Embrace the unexpected in this heartwarming tale of two kids in search of a ghost...a celebration of the transformative power of friendship and the bravery it takes to explore the unknown.

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On Sale Now!

About Cat

Cat Urbain is the author of the novel Manual and the Lobsterman and a writer for emergency medicine doctors at the Yale School of Medicine. Inspired to write children's books while working at Weston Woods Studios, she has served as executive director for the Connecticut Storytelling Center, a media educator for the Children's Museum of Manhattan, and a grant writer for the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps for children with serious illnesses. One of the Hole in the Wall campers asked her to write a book about a boy, a horse, and a ghost, so she did. Cat lives on the beach in Connecticut and visits Block Island every summer with high hopes that she will one day see a ghost of Clossie Mott.

About the Book

Diego Menendez loves spending summers with his cousins in Nicaragua. But when his grandfather passes away and his father lands a job at a resort hotel, Diego finds himself on a ferry heading to a small island off the New England coast. Diego soon discovers the hotel is not what he expected. It's old. Slanted stairways and faded carpet old. The only other kid nearby is Whynd Perkins, an eleven-year-old girl with a self-confessed case of curiosity disorder on a mission to contact the hotel's resident ghost.

Praise for Cat's Work

"The relationships the evolve between various characters as the plot thickens will hold the young reader's attention."

—Jen Fitzgerald, Rutgers University

"You truly made their day and it is because of you that nearly my entire class learned their multiplication facts!"

—Merrianne Vassallo, third-grade teacher, Meadowside School

"(A)n excellent book that addresses many issues that young people struggle with.

We need more characters like Manuel and Zeke in today's literature."

—Former Bank Street Teacher

"This book was so compelling, I couldn't put it down until I was finished."

—Amazon review

"...so utterly believable. The relationships are based on day-to-day reality. There is such warmth that one really wants the best for everyone in it."

—Amazon review

"Manuel and the Lobsterman is yet another fine addition to that line-up of must-reads for young people..."

—Amazon review

Also by Cat

Manuel and the Lobsterman

Rockport, Maine is the last place Manuel Menendez wants to spend his summer. He'd give anything to be back in New Haven, eating pizza and fixing motorcycles. But when he lands a job on a lobster boat and begins a search for black gold, he realizes that a small town can bring unexpected excitement, unforgettable adventures and the most steadfast friendships.