Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, author of more than 100 books, adds a third in her Club of Mysteries series with Charlotta’s Kittens, which follows The Grand Escape and The Healing of Texas Jake. Centered around a calico cat named Charlotta and her friends, the five Club of Mysteries’ cats, this story combines a number of kitty life lessons as the cats assist the mother cat in bringing up her five kittens. Each of these cats has a loving home, but is allowed to roam outside where they convene for meetings in a loft above Murphy’s garage. Along the way, the five kittens: Hamburger, Scamper, Mustard, Sugar and Catnip, are taught the wily ways of felines by the older cats led by Texas Jake, a big yellow cat also known as the Lord of the Loft, among other names. The kittens learn about Bertram The Bad, a cat-hating mastiff; the Fishmonger, a place where outside in the trash cans, meals can be found; the river rats, a group of fearless rodents and the Over The Hill Gang, a rival group of alley felines that have no homes but the dump. As the kittens learn survival tips, the smallest, Catnip is rat-napped by the river rats and delivered to Steak Knife, a big red tom cat, who prides himself in his tail collection. In return, the river rats are allowed a day foraging for food on the cat’s dump turf. The Club of Mysteries’ cats courageously outwits Steak Knife, known as the Lord of the Dump, and safely returns the runt kitten to his mother. However, the biggest feat for the Club of Mystery Cats is finding loving homes for Charlotta’s kittens once they have been taught their life lessons. |