by Kristen Tracy (Author)
What if you switched places with your cat?
Mean Girls meets Freaky Friday in this laugh-out-loud story about self-acceptance, learning who your friends are, and coming of age . . . as a cat.
Fifth-grader Poppy McBean likes rules and order. She's a follower, and she's totally okay with that. And if you judge her for that, she's okay with that too! But after falling prey to her friends' bullying one too many times, Poppy makes a wish to be happy--and it comes true in a very unexpected way: She wakes up in the body of her cat, Mitten Man. Mayhem ensues as Poppy-the-girl attempts to navigate the wilds of the wilderness as a cat . . . and her free-thinking, groundbreaking kitty has had it with his owner's timidity. He's out to put the purr in perfectionist and take over middle school--as Poppy.
Hilarious and unexpected, Don't Trust the Cat is a coming-of-age adventure that will keep readers cringing, cracking up, and reconsidering what it means to be a good person.
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A girl and her cat switch bodies in this Freaky Friday-flavored romp. Eleven-year-old Poppy McBean, who cues as white, is venting to her cat, Mitten Man, about her frustrations: feeling neglected by her overworked parents and put out by her bossy best friend, she wishes that she had Mitten Man's easy life. Following this admittance, the "world goes crazy" and, as if by magic, tween and cat swap minds. The two are suddenly capable of communicating telepathically, and they arrange for Mitten Man, now known as Big Poppy, to attend school while Old Poppy fumbles through life as a house cat until they can reverse the spell. Big Poppy, who has no interest in maintaining the status quo at school, quickly alienates Poppy's friends. Old Poppy, meanwhile, must brave the dangers of the outside world in a quest to locate a missing turtle. Tracy (I Am Picky) centers themes of empathy and understanding, as well as learning to push one's boundaries, through Big Poppy's stumbling efforts to conform to human life and Old Poppy's hesitancy to embrace change. It's a lighthearted adventure that will appeal to anyone who's ever wished to walk in their pet's paws. Ages 10-up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (July)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Kristen Tracy is a former teacher, a poet, a winner of the Emily Dickinson First Book Award from the Poetry Foundation, and an author of numerous books for children including I Am Picky: Confessions of a Fussy Eater, I Am Friendly: Confessions of a Helpful Bear, and the middle-grade novel Don't Trust the Cat. She lives in Santa Clarita with her family.
Federico Fabiani is an illustrator and graphic designer with a background in architecture. He was born and raised in Rome, and currently lives near Venice with his family and the Standard Issue Cat Agostino. He also illustrated Tallulah the Tooth Fairy CEO.