When the Katz fam­i­ly moves into apart­ment 18, C.J., the mouse, is scared. Nib­bling jel­ly dough­nut crumbs in the kitchen, he hears a soft voice say, ​“Hel­lo.” When he real­izes the voice belongs to a cat, C.J. scam­pers away. The Katz fam­i­ly is spin­ning a drei­del and eat­ing choco­late coins. It looks like fun, but a mouse can’t play with cats! ​“Hel­lo again,” says the soft voice. ​“Please don’t go. I could use a friend.” Kit­ty Katz invites C.J. to make latkes with her and her mom. Can C.J. over­come his fear and make new friends just in time for Hanukkah?

This humor­ous intro­duc­tion to Hanukkah, which includes Mrs. Katz’s latke recipe, instruc­tions for play­ing drei­del, and a glos­sary, appeals not only to Jew­ish fam­i­lies but all fam­i­lies who want to read about Hanukkah in a fun and engag­ing sto­ry about an unlike­ly friendship.