Yesterday the New York Times reported that Iowa’s Spencer Public Library Director, Vicki Myron, will co-author a book about its most famous “employee,” Dewey Readmore Books. Grand Central Publishing has paid $1.25 million for Dewey’s story, which will chronicle the life and times of the kitten who was found in the Spencer Public Library’s book return on a winter morning in 1988. With city approval, library staff adopted him and for 19 years Dewey resided at the library, befriending patrons and cultivating fans across the country. When Dewey passed away in November of last year, his obituary ran in hundreds of newspapers, including USA Today and the Washington Post . Publishers and Dewey enthusiasts expect Myron’s book to resonate with cat fanciers the way Marley & Me has with dog lovers.

Incidentally, Marley & Me author John Grogan will appear on the Citibank Main Stage at our upcoming, not-to-be-missed first annual Philadelphia Book Festival . Bring your dog-eared copies of Marley & Me for Grogan to sign. (Sorry, we couldn’t resist.)