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ABC I Like Me by Nancy Carlson
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Building Manhattan by Laura Vila
The Dreamer: The Consequence of Nathan Hale by Lora Innes
Earthquake in the Early Morning (Magic Tree House #24) by Mary Pope Osborne
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The Frog Prince Continued by Jon Scieszka
A Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan
Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck
I Needs Must Part, The Policeman Said by Richard Bowes
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
Jenny's Birthday Book by Esther Averill
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
The Little Band by James Sage
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Oscar and the Cricket by Geoff Waring
Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell
A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
Stage Fright on a Summer Night (Magic Tree House #25) by Mary Pope Osborne
The Staircase by Ann Rinaldi
"Star-Crossed" by Tim Sullivan
Swine Not? by Jimmy Buffett
Take Me Out to the Ballgame by Gary Morgenstein
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers
The Titan's Curse Rick Riordan
Under the Lemon Trees by Bhira Backhaus
Yellowbelly and Plum Go to School by Nathan Hale


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Jenny's Birthday Book: 07/10/10

cover art

The first Esther Averill book I read was The Hotel Cat. What I didn't realize at the time is that most of the other books are significantly shorter, being picture books instead of a middle grade novel. Working on the assumption that the other books were just as long I didn't think to look anywhere else in the children's library. It took my daughter looking for any picture book featuring a cat to find the others. The book she picked was Jenny's Birthday Book.

Jenny's an adorable black cat who likes to wear a red scarf. Jenny's Birthday Book explains how she gets it. She's invited out to celebrate her birthday with Checkers and Edward. They take her to a party in the park with all the other cats.

Harriet and I love Averill's bold use of color and her cute loosely drawn cats. Harriet spent a lot of time looking at all the different cats and describing them to me. She especially likes Jenny's "beautiful scarf."

Averill's Cat Club books are thankfully back in print. I recommend them to anyone who is a cat lover or a parent of a cat lover.

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