The Cat at the Wall
The Cat at the Wall by Deborah Ellis is a thought-provoking novel published by Groundwood Books in 2014. This reprint edition spans 152 pages and is presented in English. Set against the backdrop of Israel’s West Bank, the story follows a cat who enters a Palestinian house recently occupied by Israeli soldiers, only to discover a little boy hiding beneath the floorboards.
Readers will find a narrative that explores themes of survival and empathy through the unique perspective of a cat who was once a North American girl. As the situation escalates with the arrival of soldiers and local villagers, the cat grapples with her instincts and the moral implications of her choices. The book delves into social themes and emotions, inviting reflection on the complexities of conflict and the impact of war on individuals, particularly children.
Official synopsis Publisher
A remarkable and thought-provoking new novel set on Israel’s West Bank, by the author of The Breadwinner.
On Israel’s West Bank, a cat sneaks into a small Palestinian house that has just been commandeered by two Israeli soldiers. The house seems empty, until the cat realizes that a little boy is hiding beneath the floorboards.
Should she help him?
After all, she’s just a cat.
Or is she?
It turns out that this particular cat is not used to thinking about anyone but herself. She was once a regular North American girl who only had to deal with normal middle-school problems — staying under the teachers’ radar, bullying her sister and the uncool kids at school, outsmarting her clueless parents.
But that was before she died and came back to life as a cat, in a place with a whole different set of rules for survival.
When the little boy is discovered, the soldiers don’t know what to do with him. Where are the child’s parents? Why has he been left alone in the house? It is not long before his teacher and classmates come looking for him, and the house is suddenly surrounded by Palestinian villagers throwing rocks, and the sound of Israeli tanks approaching.
Not my business, thinks the cat. And then she sees a photograph, and suddenly she understands what happened to the boy’s parents, and why they have not returned. And as the soldiers begin to panic, and disaster seems certain, she knows that it is up to her to diffuse the situation.
But what can a cat do? What can any one creature do?
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
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