The Dancing Cats of Applesap

by Janet Taylor Lisle, Joelle Shefts (Illustrations)

In a forgotten small town, one girl and a hundred cats are about to do something spectacularApplesap is a small town smack dab in the middle of New York state, and beyond that geographical oddity, there isn’t much special about it. It has a dress shop, a run-down movie theater, and two old-fashioned drug Jiggs’ and the Super Queen. But nobody goes to Jiggs’. The roof is leaky, the seats are sticky, and the flies have built a kingdom around the soda fountain. Worst of all are the cats—hundreds of strays who wander in off the street to make the store their home. Jiggs’ is a place for creatures who want to hide from the world, and so it is perfect for Melba. A shy young girl who’s too timid to talk to other children, Melba makes Jiggs’ her home-away-from-home. As the old store nears bankruptcy, Melba comes up with a wild plan that will save the pharmacy, make Applesap famous, and change her life forever. This ebook features a personal history by Janet Taylor Lisle including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s own collection.

Genres: Childrens, Cats, Fiction, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

169 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Janet Taylor Lisle was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in Farmington, Connecticut, spending summers on the Rhode Island coast.The eldest child and only daughter of an advertising executive and an architect, she attended local schools and at fifteen entered The Ethel Walker School, a girl’s boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut.

After graduation from Smith College, she joined VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). She lived and worked for the next several years in Atlanta, Georgia, organizing food-buying cooperatives in the city’s public housing projects, and teaching in an early-childcare center. She later enrolled in journalism courses at Georgia State University. This was the beginning of a reporting career that extended over the next ten years.

With the birth of her daughter, Lisle turned from journalism to writing projects she could accomplish at home. In 1984, The Dancing Cats of Appesap, her first novel for children, was published by Bradbury Press (Macmillan.) Subsequently, she has published sixteen other novels. Her fourth novel, Afternoon of the Elves (Orchard Books) won a 1990 Newbery Honor award and was adapted as a play by the Seattle Children’s Theater in 1993. It continues to be performed throughout the U.S. Theater productions of the story have also been mounted in Australia and The Netherlands.

Lisle’s novels for children have received Italy’s Premio Andersen Award, Holland’s Zilveren Griffel, and Notable and Best Book distinction from the American Library Association, among other honors. She lives with her husband, Richard Lisle, on the Rhode Island coast, the scene for Black Duck(2006), The Crying Rocks (2003) and The Art of Keeping Cool, which won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2001.

Reviews

[Jasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child I loved this book so much I wrote about it in my diary! Perfect for any kid :D

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book passionately, and still do. I could read over and over again about the cats, and I don't even like cats!

[Clint the Cool Guy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh. I read this book as a kid and didn't remember much. I thought I would revisit it. I don't like it very much. I don't care for the "cutesy" tone of the story, and the story itself is not very good either. There's just not much too it. Maybe I'm not liking it because the target audience is little girls, not 40 year old men. But I wouldn't want to read this to my kids.

[Sunni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jigg's Drug Store is full of cats, and has a leaky roof. The people who reside in the town of Applesap think that Jigg's dancing cats are under a spell and when the drug store threatens to close down they couldn't be happier. That is, all except for Melba who must decide weather to face her fears and fight for her store or if she should leave it alone and loose her sanctuary.

What a colorful story! I was thrilled by this story the first time I read it years ago. It is funny and endearing and teaches the shy readers that they need to stand up for what they think is right despite their own fears.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute Story!

[Ashleigh Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final member of a trio of books from my childhood, I have never ever forgotten this book. Cat lovers this one is for you.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute fun read.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over Christmas several of my childhood books were retrieved from the basement; this little blast from the past was one of them. When I read this as a kid, I'm sure some of its appeal was the fact that I identified w/ the little girl Melba, w/ her terrible glasses and her trouble fitting in. The small town of Applesap was also endearingly similar to my hometown - why do we love what is familiar? I'm equally sure I was unaware at the time that this book also appealed because it was about a timid girl who wasn't popular or pretty who learned to speak up for herself, who learns to make great things happen, who learns to fight for the things she loves. This is a book for little girls; nothing has changed about that since the day I first read it long ago. The illustrations by Joelle Shefts are especially great.

[Miriam Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute.

[Amy Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this a child and when my son showed interest in reading it for a book report we decided to read it together. Still a cute story even as an adult.

[Edy Gies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a kid and LOVED it, but didn't remember why. As I began to re-read it I definitely couldn't remember why. The story isn't stellar and I really wasn't that impressed by it as far as plot lines and characters go. What I discovered was that the story line involved an introverted girl who finally gets the courage to stand up and be brave. Hmmmm . . . why would this deeply connect with me? Reading it again brought back the feeling of, "Yes! That could be me! I can be brave too someday!" I can't say I would recommend it because honestly, it's not that great of a story, but my introverted self loved it.