SAM FRANCISCO

An all-night cat disco in the streets—what could go wrong?

It’s midnight, and something “covered in glitter from head to toe” is slinking out the window of an ornate townhouse: Sam Francisco, a flamboyant orange cat with a flashy roster of friends, is throwing a DIY disco in the streets. Clad in a David Bowie–inspired outfit, Sam serves as resident DJ while his pals “breakdance, can-can, hip-hop, headbang” to the beat. Buzzkill Bill, a tan-skinned neighbor with a classically villainous countenance, is rudely awakened by the ruckus and instructs his dogs to break up the party. Instead, the dogs get swept up in the music. Bill proceeds to call pest control, the fire department, and the police—predictably, each subsequently joins the revelers. Out of options, Bill pulls the plug on Sam’s audio equipment and brings the music to a silent halt. Is the party over? Overturning some trash cans, Sam creates a drum set and keeps the fun alive: “The bins were even louder than the DJ set. Everyone was breaking out their best moves yet.” Paired with illustrator Talib’s busy, whimsical pictures, the rhyming text and joyful tumult of Sam’s late-night jamboree may entertain some readers. Others may not find enough to grab them in this rather formulaic story. Human characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Not quite “a megaton of fun” but enjoyable enough.