2008 Batchelder Award or Honor Book

The Cat, Or How I Lost Eternity by Jutta Richter

Christine meets a unique cat in an alley on her way to school and she begins to ponder ideas that he is able to transmit or tell her. She is usually late to school because of this and her teacher makes her write lines stating that there are no talking cats and that she would not be late anymore. The cat begins to tell Christine that you have to go through life being cleaver and that you must always look out for yourself in life. Christine does not want to believe that and does not like his sense of spitefulness. Christine in the end begins to be scared of the cat and believes that he is not everything he says he is. Christine believes that being number one in your life is not the main priority of living life. This is a good book to show the young readers not to fall into someone else’s negative attitude and self-interest in life. Also, one should not always be cleaver since it usually takes you back instead of getting ahead in life.