Curiosity Killed the Cat

Hannah isn’t thrilled to be moving in with her dad and his new family, who live right next to a spooky cemetery. Luckily, Hannah doesn’t believe all the “ghost cat” stories she’s heard about the graveyard. But it turns out that the cemetery is the least of Hannah’s troubles. Her stepsister, Madison, is the meanest girl in Hannah’s grade. Her cat, Icky, has been missing since the move. And worst of all, Hannah can’t sleep at night because something keeps scratching at her door! Hannah’s starting to wonder – could those scary stories be true after all? 

Curiosity Killed the Cat mixes typical junior high conflicts with a spooky ghost story. Hannah has to deal with a lot of changes — her mom moving to another city, moving in with her mean stepsister, her first crush, and her best friend being too busy to spend time with her. When strange things begin happening to Hannah, she doesn’t feel like she can confide in anyone. At first, Hannah allows fear to control her decision-making. But when Hannah is forced to deal with problems alone, she learns to rely on herself and step out of her comfort zone. It is only by facing her fears that Hannah is able to help herself, as well as the legendary ghost cat.  

Readers who want a spooky Halloween story that won’t leave them with nightmares will find Curiosity Killed the Cat suspenseful but not scary. Because of the story’s brevity, neither the supporting characters nor the plot are well developed. Despite this, the fast-paced story has plenty of suspense that will keep readers flipping the pages. The simple plot line is easy to follow, and readers will learn several important life lessons including not overscheduling yourself, the importance of practice, and not making rash decisions.  

Readers looking for another non-scary ghost story should read The Trail of the Ghost Bunny by Linda Joy Singleton. However, if you’re interested in learning about real-life ghosts and ghouls, you should read Ghostology: A True Revelation of Spirits, Ghouls, and Hauntings by Lucinda Curtle & Dugald A. Steer.  

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• When Hannah was in elementary school, Parker “had been known to chase the girls during recess, trying to kiss whichever ones he could outrun. When he’d come after her, Hannah had been so afraid she had panicked and accidentally punched him in the stomach.” 
• There is a legend about a ghost cat. People say the cat lured a little girl to her death. “People around here have seen the shadow of a black cat in the cemetery. Anyone who follows the shadow is led to their death. . .” An eight-year-old boy followed the cat “and got lost in the woods for three days. When they found him, he was so dehydrated he almost died.”  
• Molly, a ghost, reveals details about her death. She took a rowboat out on the lake even though she was forbidden to do so. A storm rolled in and “the boat began to rock back and forth violently. The entire time, I could see Shadow pacing on the riverbank. . . Then a huge wave washed over the boat, and it tipped over.” She drowned and died.   

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• On the school bus, Hannah overhears her stepsister and another girl talking about her. They call her a loser and a dork.  
• OMG and heck are each used once. 

Supernatural 

• At night, Hannah hears strange scratching noises. Other weird occurrences happen as well. For example, even though the ceiling fan does not work, it turns on full blast and blows Hannah’s schoolwork around. 
• Hannah wakes up in the middle of the night because she hears the sound of water. She finds out that the water in her bathroom is running, but the door is locked from the inside. When Hannah’s dad appears, the bathroom door is no longer locked, but the water is still running.  
• Hannah’s dad falls off a ladder when he feels “as if a cat had brushed against my ankles. . . There was something soft and furry and –I don’t know. But there was nothing there — it must have been my imagination.” Afterward, Hannah sees “a trail of paw prints — cat paw prints—leading away from the puddle of paint. The prints didn’t seem to go anywhere — they just got fainter and fainter. . .”  
• Hannah’s friend researches ways to keep ghosts away. He makes a list that reads, “1. Put salt in your pocket. . . 2. Mint keeps bad spirits away. . . 3. Burning a bunch of pine needles and sage is supposed to clear our home of ghosts and bad luck. . . 4. Charms. I don’t think these are the lucky cereal kind—I think they’re more like poems.” 
• Hannah puts salt in her pocket and mint tea bags on her windowsill to keep the cat away.   
• On Halloween night, Hannah and her stepsister Madison follow the ghost cat into the cemetery. Once there, Hannah opens the door of a crypt and the cat disappears inside. “Both girls watched in horror as a shimmery, white ghost stepped out of the tomb” and said, “Do not be afraid. . . I do not mean to harm you. I want to thank you so much for opening my tomb. You let my Shadow [the ghost cat] back inside, and I am forever grateful to you.”  
• The ghost turns out to be a girl named Molly. Molly says that she has been “living in this tomb for a very long time, trapped between this world and the next. I have been unable to move on without my dear cat.” 

Spiritual Content  

• None