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Want to Trade Two Brothers for a Cat
"Oh, no, not in this small apartment," my parents said. You'd think I asked for a baby elephant. If we just got rid of my bratty kid brothers, there would be plenty of room. But just try telling that to my mom! Then Dad decided we could squeeze in one little kitten, so we got Scratchy. She was smarter - and nicer - than my brothers, that's for sure. Unfortunately, she also got into even more trouble than the twins...First, she destroyed Mom's favorite plant, and then she got caught eating right off the dinner table. My parents got so fed up, they decided I had just two weeks to teach Scratchy to behave...or else.
- GenresFiction
Paperback
First published September 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 29, 2017
Well written.
My only complaint is that the book lacked a moral. Linda, the self-educated cat expert, creates Scratchy's behavioral problem and in the end, her parents tell her she has to get rid of the cat. Then, the boy with the big dog ends up with it. Happily ever after, she and the twins can visit Scratchy whenever they want and Scratchy will be happy.
As a child, convincing my mother to let me have a pet, was a huge deal. The argument and research to show that it was a great idea and everything would be better than ever, was crafted with finesse. Linda does the research and the argument, but she doesn't take responsibility. She never tells her parents that she fed Scratchy from the table and that is why Scratchy ate people food from the table and thought it was ok. I fell like the author missed an opportunity by omitting Linda's chance to admit she made a mistake, not the cat. It makes me feel like the author felt that the cat being disposable, was a better outcome for there being a happy ending, despite the fact that the reader would possibly see the ending as a reasonable outcome.
The ASPCA, kill shelters are mentioned. One of Scratchy's siblings goes to the ASPCA because a child Linda knows abuses his kitten. The seriousness of pet ownership is visited: through Linda's research, the ASPCA mentions, the limitations of apartment living for pets, and the rules set forward by Linda's parents. So I am puzzled by the lack of the author placing Linda in a place where she tells her parents, not the reader, that she knowingly fed the cat from the table and created the behavior problem. Without Linda taking responsibility and telling her parents, Scratchy is the problem and getting rid of the problem, the cat, is the solution. The author then takes the easy way out and Scratchy gets a new home with, miraculously, she will be the perfect cat now that she lives with the boy and the dog. The reader can assume, from the books ending, that everything is fixed, but the reality is that Scratchy probably would still have the behavioral problem, just not at Linda's house.
So, the problem was the cat, not Linda's actions. This message disturbs me because the attitude of the cute kitten that every kid wants, then if any problem arises the cat can be gotten rid of, is too true. There is no moral of responsible pet ownership. There is no message that the rules are there for a reason, I am sure the parents in the book didn't want the cat on the table, so the author just omitted the opportunity of the parents setting the rule for the twins and Linda that they were not to feed Scratchy from the table because she would think it was ok to beg to when they were eating at the table and would think that she could help herself to food on the table.
The writer missed a huge opportunity. As an adult, looking back and rereading books from my youth, I realize how much books influenced my life and how they represented many parts of my youth. As an adult, now with two cats, I can honestly say that even I am guilty of reinforcing bad habits and I remember as a child, believing that I was the pet expert and that my parents rules weren't always right when it came to the pets. This is a good book, a great one really in many ways, except for the key part of being a responsible pet owner, which starts with the first pet, not the one that lasts the longest before having to get rid of it.
My only complaint is that the book lacked a moral. Linda, the self-educated cat expert, creates Scratchy's behavioral problem and in the end, her parents tell her she has to get rid of the cat. Then, the boy with the big dog ends up with it. Happily ever after, she and the twins can visit Scratchy whenever they want and Scratchy will be happy.
As a child, convincing my mother to let me have a pet, was a huge deal. The argument and research to show that it was a great idea and everything would be better than ever, was crafted with finesse. Linda does the research and the argument, but she doesn't take responsibility. She never tells her parents that she fed Scratchy from the table and that is why Scratchy ate people food from the table and thought it was ok. I fell like the author missed an opportunity by omitting Linda's chance to admit she made a mistake, not the cat. It makes me feel like the author felt that the cat being disposable, was a better outcome for there being a happy ending, despite the fact that the reader would possibly see the ending as a reasonable outcome.
The ASPCA, kill shelters are mentioned. One of Scratchy's siblings goes to the ASPCA because a child Linda knows abuses his kitten. The seriousness of pet ownership is visited: through Linda's research, the ASPCA mentions, the limitations of apartment living for pets, and the rules set forward by Linda's parents. So I am puzzled by the lack of the author placing Linda in a place where she tells her parents, not the reader, that she knowingly fed the cat from the table and created the behavior problem. Without Linda taking responsibility and telling her parents, Scratchy is the problem and getting rid of the problem, the cat, is the solution. The author then takes the easy way out and Scratchy gets a new home with, miraculously, she will be the perfect cat now that she lives with the boy and the dog. The reader can assume, from the books ending, that everything is fixed, but the reality is that Scratchy probably would still have the behavioral problem, just not at Linda's house.
So, the problem was the cat, not Linda's actions. This message disturbs me because the attitude of the cute kitten that every kid wants, then if any problem arises the cat can be gotten rid of, is too true. There is no moral of responsible pet ownership. There is no message that the rules are there for a reason, I am sure the parents in the book didn't want the cat on the table, so the author just omitted the opportunity of the parents setting the rule for the twins and Linda that they were not to feed Scratchy from the table because she would think it was ok to beg to when they were eating at the table and would think that she could help herself to food on the table.
The writer missed a huge opportunity. As an adult, looking back and rereading books from my youth, I realize how much books influenced my life and how they represented many parts of my youth. As an adult, now with two cats, I can honestly say that even I am guilty of reinforcing bad habits and I remember as a child, believing that I was the pet expert and that my parents rules weren't always right when it came to the pets. This is a good book, a great one really in many ways, except for the key part of being a responsible pet owner, which starts with the first pet, not the one that lasts the longest before having to get rid of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2021
Such a nice trip down memory lane! This was one of my favorite series when I was in junior high and I keep forgetting I can get them on openlibrary.org. Definitely going to reread the whole series now!
March 22, 2013
Linda had always wanted a dog, but her parents wouldn't her get one in their small apartment, but when Linda gets a kitten she is very excited! She names her Scratchy. Nice read. I like that her brothers grow attached to Scratchy too.
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November 15, 2017A sister wants a cat so badly she's willing to do anything. Unforgettably, her two younger brothers keep getting in the way of her success. When her parents tell her to get her cat under control, or else, what then?
Your typical early '90's coming-of-age-ish story with a bittersweet ending.
Your typical early '90's coming-of-age-ish story with a bittersweet ending.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews