Review of “Claw School” by Angeli Fitch

Score: 95+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)

What more could you want from a children's book than Claw School by Angeli Fitch?
Claw School features outstanding and appealing illustrations, an adorable and likable main character, an interesting and easy-to-follow plot, solid writing, and even a fun gimmick of cat-puns that are sure to put a smile on your face.

Although it might lack some of the emotional depth of a typical Tuula Pere book, it still shined in numerous other ways.

First of all, the illustrations by Mousam Banerjee are superb! Banerjee knocked it out of the park These might be the best illustrations in the contest so far! Everything is clear, everything is sharp, everything I colorful. The artist clearly has a good grasp of portraying depth and proportions. And, let's face it, cats are darn cute, and as long as you portray them for what they are (darn cute animals), you're doing good. Ruby and the other cats are incredibly cute, fluffy, and appealing to look at (yes, even the school bullies and the attorney).

Speaking of Ruby, she is such a compelling and lovable/likable character! She really is unique and special. Ruby has a rare condition called amblyopia, rendering her blind in the right-eye. That is actually something that subtly plays out throughout the story. It doesn't seem forced, nor does it eclipse the rest of what's going on. Instead, it's just a part of Ruby and who she is. We loved that the author didn't linger on the condition, although it became apparent to us with time. We noticed that one of her eyes (her right-eye) was never open and that she always appeared to be winking. It was only after going through about three-fourths of the book that we realized that she was actually blind in one eye.

It was at that point that we had an “aha” moment, and a lot of what happened earlier in the book started to make sense. For example, Ruby was bullied and made fun of by the other cats in the beginning of the book because she supposedly wasn't “smart enough.” However, when you read into it and infer some things, it becomes quite clear that she's bullied because of her disability and what the other cats see as a deformity.

What's beautiful is that Ruby has learned from her parents and from living with her disability that people need love, patience, compassion, and help—the same way that she needed love, patience, compassion, and help at one time.

When an attorney comes to claw school (law school) in search of a new intern to help crack a case, none of the other cats are able to make an impression on the attorney because they lack the depth and sensitivity that Ruby has. Ruby wows the attorney with her response that the truly-innocent should be defended and protected, including those accused of a crime they didn't commit.

It's the attorney's (and Ruby's) job to vindicate Mrs. Whiskers who has been accused of catnapping (kidnapping) a missing kitten. Ruby, a clever and inquisitive character, seeks a way of finding the DNA evidence (of the missing kitten) that the furrensics (forensics) lab isn't able to provide. She also interviews the missing kitten's mother for more information, finding a toy mouse that she is confident will contain the DNA that they need to save the day and find the missing kitten!

This is a positive, bright, beautiful, colorful, feel-good story about a person using their wits, brains, and instincts to solve a big problem. It is also the story of a person with a disability who is unwilling to let their disability hold them back or keep them from living a full, accomplished life.

Check it out on Amazon!