Leonard (My Life as a Cat)

by Carlie Sorosiak Narrated by Jeffrey Kafer

Overview

He's not a stray house cat, he's an immortal being. And now he must choose whether to return to his planet or remain with his new human friend in a humorous, heart-tugging story from the author of I, Cosmo.



The cat that Olive rescues from a flood has a secret: he's not really a cat at all, but an alien who crashed to Earth on a beam of light. The cat, whom Olive names Leonard, was prepared to visit the planet as a human-but something went wrong. Now Leonard may never know what it's like to hold an umbrella, go bowling, or host a dinner party. (And his human jokes still need some work: Knock, knock. Who's there? Just Leonard. It is me.) While Olive worries about whether she will have to move after her mom and her new boyfriend get back from their summer vacation, Leonard tries to figure out how to get from South Carolina to Yellowstone National Park, because if he's not there at the end of the month, he'll miss his ride home. But as Olive teaches Leonard about the beautiful and confusing world of humans, he starts to realize how much he cares about this particular one. A sweet and dryly funny story about what it means to be human-and what it means to be home.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An alien hurtles toward Earth, expecting to shape-shift into human form and work as a Yellowstone park ranger until his scheduled rendezvous for departure. Instead, his shape is decidedly catlike, and his landing spot (a tree in South Carolina) is way off target...Readers will particularly enjoy Leonard’s distinctive first-person narrative, sprinkled with an alien’s refreshing observations about the language, habits, and idiosyncrasies of Earth’s two- and four-legged inhabitants...Often amusing and occasionally moving, this imaginative chapter book is never less than fully engaging
—Booklist (starred review)

Leonard quotes Walt Whitman, has an affinity for knock-knock jokes and “I Love Lucy” and absolutely adores his shiny yellow rain slicker. Oh, and he’s an alien trapped in the body of a cat. . . . Readers will delight in his feline-out-of-water wonder at things we humans take for granted, from cheese to thumbs to umbrellas. They’ll also easily relate to his feelings of frustration, longing and excitement as he and Olive learn to accept and celebrate what makes them each unique. . . . Leonard is a witty, inventive and wonderful tale that encourages readers to step back and see the beautiful picture painted by our interrelated world. It invites us to appreciate the marvelous in the mundane, and to take a closer look at the animals we encounter, just in case they’ve got something important to say.
—BookPage (starred review)

An alien in the body of a cat visits Earth and bonds with a human girl... Humanity isn’t just for humans in this earnest, heartfelt story told from Leonard’s perspective. The characters experience loneliness and distress, but that makes the happiness and comfort of friendship all the more important. The alien aspect creates intrigue but mostly serves as a vehicle to showcase the preciousness of the human experience from an outsider’s perspective... A comforting read about connection and compassion.
—Kirkus Reviews

School Library Journal

03/01/2021

Gr 4–7—On a helium planet far, far away, an unembodied species has the opportunity, on their 300th birthday, to travel to Earth and experience life as a human—at least, that's the plan. Our hero has decided he wants to be a park ranger in Yellowstone, but getting distracted while traveling via energy beam causes him to end up as a cat, rescued from a tropical storm in South Carolina by Olive, who names him Leonard. Problem is, at the end of his 30-day window, he'll need to be blown out of the Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone, or he'll be stuck on Earth forever, and no longer immortal. As the days pass, Leonard comes to learn the joys of having a body (even if he does hack up a fur ball) and, even more, of love. His obligation to meet up with his own kind at Yellowstone, and the challenges of making the nearly 2,000-mile trip, grows more daunting every day. It's only when Leonard enlists the help of Olive and her family that things finally begin to make sense. While this charming story exists in the realm of science fiction, it is more an animal story than anything else, and perfect to hand to young cat lovers. Leonard's surprise at, and observations of, life in a cat's body is spot-on and frequently very funny. His authentic, deepening relationship with Olive—who has been told that she's "weird" because she loves to talk about animals—allows her to stand up and make her voice heard at an important juncture in her life. VERDICT Purchase where eccentric, humorous animal stories are popular.—Elizabeth Friend, Wester M.S., TX

Kirkus Reviews

2021-02-09
An alien in the body of a cat visits Earth and bonds with a human girl.

The alien was supposed to do research on humans by spending time disguised as a person working in Yellowstone National Park but by mistake ends up as a cat in Turtle Beach, South Carolina. Olive, who is staying with her grandmother for the summer, rescues the cat and names him Leonard. Leonard immediately becomes fond of Olive, but he is anxious about how he’ll make the journey to the pickup point where fellow aliens are meeting him in just one month. If he misses it, he’ll become mortal and be stuck as a cat. Olive has her own worries; she might have to move to California because of her mom’s new boyfriend—the same guy who told Olive she was socially awkward and inept. Together, Olive and Leonard experience the joys of companionship. As the time counts down, Leonard has to decide if he’s willing to give up his earthly existence to return home. Humanity isn’t just for humans in this earnest, heartfelt story told from Leonard’s perspective. The characters experience loneliness and distress, but that makes the happiness and comfort of friendship all the more important. The alien aspect creates intrigue but mostly serves as a vehicle to showcase the preciousness of the human experience from an outsider’s perspective. Human characters are racially indeterminate.

A comforting read about connection and compassion. (Science fiction. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177003399
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	06/22/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

Humans have it all wrong about aliens. Sometimes I see images of us on television—with enormous eyes, with skin the color of spring leaves—and I wonder: Who thought of this? What reason could they have? Olive always tells me not to watch those shows. “You’ll just give yourself bad dreams,” she says. So we switch off the TV and curl up by the window, listening to the gentle hush of waves.
   But the truth is, I really don’t belong here—not permanently, not forever. That’s why we’re traveling in this Winnebago, zooming down dark roads at midnight. Olive is wearing her frayed overalls, and she’s cradling me in her arms.
   I don’t squirm. I don’t scratch. I am not that type of cat.
 
   “You won’t forget me,” she says, pressing her forehead to mine. “Please promise you won’t.”
   She smells of cinnamon toast and raspberry shampoo. There are daisy barrettes in her hair. And for a second, I consider lying to her—out of love. The words are right there: I will always remember. I could never forget. But I’ve been honest with her this whole time, and the rules of intergalactic travel are clear.
   Tomorrow, I will forget everything I’ve ever felt.
   In my mind, Olive will exist only as data, as pure information. I’ll remember her daisy barrettes, our Saturday afternoons by Wrigley Pier—but not how it felt to share a beach towel, or read books together, or fall asleep under the late June sun. And Olive doesn’t deserve that. She is so much more than a collection of facts.
   Halfheartedly, I summon a purr. It rattles weakly in my chest.
   “You get to go home,” Olive says, the ghost of a smile on her face. “Home.”
   The Winnebago speeds faster, then faster still. Outside, the sky is full of stars. And I want to communicate that I will miss this—feeling so small, so earthly. Am I ready to go back? Half of me is. And yet, when I close my eyes, I picture myself clinging to the walls of this motor home.
   Olive sets me down on the countertop, the plastic cool under my paws. Opening her laptop, she angles the keyboard toward me, a gesture that says, Type, will you? But I shake my head, fur shivering.
   “You don’t want to talk?” she asks.
   What can I say? I owe it to Olive not to make this any harder. So I won’t use the computer. I won’t tell her what I’ve been hoping—to maybe carry one thing back. Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, a part of Olive will imprint on a part of me, and I will remember how it felt. How it felt to know a girl once.
   “Okay,” she says, shutting her laptop with a sigh. “At least eat your crunchies.”
   So I eat my crunchies. They’re trout-flavored and tangy on my tongue. I chew slowly, savoring the morsels. This is one of my last meals as a cat.
   I haven’t always lived in this body. Leonard wasn’t always my name.
   Olive pats my head as I lick the bowl clean. “I know you didn’t want to be a cat,” she says, so softly that my ears prick to hear her, “but you are a very, very good cat.”
   I want the computer now. My paws are itching to type: You are a very, very good human. Because she is. And she will be, long after I’m gone.
   If you allow yourself, you might like our story. It’s about cheese sandwiches and an aquarium and a family. It has laughter and sadness and me, learning what it means to be human.
   On my journey to Earth, I was supposed to become human.
   That is where I’ll begin.

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