The Cat Ate My Gymsuit
By Paula Danziger
Read by Caitlin Brodnick and the Full Cast Family Full Cast Audio, (2004)
An Unabridged Audio Recording on 3 CDs.
ISBN: 1-932076-56-5
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness - March 4, 2005
Thirteen-year-old Marcy Lewis has a problem, well, really, several of them. She thinks that she's a blimp and she knows she is flat chested and that it is only a matter of time before she becomes a pimple machine. She's so self-conscious about her looks that she is willing to fail gym rather than change clothes in front of the other girls. To make matters worse, Marcy's father has anger issues. He yells constantly and often calls her fat and stupid. Conversely, her mother is cloying, apologetic, and tends to self medicate herself into a happier frame of mind. To top everything off, Marcy is saddled with a brother, and oh, yeah, she hates everyone!
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, written by Paula Danziger is a poignant and often funny story about Marcy and how she learns to come to terms with her looks and the problems that she faces in her everyday life. Like most youngsters, Marcy needs help learning how to 'deal' and she doesn't find the help she needs at home. As the story unfolds Marcy finds that she has friends that care about her and that the way she can best help herself is by helping others. The object of her aid is her new English teacher, Ms. Finney. An unusual teacher who honestly cares for her students, Ms. Finney quickly wins the hearts of her students while at the same time earning the ire of the school's principal and many of the other teachers, because of her unconventional teaching style and due to her refusal to pledge allegiance to the flag. Ms. Finney helped Marcy and her classmates organize an after school club called Smedley. The main purpose of the club is to help the kids learn more about themselves. When Ms. Finney is fired, Marcy and her fellow Smedlies, band together to try and save their favorite teacher.
This Full Cast Audio production of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit offers listeners the opportunity to hear this story performed by a talented cast of actors that ably bring the story to life. This production of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit stars Caitlin Brodnick as Marcy Lewis and Anne Marie Grathwol as Ms. Finney. They are backed by a full cast of equally talented and eloquent actors. If you close your eyes while listening to this recording, you can easily imagine that you are in the audience at a theater watching a play. This unabridged audio production of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit offers listeners an animated listening experience and access to an unforgettable and riveting coming-of-age story.
Marcy Lewis is a thirteen-year-old ninth grader who attends the Dwight D. Eisenhower Jr. High. The problems that she faces in the course of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit are timeless problems faced by many girls on the verge of womanhood. It may surprise readers to learn that this book is actually thirty years old! Danziger has written numerous books for children and young adults that have gained the status of modern classics. The Cat Ate My Gymsuit was her first novel. For those who enjoyed this when it was originally published, this new audio edition is ideal for getting reacquainted with an old favorite and for introducing it to your own children and friends. Regrettably, Paula Danziger passed away last year (2004). We are fortunate that she had the opportunity to record an afterword for this new edition that details how she came to write The Cat Ate My Gymsuit. A great book to share with the entire family!
Related Reviews:
United Tates of America, by Paula Danziger.
Skate Tate has just begun classes at Biddle Middle School as a lowly sixth grader - and her life will never be the same again. In this full cast audio production, Skate, with the aid of her family, learns to deal with these changes, including the death of her beloved uncle GUM.
Buddha Boy, by Kathe Koja.
An intense story, for young adults, about friendship, prejudice, and high school. The story centers on Justin, an average kid, who is forced to work on a school project with the 'new kid' - Jinsen, a shaven headed Buddhist who is an unmistakable target for the school's bullies.
