Shadow has rules. Rule One: Do not enter buildings with kids. Rule Two: Do not chase anything indoors. Rule Three: avoid problems that smell like school. He broke all three before the storm hit. When a supernatural forest wind tears through Willowmere Lane and sends green lightning crackling across the sky, Shadow — the neighborhood's famously grumpy black cat — finds himself trapped inside Ms. Graves's enchanted Victorian house along with three nervous kids, one overconfident raccoon, a mayhem-prone squirrel, and their well-meaning neighbor Mrs. Jinglebright (who only came to drop off a casserole). What follows is unlike any after-school day any of them expected. The front door disappears. The hallway stretches. Paintings come alive, a sarcastic rug demands proper manners, a grandfather clock docks points for blurting, and the furnace in the basement writes smug, pointed poetry on every available window. Each enchanted room has its own rules — and the only way out is learning to work together, observe carefully, and occasionally say please to the floor. The Cat Who Hated Back to School is a warmly funny, delightfully strange middle grade chapter book about teamwork, sacrifice, and what happens when a cat who hates asking for help gets stuck in a house that insists on it. Perfect for readers who like their adventure seasoned with enchanted objects, wisecracking mailboxes, and mysteries that don't quite resolve before the next storm rolls in. Willowmere Lane has always been a little unusual. This year, it's about to get a lot more complicated.