The Cat King of Havana

by Tom Crosshill

Lolcats. Salsa dancing. Unrequited love. Tom Crosshill's smart and witty debut teen novel treads a colorful coming-of-age journey from New York City to Havana that will appeal to fans of books by Matthew Quick and Junot Diaz.

When Rick Gutierrez--known as That Cat Guy at school--gets dumped on his sixteenth birthday for uploading cat videos from his bedroom instead of experiencing the real world, he realizes it's time for a change. So Rick joins a salsa class . . . because of a girl, of course. Ana Cabrera is smart, friendly, and smooth on the dance floor. He might be half Cuban, but Rick dances like a drunk hippo. Desperate to impress Ana, he invites her to spend the summer in Havana. The official reason: learning to dance. The hidden agenda: romance under the palm trees.

Except Cuba isn't all sun, salsa, and music. As Rick and Ana meet his family and investigate the reason why his mother left Cuba decades ago, they learn that politics isn't just something that happens to other people. And when they find romance, it's got sharp edges.

--Booklist Online

• ISBN10: 0062422855
• ISBN13: 9780062422859
• Publish Date: 6 September 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

This was a fun, quirky and heartfelt coming of age story with dancing, Cuba, and lolcats. Our MC, Rick started a cat video site following his mother's death after discovering a folder full of humorous cat videos. In an attempt to know his mother better, and to get closer to his crush, Ana, he embarks on a trip to visit family in Cuba.

"It's hard to believe we're going back to our old lives tomorrow," Ana said to me halfway to Cancun.
"Are we?" I asked her.

The answer is no. Both Ana and Rick grew and changed so much from their visit to Cuba. They fell in love, they had their hearts broken, they made mistakes. They also danced, laughed, and lived. This was quite a coming of age story. I have never been to Cuba, but I feel like I know so much about this country now. The way Crosshill painted the scenery and filled it with dancing and music, created quite a vivid picture of Cuba for me.

Rick was a fantastic protagonist. I wanted so much for him, and I couldn't help cheering when he succeeded or dropping my head when he was defeated. There are many humorous and smile inducing parts, but there were also many heartfelt moments. I admired the choices Rick made, which were not always in his best interest, but rather, the best interests of others.

Overall - a quirky and wonderful coming of age story filled with love, family, and dancing.