Socks

Title: Socks
Author: Beverly Cleary
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins, 1990
Pages: 176
Reading Level: 9-12
Genre: Comedy/ Novel

Summary: Socks is about a little gray tabby cat with white paws, which gives him the name Socks.  He is adopted by a young couple.  They give him tons of attention and he seems to be the happiest cat on the block.  The couple decide to expand their family and have their first baby.  After the baby comes, Socks doesn't seem to get as much attention like he has been used to.  He begins to act up and really gets neglected.  He is put outside and in the garage.  He gets in fights with other cats and starts to wonder what happened to his perfect life. The couple realizes that he has not gotten the attention that he deserves and they let him back in and try to spend more time with Socks.  Socks then realizes that he likes the new baby Charles and he has made a new friend.  The family is all together and happy again.

Reaction: I loved this book.  I thought that it was very well written and really kept me involved.  I was able to picture the whole story with how much detail the author used.  I really enjoyed this book and want my children to read it.  Maybe it will help them develop a love for cats the way that I have.

Potential Problems: I couldn't really find any potential problems with this book.  I thought that it had a good moral and easy to understand.

Recommendations: I would recommend this book to any child that loves cats.  It really depicts they way that animals should be treated and how they can feel misplaced when their lives are altered.