A young girl gets in trouble at school and at home for stopping on her way back and forth to listen to a cat who tends to lie to her. It's as weird as it sounds, and not in a good way. Maybe much is lost in the translation? ( )

A girl talks with a cat every day about eternity and how life works. She feels for various sad members of her community, but the cat feels no pity. At school, they try to get the girl to deny the sentience of the cat, but she does not. ( )

Uhhhh, wha-a-at??? After rereading three times, I get that the girl realizes the cat isn't all truth or compassion but such perplexing prose to get there. I don't know any child who'd clamor to get his or her hands on this. ( )

Weird story; I was attracted to the story because it was on top of the bookshelf, on display, in the school library. This imagery, on the second page, drew me in: "A whole world unfolded before me on the street, a world with glimmering rainbow-streaked gasoline puddles." I visualized this with such delight, realizing that I hadn't noticed the rainbow-swirls in puddles in YEARS (a lot of years). Do only children notice these things? Do these images appear only to children?

The rest of the story I read quickly, unable to relate to anything else with as much interest, and I was mildly annoyed by the strangeness of it. In the end (this was the quickest read ever), it made a bit of sense and I felt a vague sense of satisfaction, understanding that this is about making choices about what you believe is true and right and how ultimately this coming of age causes you to sacrifice the magic that comes with ignorance, innocence, and youth. I did also end with an itching sense that I hadn't quite grasped its full meaning and that I could benefit from a second reading. However, I have no interest in persuing that meaning, so I'm just rating this a 3.

I have NO IDEA why this would be considered a young adult title, as I can't imagine it appealing to ANYONE younger than 25. ( )

Surreal, funny and philosophical. Will go over the heads of most children so better suited for teens and adults. Translated from German. ( )