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Stranger Next Door

Name: Stranger Next Door
Author: Peg Kehret
ISBN: 9780142412480

by Peg Kehret, Pete the Cat

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Overview

If there’s a mystery to be solved, Pete’s your man. Er, your cat. Pete’s a cat, specifically, Alex’s cat. And since Alex and his family moved into a new housing development, Pete is Alex’s only friend. Things start looking up for Alex when Rocky moves in next door. But Rocky isn’t very friendly, and Alex starts to suspect he’s hiding something. And when the neighborhood is terrorized by a rash of fires and vandalism, Pete knows that he’s got to investigate.

A clever cat's heroism helps two twelve-year-old boys become friends after their families, one of which is in a witness protection program, move to neighboring houses in Hilltop, Washington.

Synopsis

If there's a mystery to be solved, Pete's your man. Er, your cat. Pete's a cat, specifically, Alex's cat. And since Alex and his family moved into a new housing development, Pete is Alex's only friend. Things start looking up for Alex when Rocky moves in next door. But Rocky isn't very friendly, and Alex starts to suspect he's hiding something. And when the neighborhood is terrorized by a rash of fires and vandalism, Pete knows that he's got to investigate.

VOYA

This mystery begins with two stories, first that of Alex and his family, who have moved into a new, upscale housing development, and second, of Clifford, whose parents suddenly uproot him from everything he knows and move cross-country, next door to Alex. Alex, his younger brother, parents, and Pete the Cat welcome the new neighbors, but the boys find Rocky—formerly Clifford—standoffish. As Alex is bullied at school about becoming too upper class, simple acts of vandalism begin in the new neighborhood and Alex suspects the bullies or Rocky. When the new neighbors' house catches on fire, things begin to take on a serious note. Meanwhile, Clifford/Rocky has learned that his mother is in the witness protection program and must testify against his biological father, a drug trafficker. Alex discovers that the person responsible for the fires in the area is the developer, and his discovery leads to the developer attempting to killhim. Through all of this fast-moving adventure, Rocky ends up saving Alex's life—with Pete's help—and they become friends. The gimmick to this book is the use of the cat, Pete, to tell part of the story. Printed in italic, his observations note things that humans do not. Pete has an integral part in the plot and is injured while trying to rescue Alex from another fire in a vacant house. This mystery involving secret identities, school bullies, arson, and monetary gain holds special appeal for young teens and reluctant readers. VOYA CODES: 3Q 4P M (Readable without serious defects; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2002, Dutton, 160p, $15.99. Ages 11 to 14. Reviewer: Patricia Morrow SOURCE: VOYA, February2002 (Vol. 24, No.6)

About the Author, Peg Kehret

Peg Kehret lives in Carbonado, Washington.

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Editorials

Children's Literature

Popular author, Peg Kehret, explains in her prologue that both she and her cat, Pete, have written this story. Pete is also a character in this book and periodically relates the events in the story from his point of view (Pete's story is told in italics). Pete is the pet of Alex Kendrill, a twelve-year-old boy who is looking for new friends in his new neighborhood. Alex and his family have moved into a brand new house in a new housing development that has very few residents. Alex's only friend at this point is his cat, Pete. He has had trouble with some of the bullies at school, so when he discovers that a boy his age is moving in next door, he is eager to make friends with him. Rocky moves in next door, but is not at all interested in becoming friends with Alex or anyone else. Rocky is trying to maintain a low profile because his family has just been placed in the witness-protection program. Not long after Rocky moves in, bad things begin to happen in the neighborhood—street signs are missing and an arson fire occurs in some of the homes. Tragically, Rocky's new home is one of the houses destroyed by a fire. Alex and his family come to the aid of Rocky and his family during this time. With the help of Pete the Cat, Alex discovers who is setting the fires. Unfortunately the arsonist captures Alex and imprisons him inside a burning house. This time Rocky comes to Alex's rescue, again with the clever help from Pete. The arsonist is captured and the boys begin to become close friends. 2002, Dutton Children's Books/Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers,
— Maureen Boyle

VOYA

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-Alex is less than thrilled when his family moves into a new housing development. The 12-year-old has left his old school and friends behind, and his new classmates blame him because the new houses were built over their old dirt-bike paths. He becomes hopeful when a family with a son his age moves in next door. However, sullen Rocky is not responsive to Alex's attempts at friendship. Things get worse when street signs begin disappearing and fires start in the neighborhood, one destroying Rocky's house. Alex is sure that the boy is hiding something. Part of the story is told from the point of view of Alex's cat Pete, who can understand the speech of humans, even if they can only interpret his meows as demands for food in return. The feline helps to solve the mystery and to save Alex's life. Characterization is solid, though characters react a little too stoically to traumatic revelations and events. The story moves swiftly and holds interest. However, because of the fast pace, little attention is given to explaining the motive behind the arson, which involves insurance fraud, a concept that will be unfamiliar to most children. A quick, exciting read to entice reluctant readers.-Heather Dieffenbach, Lexington Public Library, KY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Fans of Kehret (Saving Lily, 2001, etc.)-and fans of cats-will appreciate this suspenseful novel about two boys who discover friendship after facing peril. This is thanks in no small part to the author's resourceful feline, Pete the Cat, who "cowrote" the novel (his contributions to Kehret's narrative are explained in the amusing prologue and are italicized throughout). Said feline also wrote a juicy role for himself within the storyline so that he figures in the solution to the mystery. Happily for readers, while Pete's "speech" sounds like plain old meow to his unknowing owners, his writing is perfectly comprehensible as English. Twelve-year-old Alex Kendrill has moved to a new housing development in Seattle with his parents, six-year-old brother, and pet cat. Friendless at school and picked on by some bullies, Alex's spirits pick up when he learns a new family is moving in next door. Believing he might make a new friend at last, Alex's hopes are dashed when the boy, Rocky Morris, in fact shuns contact and is evasive about himself and his past. Kehret keeps her story exciting and dangerous. There are vandals afoot, not to mention a mysterious arsonist who attempts to murder Alex in a terrifying episode in which Alex is trapped in a house that the arsonist has set ablaze. Add to this Rocky's constant fear that his family's closely guarded secret will be found out: they are in the Witness Protection Program because Rocky's mom's testimony before Congress will bring down a major drug kingpin. All these ingredients add up to a satisfying, fast-paced read. Readers will be caught up in the action even as they are amused by Pete's astute observations and adroit detective work. (Fiction.10-12)