Hate That Cat

Hate That Cat is a novel-in-verse by Sharon Creech, published in 2008. It is a sequel to Love That Dog (2001), another novel-in-verse by the same author. Creech is a two-time Newbery Medal winner, and she has been awarded the Carnegie Medal, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, and the Anne V. Zarrow Award, among others, for her contributions to children’s literature. Hate That Cat follows Jack for one school year as he navigates life’s challenges, such as coming to terms with the loss of a beloved pet and finding the courage to love another animal. Through a series of poems, Jack develops his own voice and healthy self-confidence as he learns about poetry’s emotional power.

This guide refers to the 2008 paperback edition, published by HarperCollins.

Plot Summary

Jack, the novel’s protagonist, is a student in Miss Stretchberry’s class for the second year in a row. Jack likes having Miss Stretchberry as a teacher as he feels she understands him. Miss Stretchberry teaches her students about poetry and encourages them to write it, which Jack enjoys. His first poem of the academic year introduces his dislike of cats. Also, Jack claims he cannot write any more poems about his dog, Sky, who was hit by a car and died last year.