The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Theo Chang Is Not a Cat

By Mike Jung

Meet the kids in Mrs. Z's wacky and wonderful third grade class Theo Chang is thrilled his family adopted a new cat, but the cat is less thrilled about his new home. Can Theo find a way to befriend the kitty before his family gives up and takes him back to the shelter?

Theo Chang loves Trainwhistle, his family's newly adopted cat. There's just one problem: Trainwhistle does not love Theo. Although he's a lovey-dovey lap cat with humans, Trainwhistle is very rough with other cats. And for some reason he clearly thinks Theo is another cat. Chased around the apartment and bitten on the ankle by the ferocious feline, Theo doesn't know what to do

Too embarrassed about getting beaten up by his own cat, Theo can't ask his best friend Memo for advice, but when his parents start talking about returning Trainwhistle to the shelter, he realizes time is running out. Can Theo convince Trainwhistle he's a boy, not a cat, before it's too late?

Both sweetly poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, with black-and-white illustrations by Pura Belpr Honor artist Kat Fajardo, Theo Chang welcomes readers into Mrs. Z's class where friendship and fun rule the school, from author and librarian Mike Jung.

Perfect for
★ My Weirdtastic School fans
★ Reluctant readers
★ Classroom read-alouds
★ Andrew Clements fans
★ Cat lovers

Read them all The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class have plenty of stories to share
Emma McKenna, Full out (#1)
Rohan Murthy Has a Plan (#2)
Poppy Song Bakes a Way (#3)
The Legend of Memo Castillo (#4)
Wyatt Hill Brings a Lizard to School (#5)
Ayana Ndoum Takes the Stage (#6)
Olive Little Gets Crafty (#7) -- available for preorder now
Synclaire Fields Knows the Score (#8) -- available for preorder now
Thunder Nelson Does the Impossumble (#10) -- available for preorder now

*The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class is an innovative series where every book is written by a different all-star author and features a different kid in the same third-grade class. They can be read in any order

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1523532890
• ISBN13: 9781523532896
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 128 Pages
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4