Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl

Gr 4—6—Big Audrey, the cat-whiskered girl who returned with Iggy, Neddie, and Seamus to their plane of existence at the end of The Yggyssey (Houghton Harcourt, 2009), takes center stage in this adventure. Wanting to see more of this plane, she sets off on a road trip across the country and ends up in Poughkeepsie, NY. Audrey mingles with the locals—a quirky cast of characters that includes a wise woman who shows her a picture of a 19th-century girl who looks exactly like her, cat-whiskers and all. Audrey is the only one convinced that she and the girl are not the same person, and solving this mystery takes her and her new friend, Molly, on another inter-dimensional adventure. Pinkwater once again exercises his trademark irreverent humor complete with puns and literary allusions. Short chapters adorned with spot art keep the story moving, and the fact that Audrey and Molly are rarely—if ever—fazed by anything that happens allows readers to breeze through this lighthearted tale that never takes itself too seriously. It is not necessary to have read the earlier titles as Audrey is the only character who makes a repeat performance. As with the first two books, the narrative rushes to a conclusion and ends somewhat abruptly with promises of future adventures. Nevertheless, it is sure to be enjoyed by fans of Pinkwater's unique talent.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL

Pinkwater follows Big Audrey, the cat-whiskered girl (The Neddiad, The Yggyssey) to Poughkeepsie. She makes new friends and solves a mystery of a girl who looks exactly like her. Pinkwater's complex setup for his punch line is vintage. He still teases us with a barrage of references, but the tone of this offering is less hectic and more wistful than its predecessors.

Daniel Pinkwater skillfully presents quirky topics—such as UFOs that are really flying intergalactic cats—in a deadpan way. The contrast of the wacky content and its blasé depiction is hilarious. Readers of The Yggyssey will enjoy reading more about Big Audrey’s adventures, but this title also stands on its own. Pinkwater introduces many captivating ideas that will cause readers to think about how they—and others—perceive the world around them. This wonderfully surreal novel amply demonstrates a very freeing idea: when creating a fictional world, the only limits are those of your imagination.