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That sounds so wrong, doesn't it?

But I was, this past weekend.

Not the baseball kind-- the animal kind. (Ahh, the imprecision of language!)

Early Sunday morning I was half asleep and vaguely aware of the cats racing and clunking around the house. Probably chasing a mouse, I thought. A usual occurrence in our old house. But when one of the cats barreled up the staircase onto my bed in hot pursuit of said "mouse" I thought... "Damn cat! There'll be no mice in this bed!" And bolted upright...

... only to be smacked in the face with the creature she was chasing. It was no mouse! It swooped back and forth and around a few times before hubby managed to whoosh it toward the bathroom with a towel and slam the door.

It was a bat.

Bad news-- bats can carry rabies.

And I had a nifty little scratch down my cheek.

Good news-- we'd all had the complete set of rabies vaccine about 3 or 4 years ago after a similar incident of bat-in-house. (Even though we were sure no one had come in contact with it, but our family doctor had said-- "Get thyselves to the emergency room this instant." They take it seriously. Rabies has a 100% fatality rate. Would you take a chance?)

Good news-- Hubby caught the bat and we've sent it off to be tested.

Bad news-- They have to kill it in order to do that. I actually feel badly for him. I like bats!

Pain-in-the-Neck news-- I spent 3 hours in the ER only for them to tell me they'd wait to hear the results before giving me booster shots, since I already supposedly have some protection. (Though nobody seems to know how long the vaccine is good for...)

Good news-- We'll hear the results in a day or two. And the shots really aren't too bad if we have to get them. Unlike the old days, when they gave them in the stomach. (Ack!)

Let's just hope everybody knows what they're doing...

Here's a not-so-great shot of the little critter:

Gracie Gillypot's life is terrible. Living with her stepfather, Mange Undershaft and his daughter Foyce, is close to unbearable. Her existence is very Cinderella. After Mange locks her down in the cellar again for being cheerful while making water soup to feed the family, a bat swoops in and starts talking to her. He takes in Gracie's situation, and promises to return with something to eat, and an offer to improve her situation. When Gracie pours the bag that the bat gives her into the water soup something amazing happens. All of a sudden the kitchen is filled with the smell of rich and meaty stew. Chunks of beef and potato and onion appear. Mange eats greedily, and although Foyce is a bit cautious, she too partakes in this rare meal. Trueheart Stew, it's called. A powerful sleeping potion for some, and a delicious meal for the true of heart. Can you imagine who does not fall asleep?

Soon Gracie and her bat companion Marlon are on a quest. Mange and Foyce aren't the only baddies afoot. The sorceress Lady Lamorna, and her sidekick troll Grubble, are on the hunt for gold with which to pay the Ancient Crones who are constructing her new gown...her robe of skulls, which she ordered before realizing that her treasure chest was empty. She is off to turn princes into frogs for ransom. What she doesn't count on is the beautiful and sneaky Foyce hijacking her plans.

Vivian French has written an adventurous story chock full of action, magic, evil step-sisters, and even a bit of romance. The illustrations by Ross Collins compliment the story perfectly, and lend to the mood considerably.

This is a perfect book for the fans of the fractured fairytale, Roald Dahl, or tweens just beginning to indulge in the spooky! On the shelves in July!