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The No Place Cat
For a year, Tess has been trying to get used to her new stepfamily, but it just isn’t working. When a school project that she labored over is accidentally destroyed by her stepsister, and her dad and stepmom don’t seem to care at all, Tess has finally had it. She decides to run away and go live with her mom on the other side of Tucson. On the long walk there she acquires an unexpected companion: a gray-striped cat that follows her along the desert road. But nothing goes as planned after Tess and the cat finally reach Mom’s condo. Her mother seems more concerned with herself than with Tess, and she has a definite aversion to cats. Luckily for Tess, her new feline companion proves to be a reassuring presence as she struggles to face some difficult truths about herself and her family.
In this moving and realistic story, the unconditional love of an animal helps to heal a wounded teen.
In this moving and realistic story, the unconditional love of an animal helps to heal a wounded teen.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2002
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
C.S. Adler
53 books22 followersC.S. (Carole) Adler moved to Tucson, Arizona, after spending most of her life in upstate New York. She was an English teacher at Niskayuna Middle School for nearly a decade. She is a passionate tennis player, grandmother, and nature lover, and has been a full-time writer since the publication of her first book,The Magic of the Glits, in 1979. That book won both the William Allen White Award and the Golden Kite Award.
Her bookThe Shell Lady’s Daughter was chosen by the A.L.A. as a best young adult book of l983. With Westie and the Tin Man won the Children’s Book Award of the Child Study Committee in l986, and that committee has commended many of Adler’s books. Split Sisters in l987 and Ghost Brother in 1991 were I.R.A. Children’s Choices selections. One Sister Too Many was on the 1991 Young Adults’ Choices list. Always and Forever Friends and Eddie’s Blue Winged Dragon were on a 1991 I.R.A. 99 Favorite Paperbacks list.
Many of her books have been on state lists and have also been published in Japan, Germany, England, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, and France.
Her bookThe Shell Lady’s Daughter was chosen by the A.L.A. as a best young adult book of l983. With Westie and the Tin Man won the Children’s Book Award of the Child Study Committee in l986, and that committee has commended many of Adler’s books. Split Sisters in l987 and Ghost Brother in 1991 were I.R.A. Children’s Choices selections. One Sister Too Many was on the 1991 Young Adults’ Choices list. Always and Forever Friends and Eddie’s Blue Winged Dragon were on a 1991 I.R.A. 99 Favorite Paperbacks list.
Many of her books have been on state lists and have also been published in Japan, Germany, England, Denmark, Austria, Sweden, and France.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 25, 2015
I don't know if this book ever actually ended up saying in the beginning how old Tess was but I sure hope she was close to bring a teenager for all that this girl did on her own. First of all, the father should have done a lot more to prevent his child from running off, hitch hiking, and feeling unwanted enough to seek out her horribly irresponsible mother.
The mother, don't even get me started on her. Lets just go on a vacation and leave the kid home alone for a week!?! This woman shouldn't be allowed to reproduce.
Long story short, girl finds cat, girl gets attached to cat, cat brings girl back together with her family, all ends well with the girl in her rightful home with her new cat. Pretty predictable.
The mother, don't even get me started on her. Lets just go on a vacation and leave the kid home alone for a week!?! This woman shouldn't be allowed to reproduce.
Long story short, girl finds cat, girl gets attached to cat, cat brings girl back together with her family, all ends well with the girl in her rightful home with her new cat. Pretty predictable.
November 20, 2014
Do you like books about animals and mystery? If you do then you should read, The No Place Cat. Its about a girl named Tess and she ran away from her dads. While she was on her way to her moms she found a cat. After a while she went back to her dads. If you like how this sounds you should, read this book The No Place Cat.
June 6, 2017
I loved this book. It increased my love for cats and my family.
May 6, 2020
3.5 stars
I liked this book, but I wasn't in love with it. As a child of divorce, I understood the main character's dilemma of having two homes with different expectations and rules. However, the events and problems within this story didn't set right with me. Tess's problems seemed almost superficial (although I do understand her frustrations with her problems), her father's reaction to her running away seemed unsuited to the situation, and her mom was a poor role model. I did love that she found a friend in the cat that she came across on her journey. It was sweet the level of attachment she created with him. The cat became someone she could trust and confide in as she needed. Overall, it was an interesting idea and well-written, it just isn't something I would really push for the intended audience (upper elementary-middle school).
I liked this book, but I wasn't in love with it. As a child of divorce, I understood the main character's dilemma of having two homes with different expectations and rules. However, the events and problems within this story didn't set right with me. Tess's problems seemed almost superficial (although I do understand her frustrations with her problems), her father's reaction to her running away seemed unsuited to the situation, and her mom was a poor role model. I did love that she found a friend in the cat that she came across on her journey. It was sweet the level of attachment she created with him. The cat became someone she could trust and confide in as she needed. Overall, it was an interesting idea and well-written, it just isn't something I would really push for the intended audience (upper elementary-middle school).
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews