Overview

""This buoyant, delightful tale gets the most out of its varied cast."" Kirkus Reviews Our Verdict, GET IT Mars, Mommy and the Forever Home is a middle-grade story (ages 8-12+) about a kitten who loves treats, loses his mommy and then almost loses himself. Jared, a cheeky but compassionate chipmunk rescues Mars and together they go on an adventurous journey to find love, friendship and a forever home. It is a fictionalized tale of a real-life kitten who took a ride in the engine compartment of a big rig. The story cleverly reimagines what may have happened along the way to his final destination. Mars, Mommy, Jared and the cast of loveable characters they meet along the way such as Hattie and Henry, a pair of bald eagles living in a rehabilitation center after being wounded, Georges Cooney, a sage old cemetery keeper, Cee Cee DevAngel, a crazy cat lady, and Gaseous, a shady creature that somewhat resembles a bloated rat will appeal to the child inside us all. The duo's adventure is full of twists and turns that celebrate the transformative power of love, loss, friendship, family and the ties that bind us together. Kindness, compassion for our fellow beings, forgiveness and redemption are a few of the Christian values woven throughout the theme of this timeless tale. Regional Interest: This story takes place in Sylvania, a nod to the author's home state of Pennsylvania. The pair venture out to places such as the Natalie Drive-In (unfortunately, now a solar farm), Bear Gap, ""a town inhabited entirely by bears, wink, wink,"" Centralia, ""ghost towned"" by mine fires,"" a local ""haunted"" cemetery and an enchanted amusement park. Jared also meets and falls in love with his wife at the Humongous Fungus Festival in Crystal Falls, Michigan. (the name alone makes you want to visit). Audience: Middle Grade +, Children's Reading Groups, Schools, Libraries, Boys and Girls, appeals to all ages.

Full Product Details

9798992045109

Table of Contents

Reviews

""This buoyant, delightful tale gets the most out of its varied cast."" Kirkus Reviews Our Verdict, GET IT Mars, an orange-and-white-striped Maine coon mix, can't find Mommy, who left one day to get food and never returned. Jared, an adult chipmunk happens by and takes pity on Mars, bringing the anxious kitten some food and water. He eventually convinces Mars to come home with him to meet his wife and kids, but on the way there, Jared and the kitten are separated. The narrative then shifts to a variety of other characters, providing varying perspectives and intermittent flashbacks. Readers learn how Mommy, who once lived with doting humans, ended up raising her son on her own. There's also the diabolical Shadow Figure who pops up throughout Mommy's life, as well as a dubious individual that resembles a ""bloated rat"" and has its eyes on everyone. Run-ins with warmhearted types benefit Mars and Jared, too, from a bald-eagle couple to a human big-rig driver and his family. Helwig's sparse narrative descriptions will likely appeal to the young target audience. However, the book's most striking quality is its easy-to-follow, nonlinear approach, telling stories of a host of characters and their pasts. Similarly, the plot isn't overcomplicated; during Mommy's flashbacks about living with humans, she's called ""Snowy,"" but ominous recurring characters (such as the Shadow Figure), in whatever timeframe, are always described in the same manner. All the talking animals understand one another as well as the humans, whereas the humans only hear adorable meows. The author provides a few serious moments, including a scene in which a kitten is taken from its mother, but there's no shortage of funny and upbeat scenes. A highlight is when Jared, in a hurry, inadvertently catches the attention of the lively crowd at a baseball game.

Author Information

Cecelia Helwig has a twenty-five-year career at a Big Five Publisher. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in creative writing, fiction at Southern New Hampshire University. She is a Reiki Master, and photographer who loves to travel, meet people and hear their stories.Cecelia grew up in a village in Pennsylvania where she spent her time reading, writing, dreaming under the stars and playing in the beautiful outdoors with her mostly real but sometimes imagined, human and animal friends. Her love of reading and writing was inspired by her mom who read to her as a child and her dad who was a lifelong reader, and a writer in high school before he was drafted into World War II. Together they fostered this love in her, and she counts it as one of their greatest gifts. Her favorite books are J.R.R. Tolkien's, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. You can visit Cecelia at ceceliahelwigsite.wordpress.com

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