*Young adult fantasy, set in St. Louis!
*Teenage girl as the main character
*Rating: I really enjoyed P.A.W.S., so much so that I bought it as a Christmas present for a teen reader. The bad guy completely creeped me out! I am looking forward to a sequel, which I hope Debbie is penning away as I type. (LOVE THE COVER!)
Short, short summary: Miri comes from a family of Animagi–with a charm, some of her family members can turn themselves into a cat. After Miri’s grandmother, who raised her, dies, she is sent to a boarding school in St. Louis by her aunt and uncle. Bullies pick on her right away, and she soon discovers that she has inherited special powers from her grandmother. She is whisked away into P.A.W.S–Partnership for Animagi, Werewolves, and Shapeshifters, where she embraces her cat self and starts to feel comfortable in her own skin. But trouble is following Miri in the form of a werewolf named Alistar who is in search of power. He believes that Miri and her family can give him the power that he so desires. Will he find her at P.A.W.S? Who will become a part of his schemes? Will Miri be able to protect her new friends? These questions and more are answered in this debut novel.
Buy P.A.W.S from Rocking Horse Publishing: http://www.rockinghorsepublishing.com/paws.html
So what can I do with this book?
1. While reading, children can answer journal questions such as: if you were a shapeshifter or animagi, how would you feel? What would you want to transform into? Why do you think Miri finally has found a place where she is happy and belongs in P. A. W. S.? After children have answered these and other questions (maybe even coming up with their own) in their journals, you can have small group or class discussions.
2. Compare and contrast Alistar and Miri, using a Venn diagram. Do they have any similarities? While comparing and contrasting, think about what each character truly desires and how they try to reach their goals. Do their desires affect their choices and characteristics? Do they make each other similar or different?
3. The setting of this novel is mostly in St. Louis–in Forest Park. Why does this story work so well in this setting? (Jewel box, Zoo, urban area) Could the story be set in any other city? Why or why not? What elements of St. Louis are important to the plot?
