Lulu and the Cat in the Bag

Grandmother Nan is taking care of Lulu and her cousin Mellie, and they're all staying at Lulu's house so they can tend to her many rescued pets. When kindhearted Lulu finds a large cat on her doorstep, there's a problem: Nan is not a cat person. Gentle humor and deft characterization add up to another winning entry in this fine series.

Lulu's and cousin Mellie's parents are on a grownups-only holiday, so grandmother Nan is taking care of the girls. They're staying at Lulu's house, naturally, so they can tend to her many rescued pets. But kindhearted Lulu can always save another animal. Opportunity knocks when she finds a knotted-up bag on her front doorstep containing a large cat. Having already established her characters in the previous two books, here McKay develops new ones. Nan is particularly strong. She's patient with the girls, mindful of their manners, and a teeny bit vain. Charlie, the young neighborhood tagalong, is also spot on, especially in his inability to understand tone. When Lulu tries to convince Nan that cats aren't so bad, she prompts Charlie to back her up. "'Yes, Charlie has a cat. . .She doesn't bring in dead mice and things, does she, Charlie?' 'Not dead ones,' said Charlie cheerfully. 'Live ones, though!'" And that does it for Nan, who proclaims: "I am not a cat person. I am a garden person." In a plot twist that's a little precious, the cat (described in particularly visual language as "a glow-in-the-dark orange cat with eyes like lime-green sweets. Fur like a cloud. Paws like beanbags. A tail like a fat feather duster") gifts Nan with flowers. But the best present comes from McKay: another solid entry in this fine series. betty carter