Jennifer the old automobile and Josephine the cat take a crazy trip away from their safe and quiet junkyard.
1 book

Simply another wonderful book by Bill Peet. He’s so good at making you care about an old cat (Josephine), or an old junkyard car (Jennifer). The cat has lived in the old car for so long that when a traveling salesman (Mr. Frenzy, who also has a walk-on appearance in Fly Homer Fly) buys the car, the cat goes along for the ride. Quite a ride it is.

As usual, Bill Peet doesn’t dumb down the vocabulary, and he doesn’t put it out of reach, either. As usual he is writing about friendship, loyalty, and good deeds — with the usual dose of dark adventure. Mr. Frenzy is a bad guy but not an evil one, something kids recognize from real life: a self-centered jerk, too much in a hurry, too driven by the need to make a buck. Any kid can relate to being in a situation where a slightly out-of-control adult is in charge. In this case, the cat sets out alone — in a rainstorm, no less — and finds a sympathetic boy, who has a sympathetic dad, to come to the rescue. The narration and artwork is so good, you don’t even notice the lessons learned. You just have an enthralling tale. ( )