Freedom!

Gr 3–6—Miss Annie is a four-month-old kitten who thinks she is old enough to venture outside into the great wide world. In Freedom, she tries to tell her masters this by doing a fabulous job of guarding the house while they are away. Unfortunately, the humans and the feline don't see eye to eye on what is and what isn't a threat to their home. Good thing they don't know she's befriended a little mouse that has moved in. When she discovers an open window, she decides it is time to experience the sweet taste of freedom and soon finds out that there are rules outside the house, too. Eager to show her the ropes are two older and much wiser neighbor cats, and Miss Annie follows along. In Rooftop, Miss Annie's masters have finally installed a cat door, and she begins venturing forth immediately despite her mouse friend's worries. She finally gets the night of excitement she has been dreaming of when she and the neighbor cats must defend their territory from a band of roaming alley cats. Things look dire until a new cat appears to help them defeat the invaders and cope with the tragic aftermath of the battle. Cat lovers will enjoy seeing things from this feline's perspective. She might be small, but she is full of personality and it shines through in the stories as well as in the colorful illustrations, laid out in eight frames per page.—Carol Hirsche, Provo City Library, UT