The Scariest Kitten in the World is a hilarious picture book by Kate Messner and illustrated by MacKenzie Haley in the vein of The Monster at the End of This Book about a not-so-scary kitten and a not-too-terrifying haunted house.

WARNING! This is a VERY scary story.
It is the most spine-chilling story anyone could ever read.
It takes place in a horrifying haunted house (okay, not that terrifying) . . .
with a creepy creature (well, maybe not that creepy) . . .
and its frightening friends (but are they that frightening?).
Seriously. You’re going to be scared right out of your underpants by these guys!
There’s no way they’re the cutest little critters you’ve ever seen . . . right?

Packed with humor and heart and adorable illustrations, this not-quite-scary story will keep you laughing until the very last page.

Kate Messner is a New York Times–bestselling author of multiple children’s books, among them Over and Under the Pond, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, The Brilliant Deep, and How to Read a Story. Before becoming a full-time writer, Kate was a TV news reporter as well as an educator who spent fifteen years teaching middle school English. These days, she splits her time between Lake Champlain and southwest Florida and is trying to summit all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks in between book deadlines.

MacKenzie Haley is an illustrator, runner, and cat lover who currently resides in Louisville, Kentucky. Her books include The Ninja Club Sleepover, Pega Sisters Go to Camp, and Funny Little Ghost. She has currently reached the maximum amount of cat shirts a grown woman is allowed to have, and is banned from buying any more (but can accept them as gifts).

Categories

• Juvenile Fiction / Animals / Cats
• Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories
• Juvenile Fiction / Holidays & Celebrations / Halloween

Product Details

ISBN: 9780374390051
ISBN-10: 0374390053
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: August 29th, 2023
Pages: 40
Language: English

Recommended Reading Level

Minimum Age: 3
Maximum Age: 6
Minimum Grade Level:
Maximum Grade Level:

"Messner goes full-on goofy with this tale of a feline determined to frighten. Haley’s not-so-dark cartoon illustrations of pudgy, sweet animals perfectly contradict the kitty’s narration... this is sure to have ’em [readers] howling (with laughter)." —Kirkus

"Mock-horror text by Messner has oodles of performance potential, while the art’s sweet-natured, wink-wink personality should remind readers of the sense of empowerment and glee that can come from playing monster." —Publishers Weekly

"Messner’s lively text is humorously offset and extended in Haley’s vibrant cartoon illustrations... A good choice for fans of the classic There's a Monster at the End of this Book." —Booklist

"The illustrations and text work together seamlessly, creating a masterful story hour experience that will be enjoyed over and over...A funny, perfectly childlike conceit explored to its full capacity for chuckles." —School Library Journal

"The well-paced text, vibrant pencil and digitally painted illustrations, and effective use of page-turns heighten the drama—and the silliness." —Horn Book

"The text of this picture book is wordier, so older viewers might want to test their reading skills by trying it alone, while younger viewers could benefit from a reading in a melodramatic spooky voice to amp up the tension before the hilarity." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books