Book Review: The Adventures of Caterwaul the Cat: Feline Pie by Damon Plumides and Arthur Mark Boerke

The Adventures of Caterwaul the Cat: Feline Pie is a children's chapter book by Damon Plumides and Arthur Mark Boerke. Caterwaul the Cat sets out on his own in search of a friend and a place to live after sneaking away from his home with the Witch of Red Moon Forest. When he meets the bitter Queen Druciah, who warms to his feline ways and promises he can live with her forever at Cathoon Castle, he thinks he has found exactly what he needed. However, he soon discovers that the queen has not changed as much as he thought. In her quest to be young and beautiful forever she has a scheme with includes the abandoned witch and the tail of a pure white female cat. Caterwaul and his friends Coy, Huxley, Frankie, Muse, Pudding, and all the rest take on militant frogs, feline mobsters, wicked hunters, corrupt police constables, giant snapping turtles, and more in his quest.

The Adventures of Caterwaul the Cat was an interesting read and I enjoyed the look at the world through a cat's eyes. I liked Caterwaul's character, as well as those of his fellow felines that appeared toward the end. The characterization of the Witch of the Red Moon Forest, Queen Druciah, and the others in the castle are well done. I felt like I could predict their actions and motivations because they were so well fleshed out. I did find myself having trouble getting into the story. While I was reading it I was enthralled and engaged, but when I had to put down the book to cook dinner, work, or those important things I did not feel any driving need to pick the story back up again. Because of that, it took me longer to read than expected. I am not sure if this is just because slightly slow pacing (which does pick up considerably toward the end of the book) or my own need to wrap Christmas presents and finish up my crafting.

I would recommend The Adventures of Caterwaul the Cat to readers that like adventure, particularly those that featuring animals. I found the story a bit disjointed, but I think that there are many middle grade readers out there that will love this book.