The Cat's Maw

by Brooke Burgess

Overview

A BOY. A CAT. A NIGHTMARE IN TWO WORLDS! If modern-day Narnia had a dark side, as written by the love-child of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman? Then you'd have THE CAT'S MAW -- the award-winning Mystery/Fantasy/Horror debut from BROOKE BURGESS -- for brave young readers, and cat lovers of all ages! ***WINNER*** BEST YA MYSTERY 2015 -- Gelett Burgess Awards SILVER MEDAL (Pre-Teen) 2015 -- Moonbeam Awards TOP SHELF HONOREE 2015 -- VOYA Magazine (Middle Grade) 'Top 100 Children's Books to Read in a Lifetime -- GOODREADS 'One of 8 Great Novels Starring Cats' -- CATSTER -- SYNOPSIS -- In the sleepy town of Appleton, a young loner follows a stray cat onto the road and is struck by a car. A leg is shattered, a summer is ruined, and the troubled life of Billy Brahm goes from bad...to cursed. When the mysterious cat appears at his bedside, Billy is haunted by strange and prophetic dreams -- the creatures in them speak of Watchers, and Shadows, and the Enemy that Awakens. Does this impossible realm hold the key to healing the broken boy? Is the golden-eyed cat there to help him...or to make the nightmares come true? Too frightened to share the truth with his strict adoptive parents, Billy realizes that the only ones he can turn to are the local vet's daughter, the town's 'crazy cat lady'... And a mystical TIGER, beckoning from his dreams! (includes 20 stunning pen-and-ink illustrations by COLIN MOORE, along with an exclusive BOOK 2 Preview!)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781483538419
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	10/27/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	270
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

BROOKE BURGESS was born in a tiny town on the eastern coast of Canada. After a youth filled with comic books, animation, and video games, he went on to receive acclaim for writing, producing, and contributing to groundbreaking interactive and multi-platform story projects.

Cats had a presence in his home from the very beginning, quickly becoming his siblings, friends, and (benevolent) masters, and playing a role in many of his future works. Similarly, an old graveyard on a nearby hill was a real (and beautiful) thing in Brooke's youth, which probably influenced his love of scary stories.

Brooke has written for videogames, animation, comic books, and film. He loves mythology, travel, really good TV, and frozen yogurt.

Many of the events in his work (dream sequences included) actually happened.

THE CAT'S MAW is Brooke's first novel.

You can learn more at www.brookeburgess.com

Editorial Reviews

2014-10-31
In Burgess' (Becoming, 2012) YA fantasy, a boy's life is transformed when he meets a cat with golden eyes.Ten-year-old Billy Brahm lives in the rural town of Appleton with his adoptive parents. He's brilliant but also happens to be friendless and accident-prone. When summer starts, he searches for companionship across the road on Mrs. Thomas' property. There, countless cats prowl. He follows a black-and-white tabby with penetrating golden eyes to the roadside—but Billy's hit by a car! His leg ends up in a full cast, and Mrs. Thomas suggests that having a friend nearby—the tabby—will help him heal. Billy's parents reluctantly agree. While medicated and healing, he has a series of powerful dreams featuring the hideous Grey Man, who tells him: "The KEY is close. The GATE shall open." The spirit also curses Billy, which, after he's attacked by wasps, seems like no idle threat. Over the summer, the boy has fateful encounters with a local veterinarian, Mr. Jessome, and his lovely daughter, Lynn, as well as with a bookmobile and a terrifying birthday clown. The dreams continue, too, leading Billy closer to a destiny tied to a worrisome secret kept by his parents. Debut author Burgess pours his love for felines to the very brim. He treats readers to cat science, including the theory that, in terms of problem-solving, they are "the mental equivalent of a three-year-old." There's also incredibly lovely prose to be found: "The glare of afternoon sun made its pupils shrink to needles floating in jars of oily gold." In general, though, Burgess may have written a story too subtle for younger teen audiences. Billy's parents covet information with a crafty menace typically seen in adult thrillers. The emotional payoff, while substantial, happens very late in the tale and is awash in supernatural symbols. Occasionally, purple prose creeps in, as when "the sun burst free from the earth." Nevertheless, Burgess leaves readers clawing for the sequel.Kids will enjoy it; adults will love it.

Kirkus Reviews