Harvey and the Collection of Impossible Things

by Garret Weyr, also Freymann-Weyr, Minnie Phan (Illustrator)

The One and Only Ivan meets Pax in this charming illustrated middle grade novel about one stray cat's search for shelter, acceptance, and courage.

If you're reading this, I don't trust you.
You see, humans are sometimes kind to me. Some sweet ladies say hi to anyone they meet on the street. One human always saved me bakery treats.
But just as often, humans are not kind to those like me—stray cats. Many people think I'm dirty (which I am not). Some think I'm a nuisance, to be kicked or played with.
My mother taught me to be cautious, thoughtful, and kind. I am good at those things.
But she also taught me to be brave. And that's something I needed a lot of help with.
If you're gentle and you don't move too quickly, I'll tell you about it. How I met Danielle. How three sparrows showed me the way. How Chester changed my life. And how I became brave.
Are you ready?

For city strays, life on the streets can be unforgiving. When every day is filled with territorial animals, fast-moving traffic, and aggressive boys with sticks, it takes more than a little courage to get by. Harvey, a stray cat struggling to survive, is searching for a home of his own—one that's safe and dry, with a view of the sky. But when the unexpected kindness of one woman saves him from the harsh city elements, he is forced to rethink what makes a home and who, if anyone, he can depend on. With the sage advice of Chester the dog and three talkative sparrows, Harvey will learn that trusting and helping others are some of the bravest things you can do.

PURRENNIAL A story about being brave and learning to trust others is always relevant to a kid's experience. Particularly in the current cultural moment, when social anxiety and technology-induced loneliness are on the rise, this book shows young readers how being brave, making connections, and allowing oneself to be vulnerable can lead to an enriched life.

FOR CAT Harvey's point of view has all the unique but recognizable characteristics of these adorable house pets, but still manages to provide refreshing alternatives to the stereotypes we typically ascribe to them. Infused with humor and emotion, this is a book that a variety of readers, cat lovers or not, can appreciate.

WRITING THAT The classic, winning voice of this book makes it perfect for a gentle introduction to different perspectives.

BELOVED Garret Weyr's middle grade novel The Language of Spells won a California Book Award in 2018. She is also a Michael L. Printz winner for her book My Heartbeat . A constant source of innovation and playfulness, she's a favorite author of books for children.

Perfect

• Fans of Katherine Applegate
• Fans of the Warriors series
• Young readers who love adventures that are exciting but not scary
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Educators
• Librarians

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Fiction, Cats

144 pages, Hardcover

Published April 19, 2022

About the author

Garret Freymann-Weyr (rhymes with 'I'm on fire") is a novelist and teacher whose nine books have been banned, translated into a multitude of languages, and included in college curricula. She is a Printz honor award recipient and her short stories have been published in the Greensboro Review, the now sadly missed Christopher Street, and the anthology Starry Eyed. Her most recent books were published under the name Garret Weyr (Divorce. Painful. Don't ask.)

She is a native of New York City and now lives in New England with a rescue pug from Mexico. She reads too much, drinks too much tea, and loves listening to readers talk about their passions. She has an EU passport and thinks about fleeing everyday.

Reviews

[Lisa]

A Captivating and Thought-provoking story

SUMMARY
Harvey is a gray-striped street cat who lives in a big city all by himself under the great big blue sky. The sky is his favorite part about being a city cat. He searches for food and safety every day among the city’s dumpsters and drainpipes. He doesn’t believe he is either brave or fierce, but each day he has to battle with territorial animals, fast-moving cars, and boys with sticks. It takes a lot of courage to live on the streets.

When Harvey meets a kind lady in a blue shirt who makes a safe space for him, he must rethink his idea of home. Harvey’s friends, Chester the Dog, and three sparrows, Flippy, Mippy, and Kippy, help him learn that trusting and helping others is the bravest thing you can do.


REVIEW
Harvey and the Collection of Impossible Things is a delightful middle-grade children’s story of bravery and helpfulness. The writing is captivating and thought-provoking. Harvey’s experiences are the same as the many homeless cats on the streets today.

Kids and their parents will fall in love with Harvey and his humble manner. Harvey is polite, clean, and thoughtful. My favorite parts of the book are the conversations between Harvey and Chester. Chester is indeed a wise soul, and he gives excellent advice.

Author Garret Weyr is the author of eight previous novels, including The Language of Spells. The illustrator is Minnie Phan. Both Weyr and Phan live in California. Thanks to Chronicle Books and Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Chronicle Books
Published April 19, 2022
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

[Ruby Reads]

I loved the cover and title of this book. It is the story of a stray cat who struggles to survive and find a home. The story begins and ends with a list Harvey makes, and you can see the progress he makes by the end of the tale. This book would interest animal lovers but also might be difficult for sensitive readers as there are some harsh elements in this. Still, the concept that there impossible things can become possible is one well worth learning.

[Stacie]

Harvey is a stray, orphaned, city cat. He roams the streets of the city looking for food and shelter but is wary of humans, dogs, and other cats. Harvey learned as much as he could from his mom and siblings before he was sent off to fend for himself in the city.

Harvey is desperately hungry and each time he comes across a dumpster, it’s already being guarded by another cat, a rat, or a dog. Harvey doesn’t feel very brave and never fights back. Instead, he just keeps walking, looking out for boys that like to grab tails or fast cars that will make him go SPLAT! If he is lucky he will see the lady in the blue shirt at his favorite bakery. She always has some food for him.

As Harvey continues to struggle through the elements and hunger, he also has to learn about trust, friendship, and being brave. Kids will be able to identify with Harvey as he shares his fears and inadequacies. They will understand his inability to trust and make friends.

Cat lovers will appreciate Harvey’s characteristics and behaviors when it comes to eating and being welcoming to humans. Readers will learn from Harvey’s experiences and conversations with the birds, dogs, and cats and how he wishes he could communicate with humans. If we could imagine the conversations our pets would have, Harvey’s would be pretty close.

Harvey the cat gives humans a perspective on the homeless and encourages readers to be more understanding and forgiving of those who are less fortunate. Even though we can’t take in every stray cat in our neighborhood, we can maybe put out a plate of food once in a while to offer some kindness. Harvey has a heart of gold and thankfully his kindness is rewarded by finding a forever home. If you are considering finding a pet, be sure to check out your local shelter to offer a forever home.

[Eileen Winfrey]

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this sweet book. Harvey is a "city cat" (meaning he was born under a dumpster and lives his whole life looking for food and shelter and trying to avoid being run over) who is not very good at city life. He is afraid to fight other animals for food, shelter or safety, and is ALSO afraid of humans and not being able to live under the sky. Eventually, he develops a relationship with the "lady in the blue shirt" who feeds him, receives words of wisdom from a kindly alpha dog, and befriends a trio of sparrows. In spite of being an animal books, the story isn't cloying. It handles themes of hope, discouragement and courage in a simple, but satisfying way. A very nice read. Perfect for sensitive 3rd and 4th graders.

[Marianne]

A sweet thoughtful story that I would have been utterly in love with in fourth grade. Still very enjoyable for adult me.

[April]

I saw this book featured in the SFPL newsletter because the illustrator created a tote bag for the SFPL summer reading challenge, which I completed and received a tote bag! I love cats and the idea of what's possible, so this book and title caught my attention. There are some concepts that seem "mature" (like the idea of SPLAT, which is somewhat morbid, but also true) and the ways the animals interact with each other, of which I appreciate the truthfulness. I definitely appreciate this cat-perspective and think about a particular cat who was very vocal sometimes--he was just trying to tell stories to his owner the way Harvey was trying to ask questions and convey statements.

"'She's not my human,' I remind them. 'I don't live with her. We share the roof.'
I don't know what makes humans good or terrible, but at least I still live under the sky. I'm not brave, but I am a city creature." pg. 68-69

"'You can be scared and still do things,' I remind him. 'You're scared of cats and spend time with me.'" pg. 115

"'Lucky just means that you love something,' Chester says.
'I miss you,' I say. 'That's why I want you to live with Rachel.'
'That's how it goes,' Chester says. 'When you're brave enough to be attached, you're going to miss something.'
I touch my nose to his and feel his breath. My heart beats out what I don't want to say.
Goodbye." pg. 124

Book: borrowed from SSF Main Library.

[Claudia]

I really do not know how to rate this book, so I gave it 4 stars. It is a children's book, but I am not sure which age group. Some of the topics in this story may be disturbing to very young or sensitive children, especially "splat". The author is trying to make a point about the dangers faced by stray domestic pet animals. He includes comments about adopting, spay/neuter, etc. in the author's note. The story makes the author's point. This story includes some very sad elements, which is the unfortunate reality of the subject of the book. It has a happy ending that should convince readers, young and old, that pet animals are not better off on the street. So, mission accomplished.
The story is narrated from the POV of Harvey, the cat. He interacts with various other animals and people. All of it feels very believable.
This book would offer plenty of material for discussion among children who are more mature and able to handle some of the more realistic and upsetting issues addressed in this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Nico Hardiman]

This is a very short and cute children’s book about a cat who’s trying to not only survive but also find himself through that survival. Harvey’s trying the whole book to be exactly what his mother told him to be and doesn’t want to stray from that at all despite the fact that lifestyle clearly isn’t meant for him. He learns as the book goes on that it’s okay to have different experiences and pick a life that works best for you, which is a great lesson for children to read. He learns that every path isn’t meant for everyone. He ends up happy living in a home while his friend is happy staying on the streets, and both options are okay to them. I also like the light it paints on stray animals. Their life is full of struggles and, often times, death. It gets a bit dark for a kids book, but it’s important to remember that animals on the streets are still living creatures. Wonderful, cute little book.

[Michelle Smith]

Oh Harvey. Oh Chester. This really made me appreciate the security in my life.

An eye-catching and cute cover for a middle grade novel about a young cat growing up and being housing and food insecure, being alone, and feeling lonely, worrying about your family, and frightened because of those things. While I noticed the cover first, the title is what really piqued my interest.

Full disclosure - I had to stop reading this at one point because I’m sensitive and it got to me. That being said, this novel really drew me in and I wanted to see what happened to Harvey and the other animals.

I think that children and parents will love Harvey and his story; this is a strong recommendation from me.

** Note for parents of sensitive children, this book has off-page animal deaths, food insecurity, and homelessness.


eARC kindly provided by Chronicle Books and NetGalley. Opinions shared are my own.

[finn]

(I received a free digital copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinions of the book.)

*4.5 stars

This book follows Harvey, a kindhearted stray cat who is trying to survive life in the city. Harvey has created a list for himself of things he would like to accomplish - his collection of impossible things. Throughout the story we follow his adventures and he tries to complete everything on this list.

This book was honestly so cute. Harvey is such a lovable character and great role model (even if he’s a cat) and the story has really sweet messages. I love that we get to see Harvey’s list change throughout the story as his priorities change and as he learns more about life.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to children’s and middle grade readers.

[Renegade Librarian Extraordinaire]

This was lovely. An absolute delight to read. And I'm SO grateful to have discovered it, because it was exactly what I needed. Because it pulled me out of a reading slump and made me FEEL something.

This book was on MY list of Impossible Things!!

I'd say it is a kid's version of Cat's People, another book I recently read and adored. It just cuts out the Human Drama and the kissing (Cat's People wasn't really a Kissing Book, but there was some light romance at the end, but not the Insta Love sort, for which I was grateful. Insta Love can ruin a perfectly good story).

It is about Harvey, a stray cat living on the streets of New York City. Only thing is, Harvey isn't very brave. At least he doesn't think he is, because he'd rather flee than fight for food or territory, and he's terrified of cars and (most) dogs and he's especially terrified of people. Especially boys. Of course there's that one person who is quiet and who smells like mint and vanilla and who is always kind to him. But Harvey is afraid of getting too close to her too.

Then there's the day the mean boy with the stick chases him and he ends up on the roof of a building. And it just happens to be the building where that one person who is quiet and who smells like mint and vanilla and who is always kind to him lives. The two learn to trust each other and Harvey begins to feel safe for the first time ever.

Until the unthinkable happens and Harvey must leave his rooftop home and venture back into the city streets.

But with the help of three sparrows, a loud (but well-meaning) neighbor, a wise old dog, and a hyper puppy, Harvey finds his courage. And he learns what he wants from life.

This is the sort of book that is comforting in the same way as your favorite fuzzy blanket on a cold day. I read it in an entire setting and felt all sorts of warm fuzzies afterward. I still feel it writing this review. I am placing it near the top of Favorite Books of 2025 so far. And I 100% recommend it! For fans of Katherine Applegate and Wendy Mass.

p.s. Another thing: For an animal book, there are NO animal deaths except for one that happens "off-screen" and is only referred to in flashbacks. This is a definite bonus for me!

[Rob]

A fifth grader recommended this book to me. I was like, why not. I LOVED it.

The key point, at least from my perspective, is how scary change can be and how one is being brave when trusting others. I definitely resist change, but then how do I grow? It's a lesson that I learned way later than others, that's for sure, and I'm still playing catchup while also constantly battling peer comparison.

The bravery message comes at an inflection point for me in one aspect of my life so perhaps it is serendipititous. We can certain see "messages" from anywhere and relate them to our current lives and yeah maybe I'm doing that, but it's a good message about one type of bravery.

When I asked the fifth grader what *her* takeaway from this book was, it wasn't quite the same. I tried to share what I thought the message was, and maybe she'll think about it and maybe she won't. Anyways... :-)

[Teresa Grabs]

Harvey and the Collection of Impossible Things is a wonderful tale of growing up and learning the meaning of home. Harvey is a street cat who is still young and finding their way in the world. Life is tough and death is always around the corner, but Harvey has a plan to be a good city cat--that is until he runs up a set of stairs and begins a new, scarier journey to becoming a house cat. Each character is full of life and so distinct that there is something for everyone in this book. Kids will love seeing how Harvey changes.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read an advance reading copy.

[Stacey]

This is a charming middle grade chapter book that my 10 year old daughter and I read together. My oldest is a fan of @garretweyr ‘s books! We were excited for the opportunity to do a mother- daughter crocheted review.

Harvey is a stray cat who is leery of humans. He is struggling to survive on the harsh streets of the city. He is in search of a home when he comes across a kind plant lady. Will Harvey have the courage to trust a human?!? You’ll have to read this delightful story to find out.

This book gives great perspective to different points of view for young readers to see other people’s, or animals in this case, points of view.

[Nelda Brangwin]

Harvey is a city cat struggling to stay alive. He’s not the most courageous cat, which in the world of feral animals can be a danger. When the woman in the blue shirt “adopts” him and lets him live on the roof of her apartment building he learns kindness is as important as courage. He likes having someone to depend on. As Harvey tells his story, he introduces the reader to the friends he has. The three sparrows and Chester, the dog, with his wise advice are true friends. This is a solid beginning chapter book that would provide a great prompt for writing a story from a single point of view.

[Laurie Warchol]

I love this story about this brave kitty! Even the secondary characters were strong. I’m especially taken with Mippy the sparrow (Yes, yes, yes!) kids will enjoy watching Harvey’s definition of bravery change, his attitude about humans shift, and conquering his list of impossible things.

[Helen]

This is a story of a stray/community cat. I kept being afraid something horrible would happen to him, but, luckily, nothing did. It's a story of friendship, and about different choices about ways to live.

[Jesse]

I got this as an ARC from NetGalley! I absolutely loved it. Such a precious little story that shows the importance and different kinds of being brave. So sweet.

[Kylie]

Both happy and sad, this is a book for children and adults alike. You'll be afraid and relieved at various parts of the story and you'll be left with a happy ending you love.

[Rachel]

An absolutely delightful book to read. I loved Harvey's POV.

[Eli]

I really hope and feel like this is going to be the next One and Only Ivan.

[Kristy]

Engaging storytelling, beautiful illustrations. Highly recommend for all ages.

[Jill CD]

Cat lovers will enjoy this book. Grades 3 and up

[Alice]

3.5 stars for this unexpected story of a city cat looking for some impossible things

[Victor]

This was a good one

[Abeer Arain]

A simple book, but written so beautifully that it keeps the attention of the reader throughout. Great job by the author, and the editor.

[Paige Soule]

Not what I expected, but a sweet story.

[Sacha]

Every year, I read this book aloud to my fourth graders, and each cohort becomes engaged in the story and can hardly wait for the next chapter another day!

[Sara Aoyama]

A sweet little story about Harvey, a city cat, that learns to trust humans.
When I started to read this book, I felt it was almost too sad and too harsh for a sensitive child. I figured that it would turn out okay, because after all it is written for children and there is a lesson to be learned. But I felt like it would traumatize my granddaughter; but of course life CAN be harsh. Parents may want to preview this book before giving it to sensitive children to read. It IS a lovely story, but I myself felt so sad reading the beginning.

[Shana]

Harvey is a stray cat trying to survive in the city. He wants to be a brave city cat, but is too kind to be what he thinks a city cat should be. After a scary run in, Harvey hides on a roof and befriends a human. After a while, they form a really sweet relationship, creating a calm that Harvey never knew could exist. He discovers his own brand of being a brave city cat.