Kara LaReau’s LICORICE Reimagines REBECCA as a Middle Grade Story About Belonging

Kitty’s new home comes with an unsettling problem: the family already had a cat, and his presence still seems to fill every room. That tension gives Kara LaReau’s LICORICE its appeal as a middle grade story about grief and belonging, told through the wary perspective of a cat trying to find her place.

A new home with old memories

Before Kitty meets Max, life has already taken a hard turn. She has lost her family and is living in a rescue facility beside Bunny Von Hopper, a rabbit whose obnoxious manner makes the shelter feel less like a refuge. A visit from Max and his mother seems to offer Kitty a fresh start.

Max, though, is grieving too. His cat Licorice has died, and Max blames himself. He hopes Kitty might fill the empty place in his life, so he brings her home to 5 Manderly Lane. For Kitty, that address is less a welcome than a challenge. She has entered a household shaped by the cat who came before her, and she can’t simply settle in because Max wants her there.

The other residents add their own complications. Fred the Turtle, Cookie the Hamster and Duchess, a bossy parrot, are all part of a household Kitty must learn to navigate. Even the smell of Licorice seems to linger. Kitty has found a home in the practical sense, but she still has to discover whether she can feel at home there.

Max’s friends Josh and Bella make that uncertainty sharper. They liked Licorice, and they keep pointing out how different Kitty is from him. Kitty tries hard to become Max’s little pal, partly because she wants their bond to grow and partly because she fears being sent back to the shelter. Her effort to fit in gives the story an emotional center younger readers can readily understand: wanting to be accepted while feeling that someone else has already set the standard.

Suspense, humor and a familiar literary echo

The reviewer describes LICORICE as an endearing, touching story that cat lovers may especially enjoy, while also recommending it to readers who aren’t particularly drawn to cats. The appeal, in that reading, lies in the story of belonging as much as in its feline cast. LaReau retells Daphne du Maurice’s classic REBECCA, bringing that literary connection into a middle grade tale. The source doesn’t give away the ending, and readers who enjoy a surprising turn will have one more reason to keep going.

The suspense is pitched for middle grade readers without becoming frightening, according to the reviewer. That balance matters for a book that builds unease around an unfamiliar household and a dead cat’s lasting presence. The tension can invite readers to wonder what Kitty will uncover, while the gentle tone keeps the experience approachable.

Humor helps soften the emotional stakes. Max’s mother is preoccupied with streaks of good and bad luck and with astrological signs, giving the family scenes an additional comic thread. Kitty’s narration also gives the story a distinctive point of view: readers experience the new household through a cat who is observant, unsure and determined to make a connection.

Illustrations and read-aloud appeal

Black-and-white drawings accompany the plot. One image the reviewer singles out shows Kitty looking at a mantle portrait of Max and Licorice. It brings the central tension into focus without needing to explain it: Kitty is trying to make a place for herself in a home where memories of the previous cat are visible and felt.

The book’s 19 chapters move at what the reviewer calls a pleasing pace, and the review recommends it as a read-aloud. That combination may suit families looking for a chapter book with enough suspense to keep listeners curious and enough humor to make shared reading comfortable. The story is 224 pages, with its listed “BOOK BIRTHDAY” given as October 20, 20026.

The reviewer’s lasting recommendation rests on more than the mystery or the cast of animals. Kitty’s struggle makes room for the complicated feelings that can follow loss: Max misses Licorice, while Kitty is trying to be known as herself. For readers who like animal narrators, and for book clubs seeking a gentle opening to conversations about change, the premise offers plenty to discuss without requiring a reader to be a cat enthusiast.

About Kara LaReau

Kara LaReau worked as an editor at Candlewick Press and Scholastic Press. Her editorial work included Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newbery Honor winner; The Tiger Rising, a finalist for the National Book Award; The Tale of Despereaux, which won the Newbery Medal; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, winner of the Boston Globe Horn Book Award; and the Mercy Watson series.

As an author, LaReau has written the award-winning chapter book series The Infamous Ratsos, illustrated by Matt Myers; the middle grade trilogies The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters, illustrated by Jen Hill, and the ZomBert Chronicles, illustrated by Ryan Andrews; the chapter book series WITCHYCAKES, illustrated by Ariane Moreira; and picture books. She lives in Providence with her husband, daughter and cats. In LICORICE, her experience with books for young readers meets a story that pairs an uneasy fresh start with a cat’s determined attempt to belong.