Cages was a really good book with some sad parts like with Lady. I especially liked the ending. My favorite part was when Kit got shop lifting again after she shop lifted a thought she was going to ask Mrs. Fenton if she could pick something else. One more thing,that was the best book ever.

Grandaughter loved it

Awesome book. Makes me cry every time I read it!

Another great story!

I give this a 4 stars because it was a great book, but the ending was a cliff hanger. ????

Peg Kehret was one of my favorite authors when I was much younger. Most of her novels deal with preteen protagonists who find themselves in danger when they inadvertently stumble across some kind of criminal plot. It's not the most original premise, but Kehret's work stood out for me on account of her genuinely engaging characters, well-paced suspense, frequent dollops of humor, and the genuine love of animals that seems to work its way, at least a little, into everything she writes.

In "Cages," Kehret sets aside her usual formula: this time, it's her protagonist who's on the wrong side of the law. Kit Hathaway thought she had a good chance at the lead role in the school play, but when the cast list is posted, her name is nowhere on it. Coming home from school in a bad mood, the last thing she needs is to discover her stepfather's drunk again. Fed up with his boorish behavior and her mother's enabling, Kit storms out of the house. A bit of window-shopping at the mall seems like a fine way to pass the time until she has to go home again, but when she runs into the spoiled, obnoxious girl who won the lead role she'd so coveted - and she's there with her father to celebrate her accomplishment with a new piece of gold jewelry - Kit decides it's time, just once, for her to get something she wants too, and she slips a gold bracelet into her pocket. It's the impulse of a moment, an act entirely out of character for the quiet, studious ninth-grader - but with the flash of a badge, the words "I'm with store security," Kit's whole life is about to change.

It's not a thriller, but somehow "Cages," even more than two decades after I first read it, keeps me turning pages as hungrily as any of Kehret's novels of suspense ever did. Sentenced to community service, Kit becomes a volunteer for the Humane Society, bringing to the fore the novel's central metaphor: Kit feels just as trapped and desperate as the unwanted animals in their cages. It's a pleasure to watch the troubled girl blossom into a young woman of rare strength and courage, with the aid and guidance of a warm, wise cast of mentors and friends. Without ever coming across as heavy-handed or denying the reality of emotional pain, Kehret delivers a strong message of personal accountability: you can't control the cards you're dealt, but it's up to you how you play them. One of her greatest accomplishments here - and an unfortunately rare one in the world of children's literature - is Kehret's complex portrayal of Kit's mother and stepfather. It would have been easy either to make them simple villains on the one hand, or offer them pat and perfect redemption on the other. Instead, they are portrayed throughout as flawed and fallible people doing the best they can while trapped in cages of their own, and Kit learns to love and respect them as they are even as she rejects some of their values and priorities.

"Cages" is a slender novel that packs a surprising emotional wallop. I still can read the last third or so of the book only through a blur of tears. Please read it. (And then, if you love it as much as I do, try Kathe Koja's "Straydog," an equally trenchant - but somewhat heavier - novel about a likable but troubled teenage girl who volunteers with animals.)

This book was outstanding! It is about this girl named kit who is kind of troubled because she just lost the lead in the school play and her stepdad is an alcoholic. Kit likes a gold braclet and steals it. Kit ends up having to work 20 hours in the Humane Society. I loved this book because it has something to do with a girl my age and animals.(I love animals) This story kept me on the edge of my seat and it will keep you on yours too! I couldnt put this book down.

Cages

By Peg Kehret

Kit Hathaway is a normal fourteen year old girl with long brown hair and a love for acting and her speech class. Kit is a good girl who is going through some hard times and she makes some bad choices. The book tells how Kit learns to cope with her unfortunate circumstances.

The novel is set in modern day. Cages is a story of a young girl and her challenges both at school and at home.

In the beginning of the book Kit auditions for a part in her school play. When the lists of who got parts are posted, Kit finds that she didn't make the lead part, or any part at all. The lead, Frankie, is instead given to Marcia Homer. Marcia is spoiled and bratty. This is the beginning of a very bad day for Kit. When Kit gets home after a hard day in the eighth grade, she finds out her stepfather, Wayne, is drunk again. He has an ongoing problem that repeats every three to four months. Her mother believes that it will never happen again, but it always does. After a tough argument, Kit escapes to the mall.

In a time of self-pity Kit steals a piece of jewelry. She is soon apprehended by the police. After her trial with the Juvenile Court, her punishment is twenty hours of volunteer work at the humane society.

At the humane society she tries to find a home for a stray dog, but her efforts lead to heartbreak. During these times Kit finds the courage inside her that is needed to help her break out of her own cages that are keeping her from changing her life.

The theme of this book is believing in yourself and living life fully.

I enjoyed this book very much because it really put you in Kits place and helped you to understand what she was going through. I also liked this story because it involved animals, and the main character has a love for animals. I gave this story five stars, and I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fantastic book.