The Sign of the Cat

Duncan is a perfectly average boy growing up in a fishing village. The problem is that his mother encourages him to be perfectly average: she praises him for getting mediocre grades and encourages him to avoid extra attention. His one special talent is the ability to talk to cats—but Duncan longs more than anything for academic success. He chafes at his mother’s rules as much as he chafes against wearing the hat she forces him to wear to cover up his distinctive red hair.

When Duncan rebels and succeeds on a standardized test, however, people start taking notice of this boy. And it turns out that some of those people may not have the best intentions…

With echoes of Peter Pan and the Warriors series, Lynne Jonell tells an epic tale of bravery, adventure, and self-discovery as Duncan learns to embrace his true identity.