Skinnybones

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying. 



Alex Frankovitch completes a letter to a cat food company called Kitty Fritters. He is entering their writing competition, which requires contestants to write an essay about why their cat eats Kitty Fritters. Alex’s essay comically roasts the cat food company, stating that the only reason his cat eats the food is because she would otherwise starve. He also adds that his mom doesn’t care about buying the good cat food and buys Kitty Fritters instead.

Alex realizes that he needs to find the mail-in form that is hidden inside the 25-pound bag of cat food. When he cannot find it by digging, he dumps the entire bag onto the floor, but Alex’s mom returns home from running errands before Alex can clean up the cat food. Alex lies to his mom about how the food got all over the floor, claiming that their cat, Fluffy, made the mess while he was busy watching television. Alex’s mom is skeptical and asks him several times if he’s sure that’s what happened. She humors his lies for a few moments before asking him to retrieve Fluffy’s carrier from the car.