In this dramatic and heartfelt novel, a diffident housecat's loyalty to friends old and new spurs her to death-defying feats of bravery that teach her "what it [takes] to be herself, truly."
Haven is a cat that does not like to be reminded of the "whole big world outside." Her earliest memory is of being in a "dark, cold" forest with towering trees overhead and painful thorns under paw. After being rescued by kind old Ma Millie, Haven is quite content to spend her days as a "strictly indoor cat." That is, until Ma Millie gets sick, and Haven realizes that if she wants to save her, she must leave the house and find help. This involves dealing with a bored, restless fox, avoiding the bobcat stalking them both and, somehow, making the long, dangerous journey through the wild forest.
Haven: A Small Cat's Big Adventure is a quest story, and like most quests, the discoveries are as much internal as external. Before venturing into the wilderness, Haven is unaware of her own mettle. Her love for Ma Millie inspires her to unimaginable acts of courage: crossing a swift river! Escaping a bear in a berry patch! Dumpster diving! Megan Wagner Lloyd (Finding Wild; Allergic) gives readers an absorbing tale that is as much about loyalty and love as it is about adventure and peril. Points of view alternate among Haven, the fox and the bobcat, increasing the narrative tension and giving a full, sometimes terrifying, glimpse into each character's worldview. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor