Leonard (My Life As A Cat)
“I don’t understand everything about being human, but I do know a great deal about the soul: how it travels and travels until it finds someone who feels like home.”
Leonard is not an ordinary cat, though cats can hardly be called ordinary. Leonard is an alien, who has traveled to Earth. Accidentally acquiring the form of a scruffy stray, he is rescued by Olive. Despite the difficulties of hairballs, kitty litter, and the urge to shred curtains, Leonard does his best to study humans.
As Leonard experiences the life of a cat, Leonard finds himself dealing with one of the deepest human emotions: love. But Leonard needs to make his way to the pickup spot by the end of the month, or he’ll be stuck on Earth as a cat… forever.
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Carlie Sorosiak
Walker Books
244 pages
The theme of this book is following your heart and soul,
rather than a path laid out by another.
This story takes place on Earth, though through the eyes of a slightly more
unusual character. Leonard is an alien, though he looks more like a cat at
the moment. Leonard had hoped to join the humans on Earth as a human.
Instead, he finds himself as a stray cat. (There are reasons why you don’t
make up jokes during space travel) Leonard is rescued by Olive, an
animal lover who has a hard time socializing. Quickly becoming friends,
Leonard and Olive collect experiences together; jokes, cheese sandwiches (Leonard is disappointed), beach visits, and a particularly eventful road trip.
I loved reading this book. It was comedic and though I prepared myself
for a bittersweet ending, I was pleasantly surprised by a happy ending. The unique perspective of an alien on earth led to descriptions of life that I
hadn’t heard or considered before. Seeing our way of life through an outsider’s lense is fascinating, as it brings to light confusing aspects that we humans accept as fact. One of these aspects include creating things for seemingly no reason, like skateboards, pie-eating contests, art, or rubber ducks. It includes humor, emotions, pets, and the strangeness of social norms.
People who enjoyed reading this book may also enjoy A Wish In The Dark, another novel about creating your own way in life.
