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The Amber Cat    by Hilary McKay Amazon.com order for
Amber Cat
by Hilary McKay
Order:  USA  Can
Margaret K. McElderry, 2001 (1997)
Paperback, Audio
* * *   Reviewed by Lyn Seippel

Robin Brogan doesn't mind having chicken pox nearly so much since his friend Dan has it too. Mrs. Brogan invites Dan to recover at their house since his mother works outside the home. Mrs. Brogan and Robin live at Porridge Hall, her childhood home, which is now a beachside Bed and Breakfast inn.

Just when Robin and Dan are getting bored, Sun Dance, Robyn's younger next door neighbor, gets spots too and is allowed to visit. After television, games, and reading, the boys begin telling ghost stories. Sun Dance is very susceptible to ghosts. He's personally acquainted with many.

Mrs. Brogan tells them about summer visitors she had when she was their age. She and her visitors spent all but the rainiest days playing on the beach across from Porridge Hall. The three friends together were more than enough for her poor mom and dad, but her parents didn't know that their time at the beach was being enlivened by their new friend Harriet. She had more ideas than even Nick, the most fearless and luckiest of the group. One of those ideas put Nick in grave danger.

The Amber Cat is a companion book to Dog Friday and Dolphin Luck which also take place at Porridge Hall. It's also a wonderful ghost story, told with wit and humor and populated by captivating characters.

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