Eighth graders Elisa Paz and Raquel Madria are unstoppable as bruhas in the magical world they’ve created together. But when Raquel goes missing, Elisa discovers a different reality—one that is unjust and ever present, yet often ignored. The only one willing to help Elisa find her lost friend is Oscar Santos, a talking cat. Together they search through clamorous city streets, bustling plazas, gloomy districts, and holy hideaways, where they find unlikely monsters lurking dangerously close to home. “Sarmiento never flinches, never glosses over—whether it’s the emotions of youth or the raw, unsettling worlds this story occupies: the familiar, the unfamiliar, the feared, but all unforgettable. Stray Cats is assuredly observant of these multilayered surroundings, and rewards the reader with a story that is culturally and authentically rich, enjoyably layered, and irresistibly readable.” —Angelo R. Lacuesta, author of Joy