Dewey's Nine Lives: The Magic of a Small-town Library Cat Who Touched Millions

Written by Vicki Myron

Narrated by Andrea Gallo

Share your fabulous feline photos with us in the Dewey the Library Cat group in Penguin Community.

The cat that captured America's hearts returns, to share more of his special brand of magic.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World was a blockbuster bestseller and a publishing phenomenon. It has sold nearly a million copies, spawned three children's books, and will be the basis for an upcoming movie. No doubt about it, Dewey has created a community. Dewey touched readers everywhere, who realized that no matter how difficult their lives might seem, or how ordinary their talents, they can-and should-make a positive difference to those around them. Now, Dewey is back, with even more heartwarming moments and life lessons to share.

Dewey's Nine Lives offers nine funny, inspiring, and heartwarming stories about cats--all told from the perspective of "Dewey's Mom," librarian Vicki Myron. The amazing felines in this book include Dewey, of course, whose further never-before-told adventures are shared, and several others who Vicki found out about when their owners reached out to her. Vicki learned, through extensive interviews and story sharing, what made these cats special, and how they fit into Dewey's community of perseverance and love. From a divorced mother in Alaska who saved a drowning kitten on Christmas Eve to a troubled Vietnam veteran whose heart was opened by his long relationship with a rescued cat, these Dewey-style stories will inspire readers to laugh, cry, care, and, most importantly, believe in the magic of animals to touch individual lives.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
• Release date: Oct 12, 2010
• ISBN: 9781101436905

Reviews for Dewey's Nine Lives

[Laurent caruso · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What an awful book, only stories about badly injured cats or dying/dead cats! Really boring narration/writing as well. I couldn't finish it... If you like cats, read instead Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper, which is well written, more entertaining and much more positive.

[twileteyes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kinda reminded me of the Chicken Soup books, which is good, I really enjoyed it. I lent it to my sister who enjoyed it so much she has refused to give it back!!




*received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads

[bandpmom-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book! Great stories of people and their cats. Especially the last story. Dewey's story is sweet and I'm sure he was too. If you love libraries and cats, you will love this book.

[rolyat-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

truly a delightful book. stories of cat and their owners, or should i say people and the cats that own them. i do think you have to be a cat person to like this book. i enjoyed all the different stories of how cats and their people connect. our pets do become part of our family and can often bring family members together. i believe Vicky Myron took the best of all the stories and again, has written a very funny, witty and fascination book.

[sriemann_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So call me a crazy cat lady. I will accept that if reading this and enjoying it are indicative of being a crazy cat lady.

[hadriantheblind · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cute little fluffy book. Not much effort required.

[crazy4reading · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well I finally finished this book. I was not overly impressed with this book. I thought I would be reading more about Dewey than life in Spencer Iowa.I did enjoy the beginning and how Dewey came to live in the library. The rest with the personal life was not all that interesting.Learning about how Dewey touched people was interesting but that was all I enjoyed.

[realbigcat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Super book for the cat lover. I wasn't really familiar with Dewey the cat before this book which is actually a follow-up to another book just about Dewey. This book contains stories about other people and their cats. The stories are very entertaining. As with most books about pets the stories hit on a wide aaray of emotions including the sad fact that the pets will die someday. This book had a great surprise ending. If you love animals especially cats you will love this book.

[maryinhb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful collection of stories inspired by readers of Vicki Myron's other book and is filled with the healing properties that animals can bring to your life. Several of the stories really touched my heart, especially Spooky which tells the tale of a Vietnam vet who is suffering from undiagnosed PTSD and the redemption he finds with a black cat who truly had nine lives. This cat was literally dropped onto the roof of his car one night by a bird of prey and Bill takes the cat to a nearby vet in hopes that the animal can be saved. The cat lives and survives more animal encounters with a bear and a coyote. The most incredible part of the story is how this cat truly helps Bill overcome his own issues by providing unconditional love.My other favorite is the story of Cookie, another cat who is not supposed to live and the woman who adopts her even though she doesn't have room for another cat. Cookie demands to be taken home from a no kill shelter and quickly establishes herself as ruler of the domain she presides over. No matter what kind of day Lynda has, Cookie is there for her. The stories in this book just make you feel good with warm fuzzies. A few of the stories are a bit sad, but they are also very uplifting at the same time. I can't imagine another book that is more perfect for gift giving to your favorite animal person this holiday season.

[hms68 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you love cats, you'll love this book. However, have a tissue box handy. Each story will pull at your heart.

[samaree_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is a charming collection of cats and the people whose lives they touch and change. There are two new stories about Dewey Readmore Books, the resident library cat of Spencer, Iowa. If you didn't read the first book, "Dewey", his story is briefly recounted in the prologue. The rest of the book is compiled of seven cat stories that will make you, laugh, cry, break your heart and heal your soul. My only wish is that I could love as wholeheartedly as my pets love me. A good book for animals lovers and readers of inspirational books.

[lg4154 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won an ARC from Library Thing. I liked this book and got a lot out of it. I did not read the first Dewey book, and was not missing anything. This book talks about what Dewey meant to different types of people, those who knew him and those who could relate their own love of animals thru Dewey’s “magic”. A couple of times I got a little misty-eyed when reading about the loss of certain animals in the book. This one was not just centered on cats; some dogs were in there as well. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Marley and me and to any animal lover period.

[koalamom_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you liked Dewey, you'll like this one as well. If you like stories about animals in general and/or cats in particular, you'll like this book. Me -I'm a sucker for cats and cat stories.

[princesspeaches_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Heartwarming, its true; a little on the smaltzy side for me. I enjoyed the original Dewey book, but probably wouldn't have read this one if I didn't receive it for free. However, it was a nice read. But honestly nothing I got too excited about. Maybe I'm just more of a dog person...

[khusser_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dewey Part II, for those of you who enjoyed Vicki's first tear-jerker about an abandoned kitten who brings together a small Iowa town during hard economic times.

[agirlandherbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dewey’s Nine Lives isn’t the typical retread that inevitably follows a blockbuster. Instead, from the thousands of letter and emails Vicki Myron received after Dewey’s story was published, she and co-author Bret Witter culled nine spectacular stories of cats that made a profound difference for a person or family, just as Dewey did for the library patrons of Spencer, Iowa. She introduces readers to Vietnam vets, cancer survivors, a Florida couple fleeing harsh Midwestern winters, and more than one embattled single mother, as well as a ninja cat and a pack of felines that follow their adopted parents on evening walks. Her best tale, left for last, is the love story of two retirees, a lonely bartender who liked to dance and a librarian recovering from a serious illness, who were united by – what else – their love for cats. Each story is detailed and fleshed-out, always with a link back to the cat who started it all: Dewey Readmore Books.

[suefernandez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd read the child's version of Dewey and loved it (as did my daughter.) This book was a delight, and I actually read it before the adult version of the initial book. I love the stories of other cats, other touching stories, and how much animals (cats in this case) bring to our lives. If you loved the story of Dewey, or if you simply love cats, or animals...this is well wrth the read.

[madforbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This second book about Dewey is a true treat for all his fans. I was crying while reading the very first chapter! There are true stories of other cats throughout the book, yet Dewey's spirit is on every page. The stories of the other cats are heartwarming, heartbreaking and magnificent! I read about them and their people with awe.We are given the circumstances of Vicki Myron's life after Dewey's passing which was very satisfying to learn.If you loved Dewey, you will love this book. The two books belong together on your bookshelf. I'm sure Dewey would agree.

[mariah2_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If I knew how to purr, I would have been doing so while reading this book. This is a collection of short stories (9 to be exact plus a prologue) about different cats, with different people, in different situations. Even though I am more of a dog person, I thought this book was a delight to read.

[rjmoren · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had high expectations that this book would be as good as the first "Dewey" book. It was! The stories of the different cats and their owners were inspiring to read. I enjoy hearing of cats and their people stories. Vicki Myron did a wonderful job of detailing the emotions of each one to elicit just the right amount of tears or laughter. I highly recommend this one for cat lovers.

[gingerlyn2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I found there was a follow up to “Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World,” I couldn’t wait to read it. Dewey’s Nine Lives did not let me down! In this book, readers get to meet a few more delightful cats and the people’s lives they touched. It’s a charming book, which does a great job of illustrating the bonds people have with their animals – particularly their cats. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This collection of cat stories focuses on the ways in which individual cats made a difference in the lives of the people they lived with. They are interesting and heart warming. Like the first book Ms. Myron wrote, this one makes the case for recognizing that the bond between pet and owner can be strong and rewarding.

[willowone_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dewey's Nine Lives is the sequel to book one, titled "Dewey". It is a compilation of stories both about others experiences with Dewey and stories about other animals and their owners. The stories show how animals/pets can have a very large and profound effect in the lives of their owners or those they interact with. The stories may make you think of a pet you once had, one you have now or one you knew. You will smile, you may cry and you may laugh out loud. Just try not to picture "Ninja" after you read why he was given that name. I would love to see him in action.I never read the first book about Dewey Readmore Books, but I will now. This is an enjoyable book for all of those out there that have pets and enjoy their company.

[acook_713547 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dewey is back! For those of you who loved the story of Dewey, the cat adopted by the library in the small town of Spencer, Iowa, this is more of the same. The author, Vicki, has supplied us with a couple additional tales from Dewey’s life, along with some new cat stories that came to her after the publication of Dewey’s book. Each of the stories fleshes out the human’s story, too, so they become mini-biographies. All of them are about people whose lives are exceptionally touched by their cat’s involvement in them. And all of the stories are touching.Of course, most of the cats in the stories have already passed on, so you hear of their deaths. If you are the type to avoid these books, you may wish to pass on this one, it happens repeatedly. In our family, we have a rating system, “DD” (Dog Dies), “HD” (Horse Dies). This one has t be rated “CD”. Except for the last one Vicki tells about. She brings us up to date on her life, and her new cat, Dewey’s “replacement,” who is still going strong.My favorite story was about the resort in Florida which at one point was almost overrun with resident cats. I was ready to make a reservation until it was revealed that it isn't like that anymore.I enjoyed the book. I love reading about animals so much that I make myself get past the sad parts. It also helps me remember my own cats and dogs that have passed on.Thanks to LT for sending me an Early Reviewer copy of this book. It will go on my shelf alongside the original Dewey.

[tanya2009_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I won this book on Librarything. Vicki Myron is the author of Dewey the small town library cat who inspired millions. In this book she includes new Dewey stories and several cat stories from other cat owners. If you like animals this book is a great read.

[bookaholicmom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book and was a bit afraid to read it. I'm always afraid these types of books will be too sad. While there were a few sad parts, I found the stories to be very heartwarming. The cats in these stories all filled a void and played an important role in someone's life just as Dewey did. Each story is unique and touching. My favorite story was about a cat who rode a motorcycle, truly a remarkable cat! Also there a couple of new Dewey stories included in the book. If you love cats or pets, I think you will be touched and love each story as much as I did. It was so moving that I read the whole book in one sitting.

[jayde1599_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dewey's Nine Lives is a collection of 9 stories of cats and their owners who were inspired to share their bonds after hearing Dewey's story. Three of the stories involve Dewey. The other 6 were selected by Vicki Myron and her co-writer because they shared that "Dewey Magic" quality.I enjoyed the first Dewey book much more than this one. Dewey's Nine Lives, although heart-warming in its own way, reminds me of Chicken Soup for the Cat's Soul. Myron tried to add a spin to the tales by attempting to relate her relationship with Dewey with the cats and owners of the other stories. I found this most annoying. I think the book would have made more of an impact on me if it was just their own individual stories - because they were endearing. There is something special between the love of a pet and their owner, especially if the person saves the pet's life. This is clearly established throughout all 9 stories. Some of the stories made me cry, some made me laugh (picture a cat on a motorcycle), some made me think of my cat...they all fit the Dewey legacy.