Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Daffy the cat is not a happy critter. He is locked in a box and shut in
a room that rocks, whistles, and shrieks. He was once a cherished pet,
raised from a kitten by a lonely woman named Maud, who lived with her
elderly grandmother in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island. Although the old
lady hated cats and often chased him outside with a broom, Daffy always
found a window left open for him to sneak back inside the lovely old
farmhouse with green gables. Maud used to write stories and read them to
Daffy as he lay contentedly on her lap. But one day Maud came down the
stairs in a flowing white gown, and a strange man with long whiskers
like those of Father Christmas took her away forever. Daffy retreated to
a barn to sulk. But then strange humans trapped him and put him in this
box. He has no idea where he is going.

This tale is guaranteed to wring a jigger of bittersweet tears out of
any Anne of Green Gables fan or cat lover. The plot is based on entries
found in the journals of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Lynn Manuel eloquently
unveils Montgomery’s life from a feline point of view, but this is not
Puss ’n’ Boots revisited; Daffy’s “catness” is always
convincing.

Janet Wilson’s illustrations are so effective that readers might be
stricken with phantom cat syndrome and find themselves stroking thin air
as they read. Highly recommended.