Read-alikes for Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Iowa author Vicki Myron
Riding high on the New York Times best-sellers list, this memoir successfully blends small town values and survival against the odds with a touching animal story, and will offer much to discuss in local coffee shops and libraries, or wherever friends gather. The relationship between Dewey and the people of Spencer embraces the possibilities of second chances. It demonstrates the restorative power of nature and exemplifies that rare magical bonding between living beings. Definitely not Marley & Me for cat lovers, this book is more like Seabiscuit-a second chance for an underappreciated animal destined to win the hearts of millions, and a motley crew of human attendants each lacking something that the animal is able to provide. Myron says of Dewey, "He had an amazing sense of who needed him, and he was always willing to give his time." Antics and anecdotes drive this point home.
In the end, Myron credits Dewey much like Tobey Maguire (speaking as jockey Red Pollard) summarizes The Biscuit. "You know, everybody thinks we found this broken down horse and fixed him; but we didn't. He fixed us. Every one of us. And I guess, in a way, we kind of fixed each other, too." Dewey Readmore Books, readers will discover, continues to be one of nature's great fixers.
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 Discussion Questions
- Compare the challenges of Vicki Myron, Dewey, and the town of Spencer.
- How is Vicki's life history an asset to the story? Why do you think
Vicki Myron wrote this book?
- Does the book have something for everyone? What did you learn about
courage, generosity, devotion, loss, unconditional love, and survival?
- Other libraries around the country have adopted cats; what is so unique
about Dewey's story that it touched the world?
- Myron writes, "When times are tough you either pull together or fall apart." How did "Dewey's magic" and/or sixth sense bring people together?
- What does the town of Spencer do for Dewey? What does Dewey do for
Spencer? Could the same results happen in your town?
- Did this book remind you of similar animal relationships you have heard
about or known? What are some ways animals enrich humanity?
- If you are the screenplay writer of the movie Dewey, what would be the
focus? What areas would be minimized?
Read-alikes for Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
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