The Cat, Or, How I Lost Eternity

By Richter, Jutta & Berner, Rotraut Susanne & Brailovsky, Anna

Publishers Summary:
Every day, eight-year-old Christine’s walk to school takes her past a talking alley cat. Christine stops and feels its warm head beneath her hand, and the cat’s insights invariably give her something to ponder. One day her teacher asks her why she’s always late for school. Frightened, she reveals her secret. Her punishment: she must write 200 lines stating repeatedly, “There are no talking cats, and from now on I will arrive at school on time.” However, the cat is real, no matter how many lines Christine writes.. . .and she might just as well leave out the “no” — the headmaster won’t even notice, says the clever cat. That’s what the cat always says — that life is all about being clever and looking out for yourself, first and foremost. Christine isn’t so sure, and she is a little scared of the cat, too. There must be more to life than self-interest, surely? Beautiful illustrations by Rotraut Susanne Berner and thoughtful, vivid prose by Jutta Richter, winner of the German Youth Literature Award and the Hermann Hesse Prize, bring Christine and the talking cat to life in this award-winning book.

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ISBN
978-1-57131-676-9
Publisher
Milkweed Editions


REVIEWS

School Library Journal

Reviewed on February 1, 2008

Gr 5-8 Eight-year-old Christine is late for school every day because she is stopped by a white alley cat that insists on talking to her. They discuss math and loneliness and eternity. While at first Christine feels an affinity with the cat, it later repulses her. The conversations eventually come to an end once Christine stops believin...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Horn Book Guide

Reviewed on January 1, 2007

In this strange tale, young Christine befriends a talking cat. The cat gives her advice--sometimes sage, mostly mystifying--as th...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

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