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This book wasn't long enough! I wanted to be in this world with these characters much longer than the length of the book allowed. I found myself thinking about the story and pulling the book out to read just a bit more even when I really didn't have time to read. I immediately fell in love with the characters and ended up loving them all even more by the end.

Why didn't this win a Newbery?? This should have won a Newbery! Or at least a Newbery Honor! More people need to know about and read this book.

I do have a small issue with the title and the cover illustration. I think the title fits perfectly once you've read the story, but for those who haven't read the book, I think another title would be better. Although I wouldn't mind the title so much if the cover illustration was better. I like the cat on the front, but overall the cover is too dark and definitely doesn't say "read me!" At least not to me. I wanted to read this when I first heard of it (thanks to Lisa Vegan's review here on GR!), but I think I would have read it sooner with a more appealing cover illustration. Although it could just be me. I had a student put it on hold just based on the cover illustration - she hadn't read anything about the book or even seen more than just the cover.

This is a definite 5-star book. I love the characters and how they relate to each other. I hope that someday Clay Carmichael takes us back into this world to let us be with these characters again. Everyone should read this book!

A favorite quote:
"I inhaled the musty, leathery, old-papery scent and a shiver passed over me. If I had any idea of heaven, it was this: shelves and shelves of books, ten times as many as were upstairs, each with stories or pictures more exciting and beautiful than the next, and two overstuffed chairs big enough for me to sleep in."