A to Z: E – Ghost Cat by EVE Bunting

Ghost Cat

Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Kevin M. Barry
Sleeping Bear Press, 2017

From the dust jacket, “For many years Miss Maggie McCullen has been the keeper for the Port Carrick lighthouse. The people in Port Carrick are proud of her. “She keeps that big light going,” they say. “Never misses a night. You can’t count the lives Miss Maggie and her light saved.” And while the people are grateful to Miss Maggie, they also worry about her and her lonely life at the lighthouse.

“But they don’t know that she has her cat, Sailor Boy, for company. Because Sailor Boy is no ordinary cat. He’s a ghost cat. He can make himself visible or invisible, especially when visitors come to call and he wants to be mischievous.  But when a fierce storm comes and Miss Maggie needs special assistance, Sailor Boy proves just how extraordinary he is.”

This is the second book I’ve read recently about a ghostly pet! (The other one is Goldfish Ghost!) In this case the cat, Sailor Boy can make himself be seen or unseen. The story is pretty good – the author spends half the book giving the reader background info and then the big event happens. Sailor Boy does prove himself to be very helpful and saves the day. However, the story ended abruptly – when I turned the (what turned out to be) the last page, I was really surprised – I felt it needed at least one more page to wind-up the tale. I read the book several times just to make sure and each time it was the same thing – one page short of a sure winner.

Rating 3 out of 5 paws – a good story with delightful illustrations!!

Reviewer: Simon