Hissy Fitz by Patrick Jennings. Illustrated by Michael Allen Austin. 103 p. Egmont Publishing, January 6, 2015. 9781606845967. (Finished copy provided by publisher for review.)
The jacket flap of this hysterical early chapter book asks, "What does a cat need to do to take a cat nap?"
The aptly named Hissy lives with the Fitz family a bit grudgingly. As humans go, they are okay, especially when they feed him but they just don't know how to treat a cat. Cats are singular, solitary creatures with particular tastes (freshly killed food) and desires (to be left alone) and this family just does not get it. It doesn't help that curmudgeonly Hissy is a bit of a diva. He's even hard on his cat friends. Mr. Fitz is a carpenter and spends his days banging and sawing - highly incompatible with Hissy's desired nap. Eight-year-old Georgie wants to pet him constantly in places Hissy definitely doesn't like. Out-of-control, rambunctious three-year-old Zeb terrorizes Hissy. Zeb's twin, Abe, on the other hand, shows promise as does Mrs. Fitz, who reliably feeds Hissy.
I just loved the voice. Sure it conjures up the Internet sensation Grumpy Cat, but I read the book with the voice of that cute Friskies commercial or the Sad Cat Diary - deep, long-suffering, cynical, sardonic and resigned. The spot art humorously reflect the goings on and who can resist that purr-fect cover?
I happened to have the book on my desk at work when a fifth grader came into the library to check out some books. One of the titles she was interested in was Grumpy Cat. Unfortunately for her, it was checked out. I was putting it on hold for her when she spotted Hissy Fitz. "Ooh! Can I take this?" I told her to put her name on a post-it note and that as soon as I finished this post, I'd catalog, cover the book and check it out to her. She left the library very excited. She's a huge reader and very prone to dragging her friends in to check out her faves. I don't really expect to see much of it now as it gets passed around the fifth grade. (Sighs happily.)
While this is an early chapter book, it certainly has a place in classrooms and libraries up to fifth or sixth grade. Not only do we still have struggling readers in these grades, but cat humor can be enjoyed at any age. Even fluent and above grade readers deserve to kick back and read a fun and satisfying story.
There are links to blogs that are having giveaways on
Miss Yingling Reads.
You can also follow Hissy on Twitter @thehissyfitz.
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