SOLVED. Middle Grade book. "My highsle cat"/"My high silk hat". Read in 1990s. [s]

[Jane]

This was a middle-grade book that I would have read in the early- to mid-'90s probably.

The only thing I remember about it is a character singing a song with the lyrics "my highsle cat", which is supposed to be "my high silk hat". I'm not sure if they were singing "my high silk hat" at first and eventually it ended up as "my highsle cat", or if they started out singing "my highsle cat" and later found out it was supposed to be "my high silk hat".

This may have been a series book, like Ramona Quimby or Homer Price, but I'm not sure.

[Daisy]

This didn't happen in any of the Ramona books, although she has a similar mix-up involving the "dawnzer lee light" (dawn's early light from Star-Spangled Banner).

[Brenna]

Kristy and the Snobs by Ann M. Martin? It's a Baby-Sitters Club book


“Our music teacher taught it to us today,” he replied, slowing down. “He taught us another song, too. About a cat. But I don’t understand something. What kind of cat is a hysle cat?”

I frowned. “I don’t know. Why don’t you sing me the song? Maybe we can figure it out.”

Max sang three verses of the song. Each time he came to the chorus, he would sing, “My hysle cat, my hysle cat,” and touch his head the way his music teacher had shown the class.

In the middle of the fourth verse, I began to laugh. “Max!” I exclaimed. “This isn’t a song about a cat. It’s a song about a hat. Try saying, ‘My high silk hat’ instead of, ‘My hysle cat.’”

“What? … Oh!” Suddenly Max understood. He began to laugh, too. Then he jumped off the swing and ran around the garage singing, “My hysle cat! My high silk hat!”

[Jane]

Brenna wrote: "Kristy and the Snobs by Ann M. Martin? It's a Baby-Sitters Club book


“Our music teacher taught it to us today,” he replied, slowing down. “He taught us another song..."

That's it!! I can't believe you got that from my tiny scrap of information. Thank you!