Pretty, smart, manipulative, and spoiled, Clare is a mean girl growing up in Pennsylvania. She meets her match in Ms. Zero, her eighth-grade teacher, who makes her copy Max Ehrmann's poem Desiderata. Then Clare dies and miraculously comes back as a scrawny cat living on the West Bank. One day, feline Clare follows two Israeli soldiers as they slip into a small, empty Palestinian house and discovers a small Arab boy hiding there. The soldiers are worried about the welfare of the child, whose only words are from Desiderata, which he endlessly recites. Clare's revealing story alternates between flashbacks to her embattled year with Ms. Zero and the present escalating crises, as the local people discover the soldiers and surround the house. There are no black and whites here, only ordinary people caught in the tangle of history, misunderstanding, and fear. The self-centered Clare provides an effective entry point for young readers into the murky waters of this tragic conflict. Ellis' intriguing, unusual tale should give readers much to think about th on the domestic and international fronts.

In this fable-esque narrative, a spoiled American bully is reincarnated as a cat in the West Bank where she witnesses a conflict that unfolds when two Israeli soldiers occupy a presumed-empty Palestinian house in which a little boy hides. Flashbacks to the cat's human life distract from the compelling, provocative central plot. The thoughtful exploration of an untenable situation provides ample discussion fodder.

Gr 5 Up-Clare was a girl from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. At 13, she dies and finds herself transformed into a cat, living in Bethlehem, Israel. As a girl, she always wanted to be the center of attention, so being an ignored stray seems cruel. She follows two Israeli soldiers into a seemingly empty house on the West Bank. As the situation escalates with the discovery of a young Palestinian boy, Clare reflects on her actions during her last year of life as a human. Set on Israel's West Bank, the harsh reality of the story is tempered by the first-person narration of a cat who understands all languages. Ellis is neutral; she doesn't take sides, nor does she attempt to explain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead, the miscommunication and actions of the individual characters are examined. The characters' complexities are slowly revealed, adding layers to the story. Readers are plunged into the narrative, in the same way Clare must face her new feline life. The narrative alternates between the present on the West Bank and flashbacks to Clare's life as a human. The pacing is appropriately measured, and the setting is vividly describedconcisely but evocatively conveying tension, unease, and instability. Although slightly homiletical, the moral of personal responsibility is wrapped in a touching, unforgettable story. It is an excellent choice for book clubs and classroom use, and will easily evoke discussion. Amy Seto Musser, Denver Public Library