Kara LaReau’s LICORICE Finds a Place for a New Cat in a Family’s Heart

Kitty’s challenge in Kara LaReau’s LICORICE isn’t simply finding a home. It’s finding one where she can be herself, even as the people around her keep measuring her against the cat who came before. This middle-grade story pairs that tender question of belonging with animal humor, lively illustrations and a thread of suspense.

A new home with a cat-shaped shadow

Kitty has lost her family and landed in a rescue facility, where she shares space with Bunny Von Hopper, a rabbit whose obnoxious manner makes an already difficult situation harder. A possible new beginning appears when Max and his mother visit. Max is still grieving his cat, Licorice, and blames himself for the animal’s death. Hoping Kitty might fill that absence, he brings her home to 5 Manderly Lane.

The house offers company, but not an instant welcome. Kitty meets Fred the Turtle, Cookie the Hamster and Duchess, a bossy parrot. Each animal has a personality she must learn to navigate. Meanwhile, the lingering smell of Licorice is everywhere. To Kitty, it’s a steady reminder that this household belonged to another cat first.

Max’s friends Josh and Bella deepen that feeling. They liked Licorice, and they keep pointing out how different Kitty is. She tries to become Max’s little pal, hoping that fitting in will keep her from being returned to the rescue facility. That effort gives the story its emotional center: Kitty wants security and affection, but she shouldn’t have to become someone else to earn either.

Warmth, suspense and a literary echo

The reviewer describes LICORICE as an endearing, touching story that should especially appeal to cat lovers, while also recommending it to readers drawn to stories about belonging. The book is identified as a retelling of Daphne du Maurice’s classic REBECCA. That connection gives Kitty’s uneasy arrival in a home haunted by its previous cat an added literary resonance, while the animal cast and middle-grade perspective bring the idea into a different key.

The suspense, the reviewer says, is suited to middle-grade readers without becoming frightening. That balance may make the book a comfortable choice for readers who enjoy a little unease alongside humor and warmth. Kitty’s narration is another part of the appeal: her view of the household keeps the reader close to her attempts to interpret its habits, loyalties and expectations.

The reviewer also singles out Max’s mother, whose ideas about streaks of good and bad luck and astrological signs add comic texture. Those details give the family its own quirks as Kitty tries to work out how she fits into it. The black-and-white drawings offer a visual counterpoint to the story; one described image shows Kitty looking at a mantel portrait of Max and Licorice. It’s a compact scene that captures the central tension without spelling out what Kitty’s future will hold.

At 224 pages and 19 chapters, the book is described as moving at a pleasant pace and working well as a read-aloud. The reviewer also praises a surprise at the end. That’s best left unexplained: the pleasure of a twist depends on meeting it in the story itself.

Book details and author

Book birthday: October 20, 20026. Pages: 224. LICORICE is by Kara LaReau.

About the author

Kara LaReau worked as an editor at Candlewick Press and Scholastic Press. Her editorial work included Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie, winner of a Newbery Honor; The Tiger Rising, a finalist for the National Book Award; The Tale of Despereaux, winner of the Newbery Medal; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, winner of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award; and the Mercy Watson series.

As an author, LaReau has written the award-winning chapter book series The Infamous Ratsos, illustrated by Matt Myers; the middle-grade trilogies The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters, illustrated by Jen Hill, and the ZomBert Chronicles, illustrated by Ryan Andrews; the chapter book series WITCHYCAKES, illustrated by Ariane Moreira; and many picture books. She lives in Providence with her husband, daughter and cats.

For readers, Kitty’s story offers a gentle way into a complicated feeling: welcoming someone new doesn’t erase the love that came before. The reviewer’s recommendation is clear, especially for cat fans and families looking for a paced, suspenseful read-aloud with room for conversation about home and belonging.

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