Cats

The Space Cat / Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford (Illustrator)

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The Space Cat
By: Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
Number of Pages: 176
Published: August 12, 2025
Publisher: First Second
Dates Read: October 20, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

By day, Periwinkle is adored by his two humans. By night, he’s a space cat who races through the cosmos on his custom-built spaceship. Between battles with his squeaky toys and working on ways to make his ship faster, Periwinkle is never bored. So, when his humans decide to move to the small Nigerian town of Kaleria, Periwinkle is excited to explore, even if many Nigerians hate cats… nothing will steer this adventurous cat away from adventure! But, not everything in Kaleria is as it seems and soon enough, Periwinkle finds himself on his craziest adventure yet!

This is such an amazingly cute graphic novel that any cat lover will enjoy. This story is inspired by Nnedi Okorafor’s real life cat, Periwinkle and crazy adventures he may get into when she and her daughter aren’t looking (who knew cats destroy the house when you’re gone because they’re defeating alien foes?!). Okorafor’s portrayal of Periwinkle comes from a loving heart as both his mannerisms and dialog are goofy, but in a fun way.

Tana Ford’s coloring is eye-catching and immersive. Cats are way more expressive than most people realize and some illustrators are better at capturing than others and Ford does a fantastic job! She totally has a cat, or has been around them enough to be able to capture Periwinkle’s expressions perfectly.

Overall, super cute, super funny, a great read for cat lovers and scifi readers.

*Thank you First Second and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spooky / Sally Anne Garland

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Spooky
By: Sally Anne Garland
Genre: Children's, Picture Book
Number of Pages: 40
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Sunbird Books
Dates Read: October 20, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

When a family moves into a new house, they quickly realize they’re not alone. With patience and care maybe their new housemate will come out of the shadows.

What an adorable children’s book about not only moving into a new house and the adjustments that come with that, but also the adjustment that comes with a new furry member of the family.

This is adorable artwork, but also – the cat carrying around its little toy mouse in its mouth was the most adorable thing.

I know this is a children’s book, so maybe I am thinking too much into this for a children’s book, but I want to know what Spooky was doing before the family moved in, because it mentions the house had been empty for a while. It only really takes the family a day to figure out that there’s a cat in their house and to start leaving it food and water, but that still means they were all alone for a bit!

Overall, this is adorable and any cat lover will love this but this is also a good story about adjustment and patience for children.

Mur, the Kitty-Knight / Igor Shnayder, Roman Dubina (Illustrator)

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Mur, the Kitty-Knight
By: Igor Shnayder, Roman Dubina (Illustrator)
Genre: Children’s, Fantasy
Number of Pages: 110
Published: August 8, 2025 (1st Published July 3, 2023)
Publisher: Independently Published
Dates Read: September 3, 2025
Format: eBook

Meet Mur, a brave young kitten who becomes a knight in the magical world of animals. He protects others and tries to make the world a better place as he solves mysteries and learns lessons along the way.

As soon as I saw what this book was about, I wanted to read it. A little courageous kitty-knight who fights for good? Sounds adorable. On top of that, the illustrations from Roman Dubina were beautiful and fantastic – I always looked forward to seeing what I was reading.

This is a great chapter story book, meaning each chapter is its own story, and perfect for a read along with the littles, or simply helping young readers to read smaller chunks (though I have a feeling they’ll be dialed in way past one chapter at a time!). Each of the stories tended to have a small lesson of core values that could be talked about after.

Overall, this is a wonderful read for children, especially those who like cats and adventures! But, I could also see adults enjoying these fable tales too!

*Thank you so much for the author for reaching out to me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Pocket Bear / Katherine Applegate, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

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Pocket Bear
By: Katherine Applegate, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)
Genre: Middle Grade, Magical Realism
Number of Pages: 272
Published: September 9, 2025
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Dates Read: September 2, 2025
Format: ARC / eBook

Zephyrina is a trash-diving, chaos-loving cat, who has been deemed “The Cat Burglar” by the neighborhood due the treasures she brings back home. Some of those treasures are stuffed toys and when they’re brought back, the daughter of the home will clean them up, make any repairs needed, and then put them up for “adoption” at her Second Chances Home for the Tossed and Treasured. Pocket, the unofficial mayor of Second Chances Home is Zephyrina’s best friend and he’s who both welcomes and looks after the stuffies during the night while the humans sleep.

When Zephyrina brings back a teddy bear a local collector has her eye on, things turn interesting at home.

I already knew when I saw Katherine Applegate had a new book coming out that I was going to want to read it – I also knew I would probably get at least a little teary eyed because that’s what she does to me in all her books. The concept of this book being about a little pocket bear – a tiny teddy bear born during WWI that was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier’s jacket with their eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that they’re always looking up – was already getting me emotional because, as a young girl, I would get emotionally attached to stuffed animals, and you’re telling me soldiers would take these little teddy bears with them into battle?! Secondly, his best friend is a cat, so I was already obsessed!

If you mix together some historical fiction, current events, and Toy Story you’ve got yourself Pocket Bear. Though this book is aimed at younger audiences, I’m 33 and absolutely loved it. I think anyone who ever had any connection to a stuffed animal would adore this book. Also, anyone who loves cats would enjoy this as well since Zephyrina is the narrator.

Overall, this is an adorable book that readers of all ages would enjoy and appreciate, especially those who wish magic upon their stuffed animals.

*Thank you Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Cat + Gamer (Volume 8) / Wataru Nadatani, Zack Davisson (Translator)

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Cat + Gamer (Volume 8)
By: Wataru Nadatani, Zack Davisson (Translator)
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 160
Published: August 25, 2025 (1st Published April 18, 2022)
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Dates Read: September 1, 2025
Format: Library Book / eBook

Riko must figure out how to manage her apartment with two cats as her company is getting ready to move.

What a fitting ending to this slice of life series! Yes, at only eight volumes, this series has come to an end – but it does so perfectly in my opinion. No crazy, twisted ending. Again, just a slice of life story about a gaming obsessed office lady who gets two cats.

I read this entire series through my public library, but I think I’m going to be going about purchasing the volumes myself down the line as I can see myself wanting to randomly read through them in an afternoon.

It’s still crazy to me how the author captures the sassy personalities of cats in just a simple panel. There are times I look at my younger cat and see Musubi’s face…

Overall, an excellent series and a wonderful ending.

Nights with a Cat (Volumes 1-5) / Kyuryu Z

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Nights with a Cat (Volume 1)
By: Kyuryu Z
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 128
Published: July 12, 2022
Publisher: Yen Press
Dates Read: August 31, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback
Nights with a Cat (Volume 2)
By: Kyuryu Z
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 128
Published: October 18, 2022
Publisher: Yen Press
Dates Read: September 1, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback
Nights with a Cat (Volume 3)
By: Kyuryu Z
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 128
Published: March 19, 2024
Publisher: Yen Press
Dates Read: September 1, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback
Nights with a Cat (Volume 4)
By: Kyuryu Z
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 128
Published: December 17, 2024
Publisher: Yen Press
Dates Read: September 1, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback
Nights with a Cat (Volume 5)
By: Kyuryu Z
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 128
Published: April 22, 2025
Publisher: Yen Press
Dates Read: September 1, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback

An adorable and sweet manga about living with a cat, even one that’s technically not even yours.

Fuuta is a bit wary of his sister’s cat when they first move in, but Kyuruga quickly establishes Fuuta as their favorite human and P-chan as the “substitute human”.

This manga talks about all the fun things that happen living with a cat: ways to pet a cat, methods a cat uses to ask for attention, places cats love to sit, toys cats love to play with, and many more.

Anyone who loves cats will love this manga and those who ever wondered what living with a cat really is like.

Feral (Volume 3): Nine Lives / Tony Fleecs (Writer), Trish Forstner (Illustrator), Tone Rodriguez (Illustrator), Brad Simpson (Colorist)

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Feral (Volume 3): Nine Lives
By: Tony Fleecs (Writer), Trish Forstner (Illustrator), Tone Rodriguez (Illustrator), Brad Simpson (Colorist)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror
Number of Pages: 136
Published: August 6, 2025
Publisher: Image Comics
Dates Read: August 18, 2025 - August 19, 2025
Format: Library Book / eBook

After their narrow escape from the lady, Elsie and the indoor cats are saved by a new duo, who bring them to the challenge of getting into the abandoned pet supply store. But once inside, their world gets even more hellish than before.

So we’re definitely getting Walking Dead vibes with the constantly moving, feeling safe for all of five seconds, and then something bad happens. I would love to see this change or for it to get shaken up in some way in future issues.

I’m quite curious to see how exactly the disease is transferred, because they talk about it a bit and it was different than I thought it would be.

I am rooting for Elsie because I’m mostly tired of everything bad happening because of her – it’s not always her fault (cough, cough Lord)… also, she’s trying okay. Sometimes not the smartest decision, but still!

Overall, this still ended on a crazy cliffhanger and I’m upset I’ve got to wait!!

The Gato Taco: A Hilarious, Rhyming, Spanish-Sprinkled Children’s Book / Didi Dragon, Lenaska Ti (Illustrator)

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The Gato Taco
By: Didi Dragon, Lenaska Ti (Illustrator)
Genre: Children’s
Number of Pages: 36
Published: November 28, 2024
Publisher: Aha! Press
Dates Read: August 10, 2025
Format: Library Book / Hardcover

When Gato the cat smells a taco, he’ll do anything to get a bite, even with the muchacho telling him “Tacos are NOT for gatos!”

Do I have any children?

No.

Did I put a request in for my library to purchase this title after seeing the title alone in a presentation?

Yes.

Have I now had nearly all of my librarian coworkers read it?

Also yes.

This is just super cute and funny with the mixing of Spanish words with the English words, I definitely came away from this having learned new Spanish words.

Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 4) / Yuri Sonoda

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Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 4)
By: Yuri Sonoda
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 160
Published: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Seven Seas
Dates Read: August 9, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback

The street cats get moved to a larger room where they meet two kittens and an older senior cat. As the care for the felines continues, so does the readers’ understanding of everyone’s past, including Yasuo and his love for cats.

I absolutely love learning more and more about our beloved characters as we get further and further into this series. We learn about Yasuo and his past and his first cat love. We also see Hachi getting more and more comfortable with humans. I also love his patience with the kittens – like, he’s still annoyed with them, but he doesn’t really take offense to their young craziness.

Oh, I learned a bit more about baby kittens (and their poop) than I did before, so there’s that.

Overall, another cute and adorable volume of this series. Cat lovers will still enjoy it.

Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 3) / Yuri Sonoda

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Cat Companions Maruru and Hachi (Volume 3)
By: Yuri Sonoda
Genre: Manga
Number of Pages: 160
Published: April 15, 2025
Publisher: Seven Seas
Dates Read: August 2, 2025
Format: Library Book / Paperback

Stray cats Maruru and Hachi now live in the shelter where Yasuo the Catnapper works. They adjust to shelter life, but that doesn’t mean Hachi lets his guard down. They’re joined by some new (old) friends as they get a new lease on life.

Why must I get teary eyed while reading this series?! Learning Kedama’s back story was like stepping into a room full of cut onions!

I love how gentle Yasuo is with the cats and how he’s never upset with the cats, but will reevaluate and try again with a new tactic.

Overall, anyone who loves cats, will love this series; you get perspectives from both the cats and the humans in this.