(4) 4-6 Cat Thomasina is scheduled to be put down by her owner's veterinarian father, but she is rescued and awakens convinced she's the Egyptian Cat Goddess Bast-Ra. Thomasina narrates some chapters in the first person, and her delusions add humor to a thoughtful novel. However, dense narration and some dated portrayals ("gipsies" who are cruel to their animals) may make this problematic for contemporary readers.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) 4-6 New York Review Children's Collection series. Little boy Peter's accidental transformation into a cat and his partnership with fellow London stray cat Jennie is made believable through the power of Gallico's storytelling, the naturalness of his dialogue, and the vividness of his settings and characterization. Filled with adventure, intrigue, and magic, The Abandoned's fast-moving, peripatetic plot comes to a heart-wrenching yet ultimately happy ending.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 1950

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Angela Barrett. Striking new illustrations in pencil, graphite, gouache, and muted watercolors bring this classic story to a new generation. Set in southeast England against the threatening backdrop of World War II, Gallico's tale describes the special relationship that develops between a solitary artist and a girl who grows to appreciate the deformed man's inner beauty.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn