From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7-When Olivier is invited to spend the summer with his eccentric grandfather and his even more eccentric third wife, Sylvia de Whosit of Whatsit, at their strange old mansion, Cat's Eye Corner, he knows that he is in for a real and true adventure. And, Olivier is not disappointed, for on his first morning at Cat's Eye Corner, his step-step-stepgramma sets him off on a scavenger hunt to keep him amused. As Olivier forages in and around the seemingly ever-changing mansion in search of all the items on his list, he acquires various odd friends, including a witty fountain pen and a resourceful dragonfly. Together they find all of the items, stop the nasty Mr. Mirrific from rewriting the dictionary and other literary classics, and generally have a grand adventure. This is a cleverly written novel, and the wordplay alone makes it a joy to read. Olivier is a believable character, and his awareness of the adventure he is on and his obvious knowledge of other literary adventures is entertaining and adds a nice twist to the story. Fans of Eva Ibbotson and, yes, Harry Potter are sure to enjoy this quirky read.Laura Reed, Kitchener Public Library, Ontario, CanadaCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Gr. 6-8. Olivier considers Norton Juster's book The Phantom Tollbooth to be a friend, and clearly Canadian author Griggs shares her young hero's affection for the classic and its clever use of phrase. Here, too, clever wordplay runs amok in adventures that are exuberant and often hilarious. The story begins when Olivier is sent to spend his summer holidays with his grandfather and his new "step-step-step gramma," Sylvia de Whosit of Whatsit. Before Olivier can complete his sleuthing to find out if she's a witch, she sends him on a scavenger hunt for myriad curious objects that will ultimately help him accomplish a dangerous, important mission. The parade of fabulously strange characters, from the leafy "woodwose" to the talking fountain pen, will remind readers of the Wizard of Oz series and Harry Potter, as well as Tollbooth, but the real spirit of the book lies in Griggs' delightful twists and turns of the language itself. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Short-listed for Mr. Christie's Book Award, the Red Cedar Book Award, and a Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice selection, this adventure begins when Olivier goes to spend his summer vacation at Cat's Eye Corner, the very strange home of his grandfather and his new bride, Sylvia de Whosit of Whatsit -- a reported witch. Olivier discovers a mansion filled with shifting rooms, doors with mirrored keyholes, and talking shrubbery. The chief culprits are the Inklings -- word fairies that wreak havoc on language, much to the chagrin of the cats who have been changed from pets to poets! Olivier finds himself embroiled in a magical scavenger hunt to recover a fantastical book buried in Nevermore Lake. Along the way, he meets members of the So-So Gang, a talking pen named Murray Shaeffer, a swarm of French-speaking flies, a girl named Linnette who can channel the wind, and a boy named Fathom who lives in the river. Filled with characters that pop in and out of the story, Cat's Eye Corner is a cleverly written novel with much of the fun derived from wordplay -- puns, literary allusions, and misspellings.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Short-listed for Mr. Christie's Book Award, the Red Cedar Book Award, and a Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice selection, this adventure begins when Olivier goes to spend his summer vacation at Cat's Eye Corner, the very strange home of his grandfather and his new bride, Sylvia de Whosit of Whatsit — a reported witch. Olivier discovers a mansion filled with shifting rooms, doors with mirrored keyholes, and talking shrubbery. The chief culprits are the Inklings — word fairies that wreak havoc on language, much to the chagrin of the cats who have been changed from pets to poets! Olivier finds himself embroiled in a magical scavenger hunt to recover a fantastical book buried in Nevermore Lake. Along the way, he meets members of the So-So Gang, a talking pen named Murray Shaeffer, a swarm of French-speaking flies, a girl named Linnette who can channel the wind, and a boy named Fathom who lives in the river. Filled with characters that pop in and out of the story, Cat's Eye Corner is a cleverly written novel with much of the fun derived from wordplay — puns, literary allusions, and misspellings.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

A quaint setting, off-the-wall characterizations and a scavenger hunt plot fuel this work of literary prestidigitation from Canadian author Griggs. Book-loving Olivier suspects something fishy is going on in Cat's Eye Corner, which is "full of rooms and rooms-cavernous and tiny rooms, rooms deep in dust or clean as a newt, rooms misshapen or round or precisely square, rooms that themselves contained other rooms, as if they were alive and had children." Olivier stays at the strange old mansion belonging to his Gramps and his new wife, Sylvia de Whosit of Whatsit (whom Olivier's parents have labeled a witch) for summer break. Yet Inklings, a group of word-renovating and improvising tinkerers, wreak havoc at every turn. Because of them, his step-step-stepgramma's feline pets become poets and her words become gibberish: "You must fund [your grandfather] to fond out what you need to fend," she instructs, regarding the scavenger hunt Sylvia has planned to entertain him. Surprises abound as Olivier hunts for magical items through the "Drak Wuolds" (an enchanted forest), and offbeat characters people the pages, such as Olivier's 83-year-old "pen pal" ("I believe I have a book in me. Goodness, it's a tight fit"); Edgar, Allen and Poe, plus Eliot (as in T.S.) and Bliss, the mysterious pets-turned-poets; and others. The hero also helps a woodwose/hedge man find his "roots," leading to a new appreciation for words. Although fantasy fans may find the approach here a bit precious, avid readers may well get a kick out of the liberal literary allusions. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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