Traces the author's discovery of a half-frozen kitten in the drop-box of her small-community Iowa library and the feline's development into an affable library mascot whose intuitive nature prompted hundreds of abiding friendships, in a tale told against a backdrop of the town's struggles with the 1980s farm crisis.

Originally published: New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2008.

Welcome to Iowa -- The coldest morning -- A perfect addition -- Dewey Readmore Books -- A day in the library -- Catnip and rubber bands -- Moneta -- Grand avenue -- A cat's best friends -- Dewey and Jodi -- A long way from home -- Hide-and-seek -- Christmas -- A great library -- Dewey's great escape -- Spencer's favorite cat -- Iowa's famous library cat -- Dewey in the modern world -- Puss in books -- The world's worst eater -- Dewey's new friends -- What makes us special? -- Dewey goes to Japan -- Memories of mom -- Dewey's diet -- The meeting -- Dewey's love -- Loving Dewey -- Last thoughts from Iowa.