Nine Lives

by Beth Balmanno

Nick Ziegler has a problem. He keeps almost dying.What's worse, a mysterious black cat keeps saving him.Not cool when you're eleven years old and just trying to enjoy the start of summer. But no matter where he goes—the lake, a tree in a neighbor's yard, or just walking down the road—he finds himself staring death squarely in the face. Each time, though, the cat appears and somehow manages to keep him alive.Nick can't figure out who the cat belongs to or why he keeps showing up, and as more people begin to take notice of his newfound protector—particularly his worried mother and his obnoxious older brother—he decides to find out exactly what is going on. As his friends begin to back away, Nick finds an ally in Emma, his former nemesis. When his mother delivers some devastating news, he and Emma begin to put the pieces together and they come to the realization that Mo may have a far bigger place in Nick's life than either of them could have ever imagined.

Genres: Fiction, Middle Grade

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Rachelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine Lives... an entertaining and engaging quick read about a boy and a cat, destined to be there for each other. The black cat saves the boy on multiple occasions, and the boy starts to question where the cat came from and why he is always ready to save him. Great for middle school age readers, sentences were concise and descriptive. Good banter between characters. Feel good story, but also touches on death and divorce.

[Trudy Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story! The characters were masterfully created and the story quickly developed into an amazing adventure!

[Jeff Shelby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for MG readers and their parents. Funny, smart and poignant. The narrator is an extremely likable hero with a very authentic voice. When he keeps finding himself in predicaments that put his life in danger, a stray cat begins showing up to save him. And won't leave his side. He has to battle obnoxious siblings, a protective parent and skeptical friends to find out exactly what's going on, both with himself and the cat. All of this is done with just the right amount of humor and sincerity. Balmanno hits exactly the right tone here in every way. Super fun book!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good junior kids book. It kept me reading page after page just to see what was gonna happen next to this kid. I did figure out who the cat really was, but it was a joy to see the characters unfold the story and learn from it. It was sad at the end but in a good way. A must read for the young and gauky looking for the answers to the universe.

[Nick B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Balmanno does an awesome job creating a book packed with twists and turns.
Nick keeps almost dying. He and his friend Emma must figure out why the cat is saving him.

I highly recommend this book for kids ages 8-12. But it's great for adults, too.

[Nanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, by then end of it I was bawling like a baby.