The Big Catnap

by Linda Stewart

Overview

His first adventure sold more than 240,000 copies and was nominated for the Mystery Writers Edgar Award. Now Sam is back in another hairy tale. When Sandy, the star of a long-running series of cat food commercials, mysteriously disappears, Sam's little sister puts him on the case. Sam finds he's bitten off more than he chew.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780967507354
Publisher:	Cheshire House Books
Publication date:	08/20/2000
Series:	Sam the Cat
Pages:	136
Product dimensions:	6.04(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.35(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

Read an Excerpt

She was dazzling, all right--a real heart-stopping beauty with a long fluffy tail--and I stood looking back at her like salmon looks at bait. After a while I got the fish- look off my face and said, "To start with, what's your name?"
"Antoinette," she said primly. "It's my stage name, of course."
"You're an actress?"
"Not yet. I take classes at the Cat Actors Studio," she said, "but at the moment I'm a model. You might have seen my picture in the carpet-cleaner ad or for Snag-Pruf Pantyhose or Dr. Katz's Soap?"
"I must've missed that," I mumbled.
"That's impossible," she said. "I get asked for my pawtograph everywhere I go."

Editorial Reviews

Sam the detective has a hairball of a problem on his paws. His friend, Sandy, the popular star of cat food commercials, is missing, the result of an apparent catnapping. The villains left a ransom note and clues that are trickier to unravel than a ball of yarn. While at least one perpetrator of the crime is decidedly human (a man was seen stuffing Sandy into a van outside the studio), the accomplices could be human or feline. Sam has a litter of suspects to choose from: Felix, Sandy's understudy; and his manager, who wants Felix to have his chance at fame and fortune; James Blond, Sandy's stunt double, who feigns disinterest in Sandy's job until it goes to Felix; and the mysterious human, John Casey Jones.

Also populating the story are numerous felines who aid Sam with clues or further intrigue: the fluffy and pampered Antoinette, Sandy's sister; Spike, Sam's capable Mr. Watson; Rosie, Sandy's secret (and expecting) bride; Pickles, the one eyewitness to the crime; streetwise alley cats; and an assortment of characters who hang around the local deli, where Sandy went to fetch a pickle for Rosie before disappearing.

Sam's deadpan humor and observations of both human and feline worlds are right on target. His description of an office at Candlewick Studios, where Sandy films his commercials: "Pictures of movie stars glittered off the walls. Ex-starlets who used to be in Surf-and-Sand movies who were now selling denture cream. Hall of Fame pitchers who were now pitching tea."

Stewart has written seventeen adult crime novels and film novelizations, plus television dramas, and documentaries. Her experience in the adult genre is evident in this kiddie whodunit as her clever detectivesorts through all the clues and ties up the loose ends that characterize any good mystery.

This is the second in a series of Sam the Cat mysteries. Sam The Cat: Detective, Stewart's first book for children, sold more than 240,000 copies and was nominated for the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award. Young readers who enjoy matching wits with this clever cat will undoubtedly look forward to the next installment, The Maltese Kitten.

ForeWord Magazine

Perfectly pitched...a free-for-all of comedic catty touches. Don't overlook this as a snappy read-aloud too, especially if you can muster a passable imitation of Bogart. (The Bulletin of the Center For Children's Books)

University of Illinois

Sam's deadpan humor and observations are right on target...Young readers will enjoy matching wits with this clever cat.

Foreword Magazine

Engaging...fast-paced , funny....recommended for pre-teens but its appeal definitely defies age.

Cats Magazine