The Cat, the Cash, the Leap, and the List

by Sue Campbell

Ten-year-old Martha has leadership skills. At least, that’s what her parents say. Her cousins, Sanjay and Anand, say she’s bossy.When Martha secretly adopts a very pregnant cat from a garage sale free box right before her cousins come for a long visit, it puts a serious kink in her carefully laid plans for summer. That kink grows even bigger when the cat runs away. Still, Martha’s determined to give her cousins forty-two days of fun, Portland, Oregon style.But ten-year-old Sanjay and eight-year-old Anand face troubles of their own. Anand must get strong enough to conquer the Tarzan rope that looms across the neighborhood swimming pool. And Sanjay has a big secret stashed in Martha’s attic.Can they all work together to find Martha’s cat and newborn kittens? Or will the urban coyotes get them first?

The Cat, the Cash, the Leap, and the List is a new take on the classic summer adventure story for middle grade readers.

If you like books with humor, heart, and action like The Penderwicks, let Sue Campbell take you on a delightful romp through Portland in the summertime.

Buy The Cat, the Cash, the Leap, and the List today to start your summer adventure.

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2019

Reviews

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as a cat lover and a grandmother to 9, some in middle grades. A family spending the summer together, all learning their own lessons in compassion.

[Iris Alvino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book chosen by my 17.5 boys who both have autism. The story was enjoyable and we painted many pictures that went along to the story. We even built a fort and ordered Indian food for the first time, it was delicious. They enjoyed the story and fell in love with mama cat & her kittens.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this children's book. The author did a great job of writing believable personalities for each child even though some adults may find some of them annoying. The 10 year old girl comes off as bossy but it's actually quite common at this age for kids not to realize they come off as bossy when they're just excited or trying to help. The older brother, Sanjay, is feeling put out and thinks he's too old to be hanging with his younger brother, Anand, as well as wanting to hide the "spending money" he got from his parents because he wants to buy himself a new bike. Anand just wants to fit in but he's more introverted than the other two and questions himself and his abilities somewhat. I loved how close the cousins were in the story. I especially liked how each child had their own distinct character development over the course of the book. I suspect quite a few 8 and 10 year olds would find something to identify with in this story.

Martha can't wait until her cousins, Sanjay and Anand, come to visit. They're going to be staying with them for 6 weeks while her cousins' parents travel. She's so excited that she's created a list she's dubbed the "42 days of fun" list. Sanjay is looking forward to it too but is not looking forward to having his little brother, Anand, tagging along for the fun. Anand tends to like things quiet and hopes it won't always be a whirlwind. Sanjay is keeping the spending money his parents gave him a secret because he wants to keep for himself. However, a wrench is thrown in the works when Martha rescues a very pregnant stray cat right before her cousins arrive. They must traverse relationships and learn how to communicate in order to prevent hard feelings. Martha tends to come off as bossy. Sanjay feels like he's always put in the position to "take care" of his little brother. Anand just wants to have some fun but things seem to always get in the way and he doesn't like looking inferior in front of others. Can they circumvent the personality conflicts in order for them to succeed in their fun vacation as well as find and take care of the mama cat and her kittens?

[Allison Turkish]

DNF at 50%. Listened on audio. Story was kind of boring. Martha brought home a pregnant cat but hardly had part of a day to bond with it before she escaped so I didn't have much invested in her finding it. Also got tired of Martha being so bossy with her cousins.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cat, the Cash, the Leap, and the List is a decent book. I would give this book 3.5 stars.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bossy and impulsive young lady aged ten, adopts a cat about to have kittens. Then her two cousins arrive to stay for summer, and she loses the cat.
Between the need to hang missing cat posters and feed the variety of backyard chickens, there's hardly going to be time to do everything on the list of summer fun activities. But the boys each turn out to have their own aspirations, from cycling to getting strong enough for a daring rope swing, so even if they find the cat or kittens, will there be time to care for them?

This is a busy and packed story, full of getting it wrong and somehow getting it right. Enjoy!

This is an unbiased review.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can be enjoyed by all! Especially cat lovers. A real page turner. Kids getting into all kind of summer things!
I listened to this in Audible. The narrator did an absolutely awesome job performing this! She reallly makes the words pop. An all around enjoyable book!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Christina Marie Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids and I enjoyed this fun, whimsical middle grade book together as a read-aloud.

[Fauzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[Elise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost DNF. Always looking for good juvenile fiction reads for my kids, but the main characters in this were so unlikeable.