“Don’t step in the blood.”

From Gary Paulsen’s Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat.

When a severe weather alert forces the middle school to issue a shelter-in-place announcement to everyone still left at school, one bathroom quickly becomes an unexpected gathering place. Jordan had already been in the bathroom for a nosebleed when the shy new kid, Avery, takes shelter in the same bathroom. For some reason that Jordan can’t understand, Avery has a stuffed cat in his backpack that he doesn’t want to talk about. Before too long the constantly angry Taylor, the zoned-out-with-his-music Devon, the brilliant Mason, and the overachieving Reagan join the two boys in the bathroom. While Avery is terrified of the lockdown, the other boys are unconcerned because the school frequently overreact when it comes to storm warnings. As they wait for the storm warning to pass, Jordan tries to keep Avery calm, Mason struggles to finish his tutoring session with Taylor, Reagan bemoans his disrupted schedule, and Devon continues to jam out with his air guitar. As all the boys are stuck together in the bathroom, it quickly becomes apparent that while they are all completely different, the storm warning and the stuffed cat’s odor is pushing the boys a bit closer together. However, as the storm lockdown stretches on, Jordan learns some secrets about himself, his new sort-of friends, and the cat. All the boys realize that there is more to each other’s lives than any of them ever expected.

This book is fun, quick, and captivating.  Paulsen writes in a manner that easily brings the characters and the slightly crazy situation to life.  Six Kids and a Stuffed Cat is an endearing story that will keep readers of all ages entertained.