Book Review: The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook

From Amazon:

In this warmhearted middle-grade novel, Oona and her brother, Fred, love their cat, Zook (short for Zucchini), but Zook is sick. As they conspire to break him out of the vet’s office, Oona tells the stories of his previous lives, ranging in style from fairy tale to grand epic to slice of life. Each of Zook’s lives have echoes in Oona’s own family life, which is going through a transition she’s not yet ready to face. Her father died two years ago, and her mother has started a relationship with a man named Dylan—whom Oona secretly calls “the villain.” The truth about Dylan, and about Zook’s medical condition, drives the drama in this loving family story.

This is the first of Joanne Rocklin's books I have read.  It had some delightful parts and the author's voice came through quite clearly.  Some of the main character's traits seemed to change in the latter half of the story, and the whole thing was a little more multicultural than I would have preferred, but all in all the story was well told and easy to understand.  Its biggest downfall:  it was about a stinkin' cat!