Clare has been transformed into a stray cat, living in Bethlehem, Israel. As the reader, you know that Clare was thirteen when she died (you don't know how for most of the book) and that she has come back to life as a cat. You know that her life as a stray cat is vastly different from her life as a middle school girl, living in Pennsylvania... Her story is told in alternating chapters between the present day cat's experiences in Bethlehem with a Palestinian boy and a couple of Israeli soldiers - and flashbacks to her life as a middle school student in the U.S.
As the situation in Bethlehem escalates, Clare knows she must do something. But what can one small cat do?
This was such an interesting premise for a book. The juxtaposition of war torn Israel with middle school USA is quite poignant - the author does not try to explain the Israel-Palestinian conflict, but uses it to examine miscommunications, actions, and personal responsibility.
This is our summer "all school read" this year.
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