1010

Recommended Ages: published for adults, but may appeal to younger animal lovers

Plot Summary: Vicki finds a little orange cat in the drop-box at the Spencer Public Library on the coldest day of the year and convinces the mayor, board, and community to keep him as a library cat. For nineteen years, Dewey helped to bring the town, library staff, and world together. A history of Spencer is given, but this book also has a lot of biographical information about Vicki and her family.

Setting: 1988-2007 Spencer, Iowa, small town that is primarily a farm town, but does have the most shopping in the area

Characters:
Vicki Myron - library director, single mom, Dewey's primary caretaker (gave baths, took to vet, took home during breaks), went back to library school
Dewey - orange cat
Jean Hollis Clark - assistant library director
Doris Armstrong - "mother hen", friends with everyone on staff
Kay Larson - new assistant director
Mary Walk - children's librarian
Dr. James Easterly - vet
Mary Houston - local historian, on library board, first board member to see Dewey
Squeege Chapman - mayor, last month, didn't care about Dewey
Wally Myron - Vicki's husband, alchoholic, Vicki left him at age 28
Jodi - Vicki's daughter, Dewey's favorite person
David Jipson - went away to college, dear older brother, had mental illness, committed suicide
Steven Jipson - Vicki's brother, died at age 19 from cancer
Jipson family - Vicki's family, including mom, dad, grandma, brothers, helped her through her divorce, close with older brother until he committed suicide

Recurring Themes: small town Iowa, economy, single motherhood, pets, mental illness, family, work relationships, higher education,

Controversial Issues: Vicki's brother killed himself, and Vicki's father had to clean up the blood and mess

Wally, Vicki's ex-husband, was an alcoholic

Personal Thoughts: Even though this book is about Dewey, this well-written book is honest in it's portrayal of small town life, struggling with single motherhood, and the adventure of commuting to library school to earn a degree. ( )

This was a really sweet read. It could have been a bit shorter, but if you're not in a rush, it's all worth it. ( )

Definitely one for the cat lovers. Charming and warm story to be recommended as an escape from a lot of the grunge that passes for literature these days. ( )

An animal lover's book for sure. Even if you are not an animal lover, this book is touching. Dewey, brings people together for a sense of community and touches the lives of many people. A very warm and endaring book. ( )