Anna, Banana, and the Little Lost Kitten

Anna, Banana #5

by Anica Mrose Rissi, Meg Park (Illustrator)

Anna and Banana rescue a stray kitten in the fifth book of this “fast-paced, fun, and funny” (Megan McDonald, bestselling author of the Judy Moody series) illustrated chapter book series about the joys and challenges of elementary school friendships.

Anna and Banana have found a kitten!

But when Banana accidentally scares the kitten away during their afternoon walk, Anna enlists her two best friends, Sadie and Isabel, for OPERATION CATCH THE KITTEN. Anna can’t image such a tiny kitten living outside all by himself, and she’s determined to find him a good home.

But catching a kitten is trickier than Anna thought—kittens are easily scared and very stealthy. Then there’s the problem of finding him a good home. Sadie’s mom has a “No Pets” rule, Isabel’s cat, Mewsic, does not play well with other animals, and Anna’s dad is allergic to cats!

Anna and her friends desperately want to help, but will they be able to find the kitten a good home?

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade

144 pages, Hardcover

First published May 2, 2017

About the author

Writer, storyteller, editrix. Author of picture books, chapter books, middle grade, and YA. Fan of dogs and ice cream. Offers energetic, interactive presentations and writing workshops for students of all ages at libraries, festivals, and schools.

Anica Mrose Rissi grew up on an island off the coast of Maine, where she read a lot of books and loved a lot of pets. She now tells and collects stories, makes up songs on her violin, and eats cheese with her friends in central New Jersey, where she lives with her dog, Sweet Potato. As a former book editor turned writer and storyteller, Anica has spoken with kids and adults across the country about all pieces of the writing process. Her essays have been published by The Writer magazine and the New York Times, and she plays fiddle in and writes lyrics for the band Owen Lake and the Tragic Loves. Anica posts about bookish things at @anicarissi on Instagram.

Anica teaches in the Writing for Children & Young Adults MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and is available for in-person and virtual writing workshops and presentations with groups of all sizes and ages. Find out more at http://anicarissi.com.

Author photograph (c) Kim Indresano

Reviews

[Eve L-A Witherington]

In this next adventure, Anna spots a stray looking cat wandering around near an old looking house she dubs the Shirley house according to their mail box.



As she and her best friends Sadie and Isabel lay out food, milk and a box for the kitten to sleep in, they try to lure the kitten in so they can care for it properly, if they manage to catch the kitten first!



But with her dad's allergies, she won't be able to keep the kitten and when Mrs Shirley chats to her the perfect opportunity arises...



A great read to raise awareness among kids about stray animals and how to help them as well as being a fun little book about coming together and doing a good deed to find an animal a loving and deserving owner.

[Mamie]

A charming edition to the Anna Banana series which my students love. We spend a lot of time talking about kindness and living up to expectations of respect and responsibility in our school. Anna, her family, and her friends exercise all of these wonderful qualities as they save a lost animal and care for the soul of a grieving neighbor. Anna is not an unreachable, perfect child, she makes an enormous mistake and has to face the consequences honestly. She and her friends, however, are immensely likable role models who make their community hum with cheer and improve the lives of their neighbors.

[Cloud]

First try of Anna Banana. The selling point was the little lost kitten. The pictures of the kitten in the book are ridiculously adorable. But noticeably less pictures but child was still engaged with the story. This was probably our longest/biggest chapter book we've read so far and I'm thrilled about it.

However, having to read out SURLY SHIRLY a lot was a bit more of a tongue twister lol.

I'm glad this book did not include any in-fighting between the friends. For the most part all the people were well mannered and not rude. No mean girls or mean siblings.

I'm not sure if we will keep up with another Anna Banana book or not, but I'm glad we read this one.

[Holly Letson]

Another enjoyable installment in this series....

Anna becomes attached to a little lost white kitten, and looks everywhere to find it again. When she does so, she finds it a wonderful forever home with her new friend.

[Summer]

This book is just so adorable! I cannot wait to give it to my niece so she can read it!

[Steve Kemp]

Great little book . Won our copy in a GoodReads giveaway .

[Viviane Elbee]

I really enjoy these chapter books about Anna and her little dog Banana. In this one, they find a little lost kitten. What a cute story.