White Cat
by Holly Black

Black, H. (2010). White cat. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Born into a family of curse workers, Cassel feels like an outsider.  His grandfather is a death worker, his mother an emotion worker, his two brothers, memory and luck workers, and Cassel….is not a worker at all, with the exception of his booking endeavor where his classmates place bets on anything and everything including which teacher is hooking up with who and how will the mouse in the dorm be killed.  In a place where curse work is illegal and his family is regarded as criminals, Cassel tries his best to blend in with his fancy private school crowd.  However, when his dreams lead him to sleepwalk one night and he awakes to find himself on the roof of the school, he is forced to face the demons that have haunted him over the last few years, most notably the fact that he is a killer and his family has been covering for him.  With his father dead and his mother in jail, when Cassel is suspended for school he is sent to stay with his brother and sister in law and begins to notice some odd behavior by the members of his family.  Strangest of all is this white cat that seems to always be around and make its way into his dreams.  When Cassel discovers that everything he has been led to believe is a lie and not all of his family can be trusted, he makes the decision to right the wrongs and become his own person.  This suspenseful read by Holly Black would be a great recommendation for those reluctant, young adult, male readers. 

Holly Black describes the inspiration behind White Cat