Cat-alog II: The Cats of the Club of Mysteries Series

Cats are caterwauling for equal time with those canine characters (see previous post), so here's an installment on the CAT-alog series on worthy felines of fiction.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, having written three books about one dog, (Shiloh), more than meets the equal-time challenge with four books about two cat characters, beginning with The Grand Escape. In this first book of the Cat Pack series, Marco and Polo are half-grown indoor kitties with a sense of adventure. Being able to read the newspapers lining his litter pan, Marco describes the wonders of the outside world, and his more impulsive brother Polo finally persuades him to escape into the world beyond their cozy home. The intrepid two discover the tempting treats of the Burger King trash bins and meet the lovely fem feline Carlotta and "The King, The Boss, The Cat Supreme" in the form of Texas Jake, the top tom of the free cats' league who call themselves the Club of Mysteries. In order to become members, Marco and Polo are required to perform three folkloric tasks, testing their kitty mettle against all the traditional enemies of cats. This they do with feline elan, earning membership in the Club and the privilege of being "indoor/outdoor" cats from their owners, the Neals.

Naylor follows up with three humorous and satisfying sequels, The Healing of Texas Jake, Carlotta's Kittens, and the latest, Polo's Mother, in which Polo's search for his warm, fuzzy mom of memory concludes when he finds her in Geraldine, a tough little queenie with a heart of gold who cheerfully joins her offspring in another of Texas Jake's quests. How Marco, Polo, and Geraldine find what's atop a steeple, why cats purr, and what happens to the fridge light when the door is shut is a fun and fitting ending to this absolutely delightful series.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a capable and versatile writer for children who takes on the wars between girls and boys, cats and dogs, and even girls coming of age with equal skill and sensitivity. It would be a cat-astrophe for kids to miss the fun and fur-raising adventures of the Cat Pack series.