All the Cats of Cairo
 





List price: $8.95  
Pages: 232
Format: Paperback 
ISBN:9780976812654 

Publisher: Brown Barn Books

 by Inda Schaenen

The old woman’s gift—a small bronze figurine of the ancient Egyptian cat-goddess Bastet—is fine, but why does it grow hot in Maggie’s hand?
 
And why, everywhere she goes in Cairo with her artist father and diplomat mother, does Maggie see cats? Do they have some connection to Bastet, goddess of balance and abundance? Now a factory is about to be built on the site of the goddess’s temple. These plans would destroy the tombs of the ancient sacred cats, mummified thousands of years ago. Needing help to restore good to Egypt in the modern world, the goddess has awakened angry from her millennia-long sleep.
 
Is Bastet mysteriously speaking to Maggie through her disciples, the myriad of cats wandering freely through the streets, cemeteries, markets and mosques of modern Cairo? If so, Maggie must take action to protect the tombs.
 
But what can Maggie do?  She doesn’t speak much Arabic, and she doesn’t know her way around Cairo. With determination and the aid of an Egyptian boy she has befriended, Maggie must battle powerful enemies--some strange, some all-too-familiar--that are set upon destroying the very life force of Egypt and her children.
 WHAT REVIEWERS ARE SAYING

     "In All the Cats of Cairo, Inda Schaenen addresses the issue of child labor in a way that is easy for kids and teens to understand. She eloquently covers one of the most important international issues in the world today from multiple perspectives and adds an abundance of Egyptian culture into the mix to create an authentic experience.... it is the kind of fantasy that many preteens would enjoy. I think that this book will be particularly enticing to kids between 9-13."
                                                                                                              -YA Books Central, 2007

     "All of the Cats of Cairo comes alive with its vibrant setting and its harmonious blend of twenty-first century modernity and mystic wonder. Highly recommended for teen cat lovers."
                                                                                         The Midwest Book Review, July 2007
 

About the Author

Inda Schaenen is a writer, a journalist and a teacher. Born in Dallas, she grew up in New York City. Her first book, THE 7 O’CLOCK BEDTIME, landed her on the Today Show and her first adult novel, THINGS ARE REALLYCRAZY RIGHT NOW, was published in 2005. When she was a kid she loved seeing mummies in museums and thought hieroglyphics were cool; ALL THE CATS OF CAIRO, her first book for young adults, grew out of that interest. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and three kids, and for fun, she likes to hang out with her family and read—and write.
If you’d like to write to Inda, her email address is inda123@earthlink.net

  



 
FROM ALL THE CATS OF CAIRO...

“A treasure came into my life just this afternoon. It’s a cat figurine made of bronze and it was given to me by an old woman who makes her home in an open tomb. You read that right. She lives in a tomb. She has three grandsons and a husband."

Maggie went on to describe the detailed carvings on the Bastet figurine before getting to the heart of the assignment.


"I treasure this small object for several reasons. First, it came to me in a strange way. This woman snuck it into my pocket without telling me. Second, it is the symbol for a goddess that many people here still believe in even though it’s been a long time since people actually worshipped her in public. And third...."
 

Maggie changed her mind. She had intended to write about the figurine getting hot. Oum had encouraged her to believe that the figurine had somehow chosen her, Maggie. Even Maggie suspected this to be true. But something stopped her from sharing this part. It seemed too private. Too bizarre.
                    
 

 

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