The Cats of Silver Crescent

by Kaela Noel Narrated by Hope Newhouse

Overview

In this stand-alone novel with themes of friendship and family, twelve-year-old Elsby discovers a family of talking cats living in the house next door and must help them harness the magic that made them that way. From the author of the acclaimed Coo, The Cats of Silver Crescent is for fans of Kathi Appelt and Katherine Applegate.

With her mother busy traveling for work, Elsby isn't thrilled to be spending a few weeks with her great-aunt Verity. Luckily, she has her notebook and a lush garden to sketch to help pass the time. But a visitor takes Elsby by surprise: a cat standing on its two hind legs and dressed like a sailor dashes across the garden and into the neighboring woods!

Elsby can't believe her eyes, and she can't imagine that Aunt Verity would believe her, either. But that night, the cat and three of his cat companions approach Elsby. They need Elsby's help. While the cats can talk, think, and behave like humans, the magical spell that made them that way will revert if it's not renewed soon. Elsby might be the only one who can save them-but every enchantment comes at a price.

A contemporary fantasy about family, friends, trust, and the magic that's inside everyone, The Cats of Silver Crescent will captivate animal lovers and fans of Jenn Reese's A Game of Fox & Squirrels.*

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Twelve-year-old Elisabeth “Elsby” MacBride arrives in Snipatuit, Rhode Island, from Brooklyn to stay with her mysterious aunt Verity in her Carpenter Gothic-style home for the summer. One stormy night, three talking cats show up and ask for help. . . . The sinister small-town New England setting seeps into the narrative. . . . Noel’s writing embraces a comforting historical atmosphere. . . . The imaginative descriptions, well-developed characterization, and sophisticated vocabulary will appeal to keen readers. Meanwhile, coming-of-age themes explore tween friendships and belonging. . . . An ominous and well-executed supernatural fantasy with cozy mystery undertones.” — Kirkus Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

2024-02-03
An evocative, vintage setting houses a dark—yet adorable—secret.

Twelve-year-old Elisabeth “Elsby” MacBride arrives in Snipatuit, Rhode Island, from Brooklyn to stay with her mysterious aunt Verity in her Carpenter Gothic–style home for the summer. One stormy night, three talking cats show up and ask for her help. They invite Elsby to their house, which is just next door. The sinister small-town New England setting seeps into the narrative, with the cats’ magical origins connecting to wealthy early Snipatuit landowner Algernon Endicott and his strange, castlelike library, filled with occult books. While visiting the library, Elsby meets a goth girl named Penelope Peres, a volunteer who has a morbid fascination with the town’s history of ghosts and spells. Together, the girls dive deeper into the cats’ strange powers. Noel’s writing embraces a comforting historical atmosphere. Allusions to classic literature, including Beowulf, T.S. Eliot, and Emily Dickinson, are juxtaposed with references to astrology and planetary activity that support the supernatural storyline. The imaginative descriptions, well-developed characterization, and sophisticated vocabulary will appeal to keen readers. Meanwhile, coming-of-age themes explore tween friendships and belonging. The combination of anthropomorphized cats with menacing magic will satisfy a diverse range of readers. Elsby reads white; olive-skinned Penelope is cued as being of Portuguese descent.

An ominous and well-executed supernatural fantasy with cozy mystery undertones. (Fantasy. 9-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159401571
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/30/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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