REVIEW: DEWEY The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Dewey - by Vicky Myron with Bret Witter

This book found its way to my hands via Hachette Book Group (THANK YOU!!!)  and what I love most about it is, without question, that cover.  I mean, would you just LOOK at that CAT??!  And yes, that really is the actual Dewey on the cover posing for a photographer. 

"Dewey" is a pleasant read, but not exactly a page turner.  If I were being honest here, and I think you would like me to be, I would say that throughout most of the book I was thinking, "What's the point?"  I understand that this poor little guy was dropped by someone in the book return slot on one of the coldest nights of the year in Spencer, Iowa, and that the Librarian, Vicky, found him and instantly he became a fixture at the local library.  Got it.    But the book does lay it on a little thick on how much of a super hero this cat is.  Don't get me wrong, I AM a cat person.  I HAVE a cat.  And I love her to pieces.  And one of the best things about reading this was the very typical cat shinanigans that Dewey would partake in in the library.  You know, the finding of Dewey in various boxes, some too small so half of his body would be lazily overflowing; the paw lashing out at the typewriter carrier everytime it loudly gets clacked to the other side.  That kind of thing.  And Vicky had a hard life, she is a breast cancer survivor, and also got through a horrible divorce, and her relationship with her daughter is strained to the max.  That is until Dewey comes along. 

And the book goes even further with Dewey becoming uber famous (which he did) and claiming that through his noteriety he, quite literally, saved the town of Spencer.  That through Dewey throngs of tourists came to the local library and thus spent money and brought world-wide attention to the town.  I'm not doubting this happened, it was just the way in which the author wrote about it that had me rolling my eyes a few times. 

Boy, do I sound like a crabby reviewer or what?  What kind of reviewer doesn't like a nice heartwarming book about a library kitty! 

Okay, maybe this is all sounding a little harsh.  The thing is I didn't NOT like it so much as I have no feelings about the book whatsoever.  It just left me... meh.  You know what I mean?  In fact I'm staring at it now thinking, "What actually happened in this book?" 

But hey, what do I know, considering it was #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers list! 

The book was good for the cat shinanigans, good for the heartwarming parts with Vicky and Dewey and other patrons of the library.  The sections where Dewey helped kids with special needs, for example, were so sweet!  And he really did seem extraordinary in many ways. 

I'll leave you to judge for yourself, if you decide to pick it up and give it a go.  And let me know your thoughts! 

RATING:  2/5

Here is the CBS piece they did on Dewey: