MMGM: The Wig in the Window

We interrupt this program to bring you this important announcement:

Even imaginary cats sometimes need time to relax and recharge. So after today, I’m officially on a vacation. I can’t wait to chase a few squirrels, nap in the sun, and maybe even read a few books. See you soon!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled MMGM program.

I loved this week’s Operation Story Share. I mean, loved, Loved, LOVED! I’m talking about The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher, and my whiskers are still twitching with excitement whenever I think about it.

Here’s the inside cover blurb:

Sophie Young and Grace Yang: best friends, seventh graders, spies.

Equipped with walkie-talkies, binoculars, and candy, the girls sneak out for one of their midnight spy missions expecting a simple stakeout. But what starts as a silly game turns very real when they peek in on Luna Vista’s notoriously bizarre middle-school counselor, Dr. Charlotte Agford (aka Dr. Awkward).

Is there more to Dr. Agford than her tacky clothes and sugary falsetto voice? Sophie and Grace are convinced something sinister lurks below the surface . . . and they just might be right. Soon they’re racing to outsmart the suspicious counselor—all while cracking secret codes, dodging a mysterious blue car, and keeping tabs on strangers with unibrows and Texas twangs.

But the strain of the investigation pushes the girls further apart. Even if Sophie and Grace uncover the truth about Agford in time, will their friendship survive?

We cats are natural-born spies, so I thought for sure I could figure out this little mystery. But there were so many twists and double twists and triple twists going on that by the time the book was over, I was in awe. There was plenty of humor, danger, and suspense to go along with a deeper message about friendship and how our perceptions can make all the difference.

The Wig in the Window by Kristen Kittscher gets all four paws up, not to mention my tail! Yes, I liked it that much.

Are you still here? Get going and read this book!

Cat Beards! No, I’m Not Kidding!

What did I tell you? Apparently cat bearding is quite the internet craze these days. If you would like to see more funny pictures like these please click here. I guarantee you’ll never think of the word “furface” in the same way again!

MMGM: Not My Dog

Today’s Operation Story Share is a book for the younger crowd. It’s a cute little story called Not My Dog by Colby Rodowsky.

Here’s the cover blurb:

Ellie Martin’s parents have been promising for years that they will buy her a puppy when she turns nine. Now that she is eight, Ellie can hardly contain her excitement. But then Great-aunt Margaret moves into an apartment house that doesn’t allow dogs, and Ellie becomes responsible for her fully grown mutt, Preston. Thanks to him, she’ll probably never get her puppy!

Ellie refuses to accept Preston as her dog, no matter how charming and smart he might be. As far as Ellie is concerned, she’s just putting up with him until she can figure out what to do. And figure it out Ellie does—in a solution she never would have expected.

Even though this was a book about DOGS (don’t pay any attention to my tail flicking), I couldn’t help but like it anyway. The author nailed the disappointment we feel when things don’t turn out the way we planned, and realistically showed how sometimes the very thing we didn’t think we wanted turns out to be perfect after all.

If you know a young reader, I think they just might love Not My Dog by Colby Rodowsky. (Even though it could have also been about a cat. Just sayin’.)

On the Road Again!

Where do you do your best brainstorming? In the shower? Mowing the lawn? How about driving?

Cindy’s on a 2000 mile road trip to take her daughter back to college and will be by herself on the way home. Is that the perfect brainstorming opportunity, or what? You better believe I’m coming along!

In fact, my whiskers are tingling with anticipation just thinking about all that wide open brain space I’ll be able to work in. Hot peppers and dragons and magic are way more interesting than wheat fields, so I’ll have her complete attention for hours and hours all the way through Kansas.

It’s a Professional Mews’s dream come true!

MMGM: Flight of the Phoenix

Have I got a great Operation Story Share for you today! Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers. This is the first of four books in the Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist series.

Here’s the inside cover copy:

Nathaniel Fludd’s life has taken a turn for the worst.

With his parents declared lost at sea, ten-year-old Nate lands on the doorstep of a distant family cousin—the world’s last remaining beastologist. Before he can unpack his suitcase, he is whisked off on his first expedition, to the sands of Arabia, where the world’s only phoenix prepares to lay its new egg. When disaster strikes, Nate quickly finds himself all alone.

Will he be able to see the phoenix safely hatched, keep his accidental pet gremlin out of trouble, and rescue his guardian from the Bedouin? If he fails, nothing will stand between the world’s mythical creatures and extinction. Too bad Nate’s not the sort of boy who enjoys adventure . . . yet.

This short little book is packed full of good stuff. Starting with poor Nate, who’s not sure he’ll ever live up to the Fludd family reputation. Then there’s also lots of thrilling early 1900’s era adventure. And mythical creatures who aren’t so mythical—you know, just like a certain Professional Mews we all know and love.

Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers. If you haven’t read this one, I highly suggest you get your paws on a copy soon!