In the intermediate book “Meow Means Mischief,” we meet Rana, a girl who has just moved to a new home with her little sister Tara and her parents. She’s insecure about her new school – the other children seem so confident and like they know what they’re doing all the time. Rana knows the move was good for her family – the house is bigger and they have room for the things they need, but she still feels like an outsider.
One day Rana sees a cute little kitten outside the patio doors, and she falls in love with it. But her parents are going on a trip, and her grandparents are coming to stay and take care of her. Who knows if her grandma will let her keep the kitten – she’s the one Rana thinks of as “the wrong grandma.” She’s not very friendly and she likes Tara better than Rana. She sends them these really weird clothes from India, where she lives, and she herself always wears a sari. Her skin is darker than Rana’s, and Rana is sometimes embarrassed by her. Worst of all, though, is the fact that her grandmother acts like royalty, and Rana and her mother are expected to wait on her. Rana doesn’t think it’s fair.
Rana’s mother tells her she can keep the kitten until they get back from their trip. If the kitten is good, Rana can keep it. She names the kitten Tiger, and promises to take care of him. Grandma absolutely hates cats, so the week will prove to be interesting.
A new friend from school helps Rana learn how to care for the cat, and another classmate gives her a squirt gun to help her train Tiger to stay off the counter. After some pretty big bumps in the road, Rana even learns to appreciate her grandma, and discovers a friend and ally in her grandpa.
This book is great for readers in the intermediate range. I’d say it was targeted more toward girls, but there are boy characters as well, so it could go either way.
(This book was published in 2003 by Holiday House.)
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