DEWEY

The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched The World

by VICKI MYRON

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Brand new softcover book, 277 pages.

How many lives can one abandoned kitten touch? When he was just a few weeks old, Dewey Readmore Books was shoved through the book returns slot of his local library in a sleepy town. Starving, terrified and bruised, Dewey curled up into the arms of the library director Vicky. Vicky was a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, escaped a violent alcoholic husband and was struggling to bring up her little girl Jodi alone. Vicky fell in love with the little bundle of fur in her arms and campaigned to allow Dewey to stay and become the library cat.

Dewey's arrival transformed Vicky and Jodi's lives, as well as the staff at the library and eventually the fortunes of an entire town. Dewey was an instant hit with the library regulars. He quickly grew into a strutting, adorable library cat whose antics kept patrons in stitches, and whose sixth sense about those in need created hundreds of deep and loving friendships. He had an amazing instinct to cuddle up close to visitors that were going through a tough time. He supervised children's reading groups and ensured no child felt left out by snuggling into the laps of any outsiders. He was a ball of mischievous energy and relished in turning the hitherto quiet and predictable routines of the library upside down. Dewey became the town's number one attraction and he began regularly appearing in the national and international media.

As his fame grew, fans drove hundreds of miles to meet Dewey, and people all over the world fell in love with him. Through it all, Dewey remained a loyal companion, a beacon of hope not just for Vicki and Jodi, but for the entire town of Spencer as it slowly, steadily pulled itself up from the worst financial crisis in its long history. dewey won hearts and proved to everyone he encountered that unconditional love comes in many forms.

Through Myron’s anecdotes about Dewey’s 19 years of library service, she describes how he touched the lives of many he met--and particularly how he gave endless comfort to the residents of an agricultural community struggling to stay afloat in the midst of the "farm crisis" of the 1980s.

This is a book for everyone who has ever wanted, owned, or known a cat. Especially a ginger cat.

About the Author:

Vicky Myron was a librarian at the library in Spencer, Iowa for twenty-five years. When Dewey Readmore Books, an orange tabby who had charmed librarians and patrons for 19 years at the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa, died in 2006, his obituary ran in over 250 newspapers, including The New York Times. A year later Dewey made headlines again when Grand Central Publishing paid .2 million to then-Spencer Public Library director Vicki Myron and co-author Bret Witter for the rights to the cat’s life story. Vicki is currently planning for a movie of the book, and thinking about a series of children’s books based on Dewey’s adventures. Dewey merchandise is also in the pipeline

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Dewey: The small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron