The Mostly True Story of Pudding Tat, Adventuring Cat

by Caroline Adderson, Stacy Innerst (Illustrator)

Pudding Tat is born on the Willoughby Farm in 1901 — just another one of Mother Tat’s kittens. But it turns out that Pudding is anything but ordinary. He is pure white with pink eyes that, though beautiful, do not see well, and hearing that is unusually acute. He finds himself drawn to the sweet sounds of the world around him — the pattering heartbeat of a nearby mouse, the musical tinkling of a distant stream.

Soon the sounds of adventure call to Pudding, too. But before he can strike out into the wide world on his own, he hears a voice — coming from right inside his own ear. A flea has claimed Pudding as his host. The bossy parasite demands that Pudding take him away from the lowly barn and the drunken singing of his fellow fleas. He doesn’t want adventure but a finer life — one where he can enjoy a warm bed and blood flavored not with mice, but with beef tenderloin and cream.

Fortunately for this mismatched pair, the world is an extremely interesting place in 1901. Over the next decade and a half, Pudding and his flea find themselves helping to make history — a journey over Niagara Falls in a barrel, a visit to the Pan-American Exposition on the day President McKinley is shot, a luxurious stay in Manhattan with songwriter Vincent Bryan, a terrifying trip on the airship America, and a voyage on the ill-fated Titanic.

Through each narrow escape, the call to adventure for the cat, and luxury for his disgruntled flea, beckons them on, right to the devastation of a World War I battlefield. Then Pudding is filled with a new longing, one that brings him, with his flea’s help now, full circle and back home.

130 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2019

About the author

Caroline Adderson grew up in Alberta. After traveling around Canada, she moved to B.C. to go to university and has mostly lived there ever since. She started writing seriously after university, eventually going on to write two internationally published novels (A History of Forgetting and Sitting Practice) and two collections of short stories for adults (Bad Imaginings and Pleased To Meet You). When her son was five, she began writing seriously unserious books for young readers (Very Serious Children; I, Bruno;and Bruno For Real). Her contribution to the Single Voice series is her first really serious book for young readers and her first book for teens.

Caroline’s work has received numerous prize nominations including the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist, the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. A two-time Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and three-time CBC Literary Award winner, Caroline was also the recipient of the 2006 Marian Engel Award, given annually to an outstanding female writer in mid-career in recognition of her body of work. She also won the 2009 Diamond Willow Award—voted on by lots of nice kids in Saskatchewan—for her children’s novel Very Serious Children.

Caroline keeps writing for readers of all ages every day. She also does a little teaching at Simon Fraser University and hangs out with her husband, a filmmaker, their 10-year-old son, and their naughty dog, Mickey, a Jack Russell terrier who is very lucky to be cute or she would never get away with all she does. Caroline’s advice to young writers is to read, read, read and write, write, write, and never get a Jack Russell terrier.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

First sentence: This is the mostly true story of Pudding Tat, much-traveled cat, whose adventuring life began in the first year of a new and promising century. Not ours, but one long ago.

Premise/plot: Pudding Tat is the (cat) hero of this middle grade animal fantasy. He was born in 1901 in Ontario, Canada; he’s not like the other kittens born to Mother Tat—he’s an albino. His mother worries about him because he’s mostly blind. How can he hunt mice?! How can he avoid foxes?! How he can he stay out of the way of humans?! But Pudding Tat is a cat seemingly destined for adventures—big ones that will take him across borders and seas. This novel is told in episodic adventures spanning 1901-1915. Pudding is host to one flea—could this flea be unlike his 499 brothers and sisters?! These two communicate in an unusual way.

My thoughts: There was something satisfying and enjoyable about this one. I enjoyed the characters and stories. There are many humans that go in and out of Pudding’s life. The author admits—though most readers could probably guess on their own—that this mostly true story is pure fiction with some true events occurring in the background. (For example, the sinking of the Titanic.)

I loved the full circle-ness of this one!!!

[Heidi Haskell · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Forrest Gump was a turn-of-the-20th-century cat.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pudding Tat, an albino cat, was born on a farm in rural Ontario in 1901. Although he was almost blind, he ended up travelling around the world. He couldn't have done it without Flea in his ear. He has many adventures and meets all kinds of interesting people. Even when the characters are not real, they are composites of people who lived at the time.
He begins his adventuring by going over Niagra Falls with Annie Edson Taylor. He's at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York when President William McKinley is assassinated. Musical geniuses, Gus Edwards and Vincent P. Bryan befriend him.
These are just the beginnings of Pudding Tat and Flea's many experiences. As readers learn about some major historic events, they are entertained by the humour in the duo’s relationship. Flea provides much of the comic relief to Pudding Tat’s straight man.
After reading this, I wished I were still teaching grades 3/4. I would love to do this as a read aloud and then have the students do mini research projects based on the many fascinating events and characters in the book.
I enjoyed the illustrations for each new chapter. My only quibble is that I don’t think the cover does the book credit.

[Ms.Gaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating story about a blind yet adventurous cat (and a flea) that cleverly incorporates a lot of historical moments in the early 1900s. Each chapter is introduced with a one-page graphic novel format. A good choice for reading aloud. Ages 8-12

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to borrow and ARC of this book, and I devoured it in a day. It has the balance of charm and serious themes that characterize great middle-grade literature. Highly recommended!

[Julie Swartzentruber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
juvenile fiction, probably a 4 if I were 9yo

[SRL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how the author played with various historical events and adapted them to the life of Pudding Tat.

[Marlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was a wonderful book. I did cry at one point. My daughter loved it as well. It was rather disorienting at times, when we are technically following the cat but we would instead be introduced to a new character. We would learn about that character and then eventually the cat would come in. After a while one got used to this, but it was awkward for about the first half of the book.