The Cat Ate My Gymsuit
| The Cat Ate My Gymsuit | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Paula Danziger |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult novel |
| Publisher | Putnam |
| Publication date | 1974 |
| Media type | Print Paperback |
| Pages | 160 pp |
| ISBN | 0-142-40654-6 |
| OCLC Number | 67616260 |
| Followed by | There's a Bat in Bunk Five |
The Cat Ate My Gymsuit (1974) is a young adult novel written by Paula Danziger.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The story follows Marcy Lewis, an amply-contoured thirteen-year-old freshman girl who hates her looks. She has a verbally abusive father and it seems her parents, Martin and Lily, are always fighting. Her dad doesn't make her feel good about her excuses that result in her failing gym for the year. Marcy refuses to take gym due to her insecurity over her large figure. Marcy only has one friend, Nancy Sheridan. Nancy later admits she was Marcy's friend only because her mother told her to be, as both of their mothers were friends and participated in the PTA. Later on, Nancy grows to like Marcy as a good friend. However as Nancy was very popular Marcy sometimes got jealous of her. Through this club, Marcy meets a lot of new friends. She even meets a boy who seems to be attracted to her, Joel Anderson, whose attorney father works with the Board of Education. Then one day, the principal comes to observe Ms. Finney. She teaches the material well, but the same teaching techniques that work for the kids by Ms. Finney are abhorred by the school administrators. Marcy and her friends suddenly find themselves coming to Ms. Finney’s defense when she is threatened with the loss of her job. Marcy even stands up to her father one day. Ms. Finney brings a legal case against her firing; once in court some of her students speak in her defense. Ms. Finney also brings up the legal case for refusing to say the school Pledge of Allegiance. The school board reluctantly reinstates her, but Ms. Finney, realizing that she would be going back into an impossible situation, immediately resigns. Marcy and her friends feel betrayed, but come to understand her reasons, as they eventually use her lessons as they move forward in life.
[edit] Inspiration
The most recent edition of the book has an afterword by Danziger explaining why she initially wrote the book and why it is still relevant today.
The title of the book comes from one of the many excuses Marcy offers to her gym teacher such as "the cat ate my gymsuit" to get out of physical education classes.
[edit] Sequel
Followed by There's a Bat in Bunk Five.
