Sergeant Pepper and Mister Paws

by Al Riney

Private Rick Santos and the little cat who befriended him—Sergeant Pepper—are now famous war heroes: battle buddies wounded in combat and awarded the Purple Heart together. In foreign territory, they survived mortar fire and enemy insurgents. In domestic territory, they endured hospitals and therapy centers.

Now they’ll face their greatest challenge yet: civilian life.

When Rick is sent to a special facility for intensive post-traumatic stress therapy, he trusts his Uncle Ernest Gonzales in Florida with Sergeant Pepper’s care. In the foreign world of Hummingbird Circle, Sergeant Pepper encounters a clutter of six cats managed by the mild-mannered Mister Paws, the polydactyl pal of Uncle Ernest.

These lazy, quirky, and undisciplined house cats thoroughly annoy the disciplined Sergeant Pepper. With her army mindset, she feels like a square peg jammed into a round hole.

War’s long tendrils soon reach into the cushy, relaxed existence found at Uncle Ernest’s home. When a gang of tough street cats and a vicious attack dog named Killer disrupt the peace of Hummingbird Circle, the army cat sees it as her duty to assist Mister Paws in overcoming the insurgency.

Only this time, Sergeant Pepper faces an unexpected threat. She discovers something worse than enemy insurgents . . . her own deeply-hidden PTSD. Can she overcome her own demons to save those in her charge? Will she ever be reunited with her best friend Rick? Find out in Sergeant Pepper and Mister Paws, a wonderful new read for ages 10 and up.

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2020

Reviews

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it

The storyline was original and innovative. The adventures of sergeant pepper was cute, thoroughly enjoyable and lovely to read. Liked it.

[Rich Meyrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally original

What an amazing concept: a book that teachers youngsters about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - what it is, what causes it and just how crippling it can be - told from the perspective of a cat with a military background who herself suffers from PTSD. What’s more, it’s a gripping story that will have readers young and old turning pages from start to finish. A really imaginative and meaningful read.

[K.F. Whatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting story. I don't usually read books related to war and its aftermath. This one, from the viewpoints of the cats, intrigued me. I listened to the audio book version, and stayed with it to the end.

Much of the tale focuses on the main cat (Sergeant Pepper) and her human soldier, including his PTSD and injury recovery. As the book progresses, it shows much of strategy for war and peace through the eyes of the cats.

It is a book I'd go back and listen to again. Recommend.

[Christopher Galvez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

Fun book to read. The dialogue between the cats reminded me of a “wise-guys” movie. The action and character development was well thought out. Definitely an enjoyable read!

[Mark Sneed · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books you look at and think all sorts of things about it before reading it. It is an interesting story and well-written. Liked the heavy topic being discussed beneath the cat story. Enjoyable read. Fun read. There are a lot of things going on. I wished that the author had picked one lane to focus on. The author has a good grip on the story but there are moments when it moves away from the main story to tie in the people and that takes away from the overall story. Enjoyed but wrapped up a big problem pretty neatly in one novel that takes, sometimes, years to resolve.

[Eric Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike Morte, this had a good ending. It's about "Sergeant Pepper", a cat that was found during a war in the story's plot. it's a good tale about cats and how they interact as humans to get things done. And Sergeant Pepper, having been to combat, leads the cats against a rival cat gang. It's funny, and frankly a break from all the serious books I've been reading lately, so I enjoyed reading it wholeheartedly. I wold recommend picking this one up if you like cat stories, as well as a good feel good ending that left everybody in a good position as cats.

[E.M. Jeanmougin · Rating 4 out of 5]

~~Review Coming Soon~~