Being stuck with a bunch of unfriendly relatives was definitely not the way Annabel wanted to spend her summer. But everything changes when the ghost of a beautiful cat appears to her one morning. The cat draws Annabel into a frightening mystery. Many years ago a woman disappeared. Now she --and her cat -- are crying out to Annabel for help. How could Annabel have conjured up these ghostly spirits? And now that they've contacted her... what do they want her to do?
Beverly was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and a long time resident of Rhinelander. Beverly had planned to be an artist, but an impending blindness impelled her to learn typing in order to rejoin her high school class. For practice, she began typing remembered stories which led to her inventing stories. In 1954, she graduated cum laude from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee where she wrote her first young novel, Song of the Voyager which later won Dodd Mead's Seventeenth Summer Literary Competition. Beverly earned her M.A. Degree from Marquette University in 1961 and she returned to Mount Mary in 1962 to teach writing there until 1974. Beverly moved to Sun Prairie before marrying fellow Wisconsin author, Theodore Victor (T.V.) Olsen, and moving to Rhinelander in 1976. T V Olsen died in 1993 and she continued to live in Rhinelander till her death in 2007 at the age of 75. She is survived by her niece and nephews. Her novel "Light a Single Candle" was based on her own experiences with blindness. The sequel was "Gift of Gold". She used her other senses and her brilliant imagination to create her vivid stories which are still enjoyed by her loyal readers today.
I read this book in my younger years and found it to be quite an enthralling mystery for the age group. It stuck out enough that I remembered it into adulthood
I bought this book at a school book fair when I was in fourth or fifth grade, a time when I was obsessed with ghost stories, and Ghost Cat proved to be the first (and, so far, only) book I'd ever read that scared me too much to finish it. I was so terrified that I abandoned the book for at least a year before I could attempt it again. I finished it, but the memory of its creepiness stayed with me so much more clearly than any of the characters or the plot, so I decided to revisit it as an adult to see how it holds up.
Surprisingly well, it turns out. The plot concerns a teenager whose mother ships her off to spend the summer with distant relatives in rural Wisconsin. She feels out of place, lonely, and rejected by her mother, and on top of that she begins to see and hear strange and spooky things. Including, naturally, a ghost cat. A decades-old family mystery is slowly unraveled. There is a very effective creepy atmosphere created in the book, and it was immediately apparent to me during the re-read which was the fateful scene that scared me away from this book as a child. Still delightfully creepy as an adult twenty years later. A good supernatural mystery for middle-grade kids, well-written enough to provide a couple of hours of entertainment for an adult.
Ghost Cat by Beverly Butler takes its inspiration from "Annabel Lee", Edgar Allan Poe's last poem. The young protagonist is named for the ill fated girl in Poe's poem and while staying with relatives she barely knows, Annabel Lee dredges up memories of a 40 year old feud.
While Poe may have been the starting point for this mystery, the book reminds me most of Be Buried in the Rain by Barbara Michaels but aimed at a younger audience. Although I enjoyed the 40 year old mystery and the ghost story bits, the family tension at the farm dragged the pacing of the book down.
The biggest problem with the book is Annabel herself. She's not a well defined character. Her only point seems to be to dredge up the past to bring closure for her family. Since she is mostly a plot device, she doesn't make an interesting enough character to tell the story. Her grandfather who actually knows what is going on is a far more fascinating character but he can't be the narrator since he knows too much. Butler's set up started with the plot painted into a corner.
Ghost! Cat! Ghost Cat! Poor fourteen year-old Annabel is stuck on her relatives' Wisconsin farm for the summer, so her widowed mom can have space to begin dating again--something that Annabel's not at all happy about. Annabel doesn't fit in with her cousins, and to make matters worse, she encounters a mysterious cat that her family believes is connected to a woman's disappearance from the community forty years earlier. How much weirder can a girl's summer get?
I thought there'd be more cat in this book, but it slanted more towards ghost than cat. I felt creeped out a few times, even though I'm twice the book's target age. I liked the complicated family dynamics and how the author, Beverly Butler, elegantly restrained herself from hitting the reader over the head with the moral of the story, which was a very nice, understated moral that would make a thoughtful kid go, "OOOhhh," at the end.
A good, light summer mystery in the vein of Time Windows.
Solid slightly spooky read for a kid; Annabel is your standard outsider (the plotline of the middle-class kid whose divorced mom has shipped her off for the summer because she's dating a doctor shows the book's age, squarely mid 80s) who has to deal with unfriendly peers just as much as she does the eponymous ghost cat. The conclusion is satisfying on both counts.
I'd put this on the shelves for a kid. The enigmatic comment made by a local, that if the cat was about, 'she' would be stirring, was just right atmospherically. A good story.
Wonderful Book for any age I loved this book. It is supposedly a young people's book, but it worked for me. She is a wonderful writer and I really "saw" her characters. Suspenseful and the ending does not disappoint. Highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read (or needs encouraged to be). It would also be appropriate for reading to children.
Readalong with Sally & Beth. Thoughts: Todd is a future serial killer I cried at the end! This was so dark and quite spooky! I felt like this could have been written by Joan Lowery Nixon (high praise) and I’ll look for more of this author’s books. Really excellent and interesting for middle grade.
Like so many ghost stories, this one begins when the protagonist--a very tall 13-year-old girl named Annabel--is sent to spend the summer with relatives in the Wisconsin woods. Already resentful that her single mom just wants to get rid of her so she can party with her beau, Annabel discovers a bunch of unkind cousins who regularly summer with the old folks--their grandparents in fact. Her first morning there she is awakened by the plaintive sound of a cat crying from the woods. Having just lost her own cat in Chicago, she is moved by its obvious distress to help.
Annabel's search for the mysterious and beautiful cat triggers the memory of her old relatives--stirring up bitter feelings of doubt, family shame and perhaps even guilt. All because 40 years ago two women disappeared without a trace, which set suspicious neighbors' tongues wagging: an old maid schoolteacher named Julia Craig, and her young niece, Annie. Are the ghosts of these women (plus the girl's cat) trying to contact Annabel-- and is it because she so resembles the lost girl? Her Uncle Axel scowls at all references to the painful past; could he be protecting an ancestor, covering up family guilt? And why are her cousins so mean to her? Todd especially has a definite nasty streak; I admit to hoping that he would get his!
Annabel's only friends there are the family dog, the ghost cat (which does not provide much comfort, but at least offers incentive to explore) and Old Pa who is everybody's great-grandfather. In his prime he was the boss of a logging crew, but now he is reduced to near senility as an unwilling shut-in, whose every move is dictated by his over-protective daughter. There is an old mystery to be solved, of course, and ghosts to lay to rest--literally. But once the truth is told, will the family name be cleared or convicted of further shame?
Some heavy task for the so-tall-that-she-slouches shoulders of Annabel, whom the ghosts think is Annie come to life. Can ghosts manipulate the weather? Do they want Revenge, Justice or Peace? It's all up to Annabel. This is her summer to grow up and Old Pa's to come into his own again. A good yarn with an interesting plot and some character development. Annabel must come to terms with her mom's boyfriend, while Old Pa--that unlikely hero-- will briefly enjoy the limelight. A good, imaginative read which will keep the interest of both girls and boys.
(October 11, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
A fun murder mystery/ghost story for younger readers. Annabelle spends the summer with her cousins, and discovers that she is the spitting image of a young woman who, fifty years ago, was involved in a mystery that may have ended in murder. A ghostly cat leads Annabelle to the clues, as she is mourning the death of her own cat and dealing with the changes in her life as her mother remarries.
Chilling without being too scary (I was easily scared as a kid), and certainly a page turner!
Fantastic blast from the past! I found my childhood copy of this book while home from work, and it was the perfect anecdote to food poisoning! A well-told family mystery with a likeable young protagonist just coming into her own. I remember being genuinely creeped out as a kid reading this, but as an adult can appreciate the skill of the writer in weaving some very complex family drama into an enjoyable mystery read for kids.
Pretty good. Young girl who is quite tall sent to stay the summer with relatives she doesn't know. This one is not the typical supportive relatives help child to bloom. Poor kid has to deal with very unkind cousins and an uncle who rejects her. I found much of this uncomfortable and there wasn't really enough time at the end to relax in her new understanding and growth.
I read this so long ago that I just remember being attracted to the book by the picture of the eerily glowing cat on the cover and not a whole lot about the plot. I will be reading it again one of these days so I can review it.
There is an astonishing lack of the titular character, is the first thing that springs to mind.
To be fair, unless it's a paranormal comedy or ghosts are otherwise treated as "normal" beings (e.g. Ghost Hog), having the ghost feature heavily into the story risks dispelling the mystery of the ghost, since repeated—even regular—exposure to the scary thing will lessen its shock value. I'm just surprised how little of the ghost story even involved a cat for Ghost Cat to be the title.
That said, it reminds me VERY MUCH of The Girl in the Window or Ghosts Beneath Our Feet, hitting almost the exact same notes in the process. I wouldn't be surprised if the authors cribbed from the same template in pumping out these themed target demographic books.
The main reason I give it a "meh" rating (3/5 by any metric other than Goodreads', which seems curiously determined to give multiple grades of "good" vs. ALL grades of negative as 1 star) is Todd is stubbornly cruel in a pathetic way. I mean, I can't say I identify much with Annabel's tallness plight by a longshot, and I was strangely oblivious to bullying when I was younger, but "Clarabell(e Cow?)" is such a peculiar taunt that I wouldn't even register it as one, myself. (Taunts based on my own name, I'm sure I would roll my eyes but otherwise not really even think about it after the first hundred times, just because people already butcher my name WITHOUT any obvious malice behind it.) I guess I don't get why Annabel is so sensitive about being called the wrong name and isn't returning fire by calling Todd "Clod" or similar.
Not saying it isn't a biting insult when it's intended to be, just that I legitimately don't get it. It's like the "Nancy Drew" taunt directed at Nancy Wheeler—sure, it's MEANT as a taunt, but it just comes across as brutes trying to be clever when it's just sort of... not. It's an insult that feels like a non-sequitur, to be met with confusion, not hurt.
I'm sure actual tall girls named Annabel (or spellings thereof) would be able to weigh in better than I could, though.
Really, though, the whole book is almost fully centered on Todd's bullying, particularly his bizarre jealousy about Annabel receiving an old compass. Would I care if my elders gave my brother/cousin a compass, regardless of its quality? Not in the slightest, but I'm not Todd. I can only assume it's some weird bully thing where he doesn't want Annabel to receive any amount of positive treatment, just because he has his own hang-ups about 1. being short, and 2. being asthmatic. I suppose. Also, he wanted to throw rocks at the family dog and probably succeeded before Annabel caught him... real piece of work, this kid.
I also just don't like the ending. It wraps up more or less how I expected, once the Ghostly Third Act begins, but the *very* end (potential stepdad tries to bribe Annabel) just rubs me entirely the wrong way, particularly since it doesn't resolve her (direct) family issues so much as ends the book. I admit that I've read a lot of books from this period that similarly just end, so it's not THAT different or unexpected, but it's certainly not satisfying.
Recommended if you like bullies, I guess? It's not that great of a ghost story with all the bully fluff shoehorned in.
I’m still searching for the book that terrified me as a kid. I don’t remember anything except for the climax happening in a clearing in the woods, possibly from a tree house. This one was promising as there were lots of haunted woods and I thought I’d found it, but alas, I was wrong again. If any of you remember anything like this from our childhoods please let me know. Annabelle is sent to her aunt and uncle’s farm for the summer. She has to hang out with cousins she’s never met and they are not off to a good start. Todd is an asthmatic weenie sociopath who abuses animals and Donna and Michael follow his lead. Although Donna and Michael do come around eventually, I had a feeling of gratitude that I actually like my cousins. But then Annabelle hears a cat crying in the woods. She recently lost her cat Muffin and she can’t ignore the calls. As she’s about to enter the woods, Old Pa comes out and tells her she’ll never catch him. Because he turns out to be a Ghost Cat. This is a mystery about a woman who went missing 40 years ago and the lives she touched. It’s about learning family secrets and figuring out how to bury the dead.
Eleven-year-old Chicago native Annabel Peterson is staying at her great aunt and uncle's house in the Wisconsin countryside for the summer, along with her cousins, which she is not happy about. She is awakened one night by the sound of a cat, which leads her into the woods and then disappears. Annabel and her cousins also visit a nearby haunted house, and once again Annabel sees the image of a cat. Annabel soon begins sleepwalking and having nightmares about the old woman who once lived in the supposedly haunted house. When Annabel tries to learn more about the old woman and the house, her great uncle becomes very upset, and wants to hear nothing more of it. Annabel and her cousins will have to solve the mystery on their own.
I am already interested in anything about a cat and a mystery ghost story is right up my alley. I wanted to like this more than I did though. I could have lived without the wicked cousin Todd...once he killed a nest of baby mice--to my mind gratuitous violence--it was hard for me to stay engaged. Violence against animals is a huge trigger for me. I did like Annabelle and Old Pa though.
I’ve been on a streak of re-reading childhood favorite books, and this one held up nicely. Annabell was a compelling character, and her discovery of ghosts - not just the cat - and how they tied to her own story was well-done. This book was still quite atmospheric, and has withstood the test of time.
Ha! The most random find of the day! I love when I accidentally come upon books that I read forever ago. This book as far as children's/young adult books go was very good. I would say this is the blending of a Nancy Drew/Meg Series Mystery with elements of a Goosebumps/Shivers scare theme to it. Loved the cat and the reconnecting with family, as well as the mystery! Great for young readers!
Perhaps I went into this book with my expectations too high, but I found myself working hard to read the words on the pages.. In the end, wanting so much to find another incredible book in this genre, I was let down and wouldn't recommend it as so many others here have.
For a middle-aged adult the story & writing really held my attention. Best impulse $1 buy at a flea market I've made in awhile! Always liked ghost stories & I found this one to be very atmospheric & creepy. Great ending. A really good book for a lover of anything well written like myself.
Another book I had since grade school and FINALLY got around to reading. Cute story, good descriptions...plus the author is from Wisconsin. Probably why I felt an affinity to the book.
A nice story of a ghost cat who lives in a lighthouse. Interesting look at the workings of a lighthouse and how important they are. Lovely illustrations.