CARVEL, THE CHRISTMAS CAT

A family learns loving kindness from a battered, marmalade-colored kitten when six-year-old Gracie surreptitiously adopts the feline with the begrudging help of her older brother, Jack. The kids smuggle the contraband pet (their father is allergic to cats) into their basement fort of blankets and cardboard boxes. There they nurse the sickly Carvel, named for the milk-shake carton in which she was found, with milk and her favorite, pea juice, squirted through the finger of a pilfered dishwashing glove. Concealing Carvel turns impossible, though—especially when Gracie contracts ringworm—and the family must decide what to do with the little creature on Christmas Eve. Alternating between Jack's ornery teenage lexicon (he calls Carvel "a damaged piece of fluff") and the point-of-view of the pitiable kitten, the book wavers between Wonder Years -esque reminiscences and children's misadventure, making it most appropriate for young adults and dedicated cat lovers. (Nov.)