When her mother leaves for a work trip, Elsby finds herself in the care of her great aunt in a small Rhode Island town. While keeping busy with her art supplies in the dilapidated garden, she glimpses an incredibly odd sight: a cat on its hind legs, fully outfitted in tiny human clothes. A bewildered Elsby questions the sighting until the same cat taps on her window late at night, desiring a chat. There are actually four talking, walking, attired cats living in the empty residence next door, and they're in desperate need of human help to maintain their magical existence. It's up to Elsby to uncover the town's secrets and aid the fascinating felines before time runs out. Both eerie and enchanting, the story offers a slightly creepy slice of New England life with a feline focus. The atmospheric writing gives the proceedings a fanciful, friendly air, and Elsby is deeply relatable as she navigates new jealousies and responsibilities. Animal lovers will eagerly sink their claws into the marvelous, magical mystery.

An evocative, vintage setting houses a dark-yet adorable-secret.Twelve-year-old Elisabeth "Elsby" MacBride arrives in Snipatuit, Rhode Island, from Brooklyn to stay with her mysterious aunt Verity in her Carpenter Gothic–style home for the summer. One stormy night, three talking cats show up and ask for her help. They invite Elsby to their house, which is just next door. The sinister small-town New England setting seeps into the narrative, with the cats' magical origins connecting to wealthy early Snipatuit landowner Algernon Endicott and his strange, castlelike library, filled with occult books. While visiting the library, Elsby meets a goth girl named Penelope Peres, a volunteer who has a morbid fascination with the town's history of ghosts and spells. Together, the girls dive deeper into the cats' strange powers. Noel's writing embraces a comforting historical atmosphere. Allusions to classic literature, including Beowulf, T.S. Eliot, and Emily Dickinson, are juxtaposed with references to astrology and planetary activity that support the supernatural storyline. The imaginative descriptions, well-developed characterization, and sophisticated vocabulary will appeal to keen readers. Meanwhile, coming-of-age themes explore tween friendships and belonging. The combination of anthropomorphized cats with menacing magic will satisfy a diverse range of readers. Elsby reads white; olive-skinned Penelope is cued as being of Portuguese descent.An ominous and well-executed supernatural fantasy with cozy mystery undertones. (Fantasy. 9-13)