Hannah May always takes the long way home.

But one afternoon the woods go strangely quiet, and strangely green, and a flash of orange darts between the trees. Hannah May, who never can leave a wonderful thing alone, follows it right off the path.

When she does, everything changes. Hannah May turns into a small orange cat, with no way to turn back and no way home. Lost in the great dark woods, she has only one hope: a big old house at the edge of the trees, where the windows glow warm all night long, and a kind woman named Miss Opal takes in cats who were once children, just like her.

A gentle, glowing chapter book about getting lost, being braver than you knew, and finding the place, and the family, where you truly belong.

Perfect for ages 7–9 and for grown-ups reading aloud, The Long Way Home is Book One of The Cats of Opal Manor, a cozy, magical series for every quiet, curious child who ever felt like the only one.

The cat on the cover was drawn by the author's young niece, and the whole story began with her picture of a cat named Ripley.

For every child who ever felt like the only one.