Book Description Nine-year-old Kate Purdy is traveling from Missouri to Oregon by wagon train, and she’s worried about Snuggs—the pretty little cat who took a shine to her and decided to come along for the ride even though there are no pets allowed on the wagon train. No matter what happens, Snuggs the cat has to stay a secret! “An action-packed, highly readable tale.” 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　—Publishers Weekly William H. Hooks has written over 40 other books for children, including The Legend of the Christmas Rose and The Mighty Sante Fe. From Publishers Weekly Kate and her family have arrived in St. Joseph, Mo., to join a wagon train heading for Oregon. Kate finds a cat and is determined to keep it. She smuggles the animal aboard the family wagon and enlists the help of her irrepressible new friend Rosie. The action-packed, highly readable tale includes such hazards as a buffalo stampede, a perilous river crossing and a dangerous encounter with Indians. Throughout Kate and Rosie struggle to keep Snuggs a secret. When Snuggs is finally discovered, there is a surprising twist, and the story ends with the wagon train's arrival in Oregon. Readers of this well-paced, first-person narrative will want to know more about the three adventurers in this story; Kate, Rosie and Snuggs are memorable travelers of the Oregon trail. Ages 8-10. Card catalog description When a young pioneer girl smuggles a cat aboard the wagon train taking her family from Missouri to Oregon, it turns out to be the best thing she could have done. Inside Flap Copy "Moving West on the Oregon Trail, nine-year-old Kate Purdy and her family ward off a buffalo stampede and an Indian attack, and deal with a stowaway cat and her kittens, all the while chronicling the trip itself and the developing friendship between Kate and Rosie Murphy. Hooks gives the essence of Kate's sensitive and cunning nature while portraying Rosie as a self-sufficient young girl. The fast-moving plot helps readers along." 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　--School Library Journal. Book Dimension length: (cm)19.2 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)12.6