Ursula K. Le Guin

S. D. Schindler

When Jane, a cat with wings, leaves the safety of her farm to explore the world, she falls into the hands of a man who keeps her prisoner and exploits her for money.

A Catwings Tale

Jane on Her Own

Sarah Sammis

When I read Catwings Return, Jane the kitten was my favorite character. OK, second favorite, since I have to be partial to a flying cat named Harriet. So I was curious to read Jane on Her Own by Ursula K. Le Guin.

In Jane on Her Own, Jane just doesn't fit in at the farm. She's restless, nervous and skittish. She decides to return to the city of her birth to face her fears and find her forever home.

In the City she finds a new life as "Miss Mystery." The book blurb says the man she lives with "keeps her prisoner" and "exploits her for money." Yes, he trains her to show off her flying talent and yes he makes money from their show but he didn't strike me as a bad person.

But the ultimate redemption for Jane isn't in her life of show business. It is with her wingless mother. Finally she can face her fears and move beyond them to find a forever home for both herself and her mother.

What bothers me most though about the book is Jane's stuttering. When I first "met" her I took her "HATE HATE HATE" as just typical kittenish talk. If a kitten were to talk, why not like that? In Jane on Her Own her simplistic talking is described more as a response to her difficult kittenhood. It seemed after all the bravery she'd shown in the previous book that this tidbit was out of character for her.

I borrowed the book from the library.

Maggie Gordon

More cats with wings! Jane is the youngest catwing, and she gets bored of living on the farm so she goes off to find adventure! She meets a man who she thinks is kind at first, but he just wants her to make him famous on TV, so Jane has to figure out how to escape before humans get it in their heads that there might be more than one cat with wings! 

Again, Le Guin crafts a perfectly adorable story, accompanied with delightful art. A great addition to a sweet series for kids!

Jane on Her Own A Catwings Tale

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