On the verge of her thirteenth birthday, Tess’s life is falling apart. Her mother is dead. Her father is like a zombie. And now her beloved cat, Alice, has started running into the street when cars go by, trying to get run over. The only thing Tess can think of that might help? Running away. As she ventures from home, Tess stumbles upon a crew of manga-loving goth kids hiding out in the local haunted house performing séances. There, she discovers that the house’s ghostly entity desperately wants a cat to care for in the afterlife, and it has its sights set on Alice. With the help of an unexpected friend and the brilliant, adorkable kid who has a huge crush on her, Tess will do whatever it takes to save Alice the cat, help the ghost, heal her dad, and survive the summer in one piece.
Praise for Alice the Cat
"Tim Cummings is a magician. He’s spun the most delicious spell with Alice the Cat—this book thrums with anger and grief, yet is ultimately one of the most charming, hilarious, heart-filled, life-giving novels I’ve ever read. Tess is a narrator for the ages—I adore her playful use of language and her fierce, loving spirit. I love everything about this book—all its sentences, all its characters—with every last inch of my heart."
– Gayle Brandeis, author of My Life with the Lincolns and The Art of Misdiagnosis
“Tim Cummings manages to couple the writing of an angel with the imagination of the devil. Alice the Cat slinked inside me, furtively, magnificently. My heart ached for Tess—so much loss. My heart thundered for her too—so much sass and courage. My skin crawled with hers. Sometimes I wanted to run screaming. I could not stop reading. This book is nothing short of bliss. Meow!”
– Caroline Thompson, writer of The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands
“Tim Cummings’ book is transcendent. Filled with ghosts, haunted places, and tormented souls, this book follows the adventures of Tess as she becomes obsessed with saving her cat. Beautiful, tender, and powerful, Alice the Cat will grip you with its unexpected splendor.”
– Mireya S. Vela, author of Vestiges of Courage
“Alice the Cat masterfully unites elements of ghost stories, haunted houses, lost cats, Wonderland, psychic mediums, the spirit of Halloween, Ouija boards, the occult, and a girl’s journey into the twilight of adulthood while grieving the death of her mother. Cummings has created a wonder of a book with breakout doses of heart and humor, destined to be a contemporary classic.”
–Nathan Elias, author of The Reincarnations and Coil Quake Rift
