When Kelsey discovers three abandoned kittens in a dumpster she could never guess that her search for the person who did it would lead her not only to new friends, but also to uncovering an entire pet-napping plot.

The Curious Cat Spy Club by Linda Joy Singleton is the first book in the series by the same name.  The book is a fun, Harriet the Spy-style story that will pull at the heartstrings of any animal-loving reader.  The characters Singleton creates are quite relatable, especially to young readers.  The three main characters all come from different backgrounds and yet all try earnestly to navigate their friendship through the social expectations at school, although not always perfectly. However, tied together by their love of animals, they work to find their footing.  The Curious Cat Spy Club is a book that young readers will identify with and is a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Albert Whitman & Co.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  A few references to bullying; several references to animal abuse, mildly graphic; kittens left in dumpster; adolescent desires to smack another adolescent (doesn’t); adolescent skins knee; adult traps/threatens to kill animal; adolescent worries about being bitten by an animal; adult accidentally elbows adolescent; adolescent falls off a fence; adolescent locks another adolescent in a cage.

Sex/Nudity:  Two adolescents kiss briefly.

Mature Subject Matter:

Animal cruelty, loyalty, friendship, economic hardship, loss, divorce, betrayal by authority figure, bullying.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None