad I did. Honestly, if there had been more MG choices on the list, I might have missed this sweet story. Here is the review I wrote for SBR.

Haven is an indoor cat who was adopted by elderly Ma Millie when she was a wee kitten. When a neighbor, Jacob Laven, stops by, he worries about Ma Millie’s cough. She promises that if it gets worse, she will call the doctor. When Ma Millie becomes more and more ill, Haven decides she must go for help. She finds her way to Jacob’s farm, but he isn’t there. The cows tell Haven he has gone to town. Haven makes a deal with a fox to lead her to town with the promise she will feed the fox after she returns home. They have a long and dangerous adventure going through the forest with a bobcat on their trail but finally reach town. But can Haven get the help she needs?

Megan Wagner Lloyd has written a sweet early middle-grade novel that has mystery, intrigue, and adventure to keep the pages turning. The characters, both animals and people, are well-drawn and believable. The writing is lovely and the story is very compelling. Young readers will be captured by Haven and her problems. The resolution may be a little hard for youngsters, but it is part of life.

Please don’t forget to check for other Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts at Greg Pattridge’s blog HERE.