I once read an awesome book!

September 20, 2006 9:07 PM

KidsBookFilter: Seriously, this was an awesome book... or, at least, that's the way I remember it! I read it in the mid-70s in the 2nd or 3rd grade probably, so it could have been published in the 60s. It was about the ghost of a cat (or the 9 lives of a cat?) that followed it's human family through several generations. That's all I can remember. That and it was an awesome book! So, no, there's not any

Okay, one other thing. The writer was *probably* an American.

Anyone?

I've been thinking about this book for 30 years!

posted by catcatwomanman to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

It probably wasn't Time Cat, was it? (That's not based around a family -- it is famous people in history, but worth a shot)
posted by misterbrandt at 9:15 PM on September 20, 2006

Response by poster: misterbrandt, that's not it, but thanks for the quick try! Hopefully my short, short summary rings a bell for someone...
posted by catcatwomanman at 9:29 PM on September 20, 2006

Best answer: The Ghost of Opelina; or Nine Lives ? I loved that one, too. I can't find anything on Amazon or Google, though. I think it's been out of print for a very long time, but there seem to have been some plans to reprint it.
posted by dilettante at 9:51 PM on September 20, 2006

Response by poster: dilettante - that looks like it! wow! but i can't find any excerpts anywhere to make 100% sure. and the couple of used copies i found go between $200 - $500!!! I checked out the site you linked with and even emailed them, but it doesn't look like the site's been updated since 2005 and they were supposed to have reprinted the book in summer of 2005 but, i guess, never did. but now that i (think) i've got the name and author, i'll keep searching!

thanks, dilettante!
posted by catcatwomanman at 10:19 PM on September 20, 2006

Put in your zip code and find in a library.
posted by dgeiser13 at 5:05 AM on September 21, 2006

I loved that one, too. After years of scouring used bookstores, I finally just had to do the Amazon notify-me thingy where you get an email when the book you're looking for becomes available. The first few copies that came up were way pricey, but ultimately one became available that was within reason (which for me is ~$100). Don't give up! A reprint would be awesome!
posted by tentacle at 5:24 AM on September 21, 2006

Since you've already gotten the answer to your question, I'll take this opportunity to recommend another cat-based narrative: Blitzcat, which chronicles the adventures of a cat searching for its owner in World War II Britain.
posted by The Confessor at 6:20 AM on September 21, 2006