I’m not a cat person, but the shenanigans the cats get into is really fun and cute. I think this was intended but Ms. Lang looks Halle Berry-ish. Anyway, I enjoyed the cheeky allusions to Batman and Cat woman. Kids are sure to enjoy this, but I think adults will too. ( )

Katie is desperate to join her best friend at sleepaway camp but it's just too expensive for Katie and her single mother. Katie decides to look for odd jobs around her apartment building, from carrying groceries to watering plants, to see if she can raise the money for camp. Nothing seems to work out, until she secures a job catsitting for her upstairs neighbor -- who has not 1, not 2, but 217 cats! Meanwhile, a superhero dressed as an owl and a supervillain known as Mousetress keep making waves all over the city as Katie and others watch the news. Could there be a link between the nights Katie has to catsit and the times crimes are committed by Mousetress?

This is a fun read that is all over the map, but in a good way. There's several core messages/plot points, with a major one being Katie's concern about seemingly falling out of friendship with her closest friend when they are apart for the summer. Katie's relationship with her mother is sweet as they both try to support each other as best they can. There's humor in how poorly Katie's jobs go, and especially in the ridiculousness of 217 cats who get into all kinds of mischief -- not just the typical cat kind but also thieving, hacking, breaking into prison, and more. On one rather serious page spread, Katie's neighbor talks about humanely treating animals -- and each other. Overall, there are positive messages throughout the book while being full of action and laughs.

The book ends in a way that feels complete but also leaves the door open for follow-up books -- of which there are already two! I am definitely interested in seeing what happens next for this merry band of misfits. ( )

Recommended Ages: Gr. 3-6

Plot Summary: Katie's best friends from school are all going to summer camp and she wants to go! But she also doesn't want to accept someone else paying for her camp. Hoping to raise money, she offers to help around the apartment building, carrying groceries (until she breaks the eggs) and watering plants (until she kills them all within a week). Her offers to clean apartments are all turned down. Then Ms. Lang offers to pay her $30/hour to cat sit while she is out. Many things about this are surprising: 1. Pets are not allowed in her building. 2. She has 217 cats! 3. The cats are all very gifted, they create a ginormous mess of the apartment and clean up just in time for when Ms. Lang walks in the door at midnight. Katie is convinced Ms. Lang is the Mousestress, a supervillian. Will be ever figure it out?

Setting: NYC

Characters:
Katie - 12 yo,
Bethany - Katie's best friend, sends postcards to Katie every day from camp
Madeline Lang - AKA Ms. Lang, supports animals and animal rights in loud ways
Eastern Screech - superhero that all humans seems to be obsessed with, I'm not sure what his superpowers are

Recurring Themes: determination, superheroes, animal rights, protests, friendship, family

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: I much prefer realistic fiction to fantasy. I thought a few fantastical parts of the plot moved too quickly (maybe too much action and not enough character development for me), but overall the characters are well developed. Popular with kids.

Genre: fantasy (superheroes in a normal world)

Pacing: fast, graphic novel, I thought some parts moved a little too fast
Characters: fairly well developed, relationship between her and her mom is really sweet
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: ( )

Katie's two best friends go to summer camp for the whole summer every year, and she has never left New York City. This year she is determined to earn enough money to join them by doing jobs for people in her apartment building. After a few jobs going NOT so well... Katie agrees to catsit for her mysterious upstairs neighbor. 217 cats! These are no ordinary cats, and it turns out that Katie's neighbor isn't so ordinary either. This graphic novel is a lot more than meets the eye - it's fun, adventurous, and unexpectedly science fictiony! ( )