The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale

In this playful homage to Charles Dickens, Skilley, an alley cat with an embarrassing secret, longs to escape his street-cat life.

Hoping to trade London's damp alleyways for the warmth of ye olde Cheshire Cheese Inn, Skilley strikes a bargain with Pip, an erudite mouse. Skilley will protect the mice who live at the inn, and in turn, the mice will provide Skilley with the thing he desires most.

But when Skilley and Pip are drawn into a crisis of monumental proportions, their new friendship is pushed to its limits. The escalating crisis threatens the peace not only of the Cheshire Cheese Inn but the entire British Monarchy!

New York Times best-selling author Carmen Agra Deedy and coauthor Randall Wright collaborate on this compelling story set in Victorian England. With the artwork of award-winning illustrator Barry Moser, The Cheshire Cheese Cat is filled with charming characters and strong themes of friendship and loyalty.

One of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far)

Carmen Agra Deedy is a New York Times best-selling author and renowned storyteller. Her books have received numerous awards and honors. Carmen has performed in many prestigious venues, but children are her favorite audience. Born in Havana, Cuba, she came to the United States as a refugee and like most immigrants sees the world from multiple perspectives. She lives in Georgia.

Randall Wright loves tales by the fireside, mouthwatering feasts, and musty old books. The author of several middle grade novels, he currently lives with his wife and children in a small castle in the kingdom of Utah. To his regret, his castle has no moat or towers, or even stone walls, as they would tend to annoy his neighbors.

Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Moser studied at Auburn University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and did post-graduate work at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is the acclaimed illustrator of more than two hundred books for adults and children, including In the Beginning by Virginia Hamilton, which was a Newbery Honor Book. He is also a printer, painter, printmaker, designer, author, essayist, and teacher. He lives in Massachusetts.