Message from Deborah Ellis

Hi everyone!  I am sorry that my schedule does not permit me to be with you at the Gala – I have been to the Red Cedar celebration before, and it is the best party in the country.

Thank you to all the readers and teachers and librarians who put work and time into this program. You are all reading heros.

The Cat At The Wall takes place in an amazing part of the world – Israel and Palestine. I hope all of you will one day be able to visit there and meet the kind, good people who live there.

The cat in the book is a creature who is perplexed by what is going on around her, much like all of us from time to time.  We are all dropped into the world and we have to try to make sense of it and figure out what role we can play in it as we journey through life.

As you journey through your own life, remember the power you have in your choices.  Our choices define us, tell the world who we are, and our choices shape the future.  Be sure that your choices are shaping the future in the way that you would like it to go.

Thanks again, you brave, enthusiastic readers.  And Happy Red Cedar!