The
Dancing Cats of Applesap
"There's only so much room in the world for small, helpless things like cats," Miss Toonie went on. "My cats are the leftovers, the ones who have gotten pushed out. This store is the last hope they have!"
"How many cats do live here?" asked Melba.
"Round about a hundred last count," said Miss Toonie. "They come and go, you know, depending on what's for dinner."
"What is for dinner usually?"
"Old ice cream, old danish, old candy bars, that sort of thing. The mouse population isn't what it used to be around here."
Ten-year-old Melba Morris is one of the shyest people you'd ever hope
to meet. That's why she starts going to gloomy old Jiggs' Drug Store
after school, instead of the new Super Queen, where all the cool kids
hang out. Jiggs' store is not only rundown, it's infested with cats,
a hundred beat-up, cringing felines who've been taken in by Miss Toonie,
the grumpy lady behind the counter. But when Melba looks closely, she
sees something unusual about these cats, and as their store begins to
go down the drain, only Melba is in a position to stand up in broad daylight
and champion their rights.
The Dancing Cats of Applesap, illustrated by Joelle Shefts, was originally published in 1984 by Bradbury Press. 169 pages. Ages 8-12.
Most recently reissued in paperback in April, 2002, by Aladdin Paperbacks (Simon and Schuster).
top
of page