Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Kitty's new home haunted by prior cat in clever gothic tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Kitty, a young orphan cat, longs for a home and thinks she's found it when kind-hearted 12-year-old Max picks her at the shelter. But when she arrives, it's not quite what she'd hoped, as the whole house is haunted, if not actually possessed, by LICORICE, the elegant, haughty black cat whose death months ago still traumatizes Max. Kitty is shy and fearful, hopes that Max will grow to love her, and tries to do everything right, but everything she does turns out wrong. Some of the other animals are kind and welcoming, while Duchess, the old parrot who runs things at 5 Manderley Place, is not about to tolerate another cat In the place of her beloved Licorice. Kitty fears she's headed back to the shelter.
Is It Any Good?
A lively, heartstring-tugging tale of an innocent young kitty trying to fit into her new home, haunted by the recently deceased, much-missed cat who used to live there and doesn't want to be replaced. It soon becomes clear that Licorice is a tough act to follow, especially when everyone keeps telling you how perfect she was, but there's a darker side to it—as for one thing, the tale is an homage to gothic classic Rebecca. Between Kara LaReau's lively narrative from Kitty's viewpoint and Kelly Murphy's many charming, heart-filled images helping the story along, readers young and old will find the story hard to put down (and adult fans of Rebecca will get a huge kick out of the adaptation).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stories like Licorice, where the lead characters find themselves in what seems like the perfect situation—until it's not, leading to adventures, troubles, and peril. Sometimes it can get pretty scary, sometimes things are easily put to rights. Do you have any favorite tales with this theme? How does it work out for the characters?
Have you ever had to fill the shoes of somebody who's gone now, but everybody says they were so perfect no one could ever be as good? What was the situation, and how did you deal?
How does Kitty show courage and empathy in trying to help Max? When have these character strengths come in handy for you?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Kelly Murphy
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Animals ( Cats ) , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Scholastic
- Publication date : October 20, 2026
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 224
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : November 9, 2026
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