Random Acts of Kittens

by Yamile Saied Méndez

A heartwarming story about learning to love cats (and friends) of all stripes!
When Natalia finds a lost cat with newborn kittens, she desperately wants to keep one. Whether or not her mami agrees to a new pet, Natalia will have to find homes for the rest of the litter. So she and her friend Reuben hatch the perfect plan: Using an anonymous account, Natalia announces to her classmates that she'll be gifting kittens on Valentine's Day.

As students vie to be matched with a cat, Natalia's secrets pile up. Then, her former best friend, Meera, applies for a kitten. Suddenly, playing kitty match-maker gets a lot more complicated. Will her attempts to spread kindness help heal her friendships, or simply tear them farther apart?

Genres: Animals, Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published December 26, 2019

About the author

Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) is a fútbol obsessed Argentine-American. She’s the mother of 5 kids and 2 adorable dogs. Yamile’s an inaugural Walter Dean Meyers Grant recipient, a graduate of Voices of our Nation (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children program.
She’s represented by Linda Camacho, from the Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency.

Reviews

[Christine Rains · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natalia's social life is in ruins and her family life is unhappy. She butts heads with her Mami and her Papi is deployed overseas. Yet when she finds a mama cat with newborn kittens in the middle of winter in her shed, she takes them in. She makes it her mission to find each of the little ones good homes, and as she cares for them, she opens her heart.

I read this with my 11-year-old and we found it absolutely heartwarming. Natalia is a hard character to warm up to, but as you go along, you realize her anger emerges because she is lonely and sad, and her anxiety manifests in that way. The kittens, as her slime had before, help her to manage her feelings and calm her anxiety. Lots and lots of kitty cuteness in this story, but also realistic depictions of family dynamics where one parent is deployed and friendships torn apart by misunderstandings.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cat-astrophe! When Natalia Flores finds a lost cat with a litter of newborn kittens, she is desperate to keep one of them. Whether or not her mami says yes to a new pet, the rest of the kitties will need homes-and Natalia has the purrfect plan. With help from her friend Reuben, Natalia starts an anonymous online account to find each cat the right owner. But as her classmates apply, her matchmmaking scheme gets more complicated. And when her former best friend, Meera, applies for a kitten, Natalia doesn't know what to do. Will her attempt to spread kindness help heal their friendship or simply tear her and Meera further apart?

[Jenna Freedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grades novels aren't my thing, but kittens are, so I gave Kittens a try. The story centers on 11-year-old Natalia (Nati), who has a perfect older sister and had a recent falling out with her longtime co-bestie Meera. Meera and Nati had gotten into a social/social media tussle last year over slime entrepreneurship, and now they're both close with their other BFF, Reuben, but not with each other. When Nati discovers a kitten who just gave birth to five kittens, including a barely surviving runt, she takes them in and develops a scheme to give the kittens the perfect homes, and redeem her social life, which is now in shambles, due to the slime disaster.

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing just isn't even close to the same level as the other book I read by Méndez, Furia even allowing for the fact that this is for a much younger audience. This was much more formulaic, although of course it serves as a children's book featuring a Hispanic child protagonist.

I am sure that there are girls who like this story, but it's not something that is going to live on as a classic children's book, IMO.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super charming story of how a girl’s act of kindness both helps herself and spreads to people around her. Plus: so much kitten action! If you have an animal-mad child, they will love seeing the main character rescue a whole family of cats!

[Michelle Stimpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is as adorable as the kittens inside of it. Perfect for upper elementary students, this is a story of friendship, kindness, and rescue kittens. Natalia is a delightfully flawed character that you can't help but root for.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book with such a good message the message about kindness kindness is the number one thing in this book so many important lessons from telling the truth always be kind and to do the right thing no matter how hard it is . 100% recommend if you want a feel good read

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, wholesome book all about kittens and giving people a second chance. This was a delight to read during a difficult time. No sex, swearing, etc.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written book, and it warmed my heart.

[Kel Moy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book I hope the library has it

[Sarah Duplessis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, sweet, and heartwarming book