THE CAT WHO SAVED BOOKS

Kevin Shen offers a heartwarming narration of Natsukawa's tale of a magical cat and a lonely boy who loves books. After the death of his grandfather, a withdrawn Japanese schoolboy named Rintaro takes over his grandfather's bookshop. Enter a talking tabby who enlists Rintaro in a series of book-rescue quests. Shen's skill with characterization nicely colors the adventuresome, witty story, which will appeal to adults of all ages. He adds a tone of puzzlement to his pleasant tenor for Rintaro at the start, then mixes in confidence as the story progresses. The cat sounds like a clubby Englishman. The imprisoner of books drips sarcasm. The book mutilator screeches. The mass-market bookseller booms. And Rintaro's classmates sound like young teens everywhere. This is a sweet and uplifting listen. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2022]