The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Theo Chang Is Not a Cat

Regular price €10.99
1st 2nd 3rd 4th grade
A01=Kate Messner
A01=Mike Jung
A12=Kat Fajardo
age 6 7 8 9 year old
age 7 8 9 year old
animals
anxiety
assembly
Author_Kat Fajardo
Author_Kate Messner
Author_Mike Jung
boy
Category=YBD
Category=YFB
Category=YFS
chapter book
chapter book series
children
classmates
classroom read aloud books
elementary school
eq_activity-picture-books
eq_baby-toddler-early-learning
eq_bestseller
eq_childrens
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_teenage-young-adult
family
first day
friendship
friendships
funny
girl
grade 1 2 3 4
growth mindset
humorous
illustrations
kids in mrs. z's class
mrs. z
mrs. z's class
new experiences
new school
recorder
school story
SEL
series
social emotional learning

Product details

  • ISBN 9781523532896
  • Weight: 117g
  • Dimensions: 138 x 196mm
  • Publication Date: 27 Nov 2025
  • Publisher: Workman Publishing
  • Publication City/Country: US
  • Product Form: Paperback
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Meet the kids in Mrs. Z's wacky and wonderful third grade class! Theo Chang is thrilled his family adopted a new cat, but the cat is less thrilled about his new home. Can Theo find a way to befriend the kitty before his family gives up and takes him back to the shelter?

Theo Chang loves Trainwhistle, his family's newly adopted cat. There's just one problem: Trainwhistle does not love Theo. Although he's a lovey-dovey lap cat with humans, Trainwhistle is very rough with other cats. And for some reason, he clearly thinks Theo is another cat. Chased around the apartment and bitten on the ankle by the ferocious feline, Theo doesn't know what to do!

Too embarrassed about getting beaten up by his own cat, Theo can't ask his best friend Memo for advice, but when his parents start talking about returning Trainwhistle to the shelter, he realizes time is running out. Can Theo convince Trainwhistle he's a boy, not a cat, before it's too late?

Both sweetly poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, with black-and-white illustrations by Pura Belpré Honor artist Kat Fajardo, Theo Chang welcomes readers into Mrs. Z's class where friendship and fun rule the school.

Perfect for!
My Weirdtastic School fans
Reluctant readers
Classroom read-alouds
Andrew Clements fans
Cat lovers!
Families who've adopted a pet

Read them all! The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class have plenty of stories to share!
Emma McKenna, Full Out (#1)
Rohan Murthy Has a Plan (#2)
Poppy Song Bakes a Way (#3)
The Legend of Memo Castillo (#4)
Wyatt Hill Brings a Lizard to School (#5)
Ayana Ndoum Takes the Stage (#6)
Olive Little Gets Crafty (#7)
Synclaire Fields Knows the Score (#8)
Theo Chang is Not a Cat (#9) - available for preorder now!
Thunder Nelson Does the Impossumble (#10) - available for preorder now!
Sebastian Metzger Solves a Sticky Situation (#11) - available for preorder now!
Fia Hosein Finds Her Beat (#12) - available for preorder now!

*The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class is an innovative series where every book is written by a different all-star author and features a different kid in the same third-grade class. They can be read in any order!

Mike Jung is the author of Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities, Unidentified Suburban Object, and The Boys in the Back Row. He is a library professional by day and a writer and ukulele player by night, and he was a founding member of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks team. He lives in Oakland, California, with his family. He invites you to visit him online at mikejung.com.Kat Fajardo (they/she) received a Pura Belpré Honor for Illustration for their first graphic novel, Miss Quinces (published in Spanish as Srta. Quinces). Born and raised in New York City, Kat now lives in Austin, Texas, with their pups, Mac and Roni. They invite you to visit them at katfajardo.com.