Cassi and the House of Memories

by Dean Stuart

A dazzling journey through memories past gives one girl the chance to save her grandfather–as long as she can find him in time. A graphic novel perfect for fans of Pashmina and Anya's Ghost.

Cassi loves spending time with her grandfather. His games, songs, and stories have always brought her endless joy. This visit with him, though, is different: Grandpa seems to be losing track of things, including everything from the stories they’re sharing to who Cassi herself is. So when he goes missing after wandering off from his own backyard, Cassi knows she has to figure out where he’s gone.

What she discovers is a world filled with memories, none of them her own. As she leaps from one memory to the next, she knows she’s getting closer and closer to finding her grandfather—but only if she can make sure he doesn’t slip away forever.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Comics, Fiction, Magical Realism, Mental Health

272 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2025

Reviews

[Becky R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet graphic novel. This is a great book for children who have a grandparent or someone close to them who is living with dementia. It uses fantastical moments to try to explain the way dementia impacts the brain of the sufferer.

[Matt Glaviano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art. That's the selling point.

The story is ok. I don't get how one can change the past by being in someone's memory. That was a problem that really threw off the end of this for me.

There's a typo where "here" is spelled as "hear." Not yelling about it, but c'mon, man.

[RaspberryRoses]

A very pretty graphic novel which had major To The Moon vibes. I do fear that it's messaging falls flat, though. The book really needed to like, have something to SAY about the idea of changing the memories of her grandpa with dementia, if it was going to introduce such an insanely loaded idea into the plot.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet short book that I read in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. It follows Cassi, an indeterminately young girl that wonders why her grandpa sometimes doesn't remember her, or what he's doing. It's a lesson on dementia. It's both heart warming and a little sad, but does exceptionally well. The afterword says he had to deal with some of this with his father when he got dementia and he had wondered how it would be for his new daughter to understand it.

[D.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely artwork and a charming tale that is both heartfelt and imaginative. This is a fantastical spin on a loved one having dementia. There are times Cassi’s father disappears into himself, into his memories, and here Cassi gets to step into them physically.

One of the story’s plot points involves Cassi “changing the past” or her grandfather’s memory. Now, this may not have been permanent, but I think it felt out of place for the narrative. You can’t change the past.

Besides that, I enjoyed the story.

3.5

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

OH MY GOD...what are the odds that I come across this book during a part of my life where I can relate to Cassi so much? Tears are in my eyes as I try to write this review. Wouldn't it be so cool to be able to go back and see all of the memories of your loved ones before you came along? Thank you Stuart for this raw and emotional read. :')

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful graphic novel for middle readers and up. Cassi follows Grandpa on a deep dive into his memories in his early stage of dementia and learns where he “goes” when she feels like she loses him

[Megan Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cool. I loved the idea of being able to jump into someone’s memories, especially one whose memories are starting to fade. It’s such an interesting look at dementia.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off pretty good, we got to know Grandpa a little bit but then it really went off on a weird turn. As Cassi was following him around she was changing his memories to be good ones or altered the events altogether and that didn't really make sense to me. It's like putting on rose coloured glasses or something. I really really liked the art though!

[Kayla Zabcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

50%

For a book about dementia, you'd think the person with dementia would be featured more?

[Melissa Orth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few pages in to this sweet graphic novel about a girl interacting with her grandfather who has dementia, I was confident the story would make me cry by the end. Happily it did not. Dean Stuart’s message is one of living in the moment, even when that moment is a time from the past. And while time is not sequential for people with dementia, they still can access stories.

It is a beautiful book in its loving and respectful tone and with the artwork. While meant for younger readers, it can be enjoyed by anyone who cares for a person with dementia. The grandmother figure is especially soothing in her explanations to Cassi about what is going on with her grandfather. Once Cassi follows her grandfather who wanders off into his mind filled with jumbled memories, she is just as lost as he is at first to find and help him return to the now.

There is one major issue; Stuart chose to have Cassi help a younger version of her grandpa change one of his memories from a terrible outcome to a heroic one. I wasn’t sure if this was Cassi helping her grandfather straighten out a memory he misremembers or if she actually changed history, which seems like a bad idea. As Stuart says in the poignant epilogue, we can help our loved ones remember both good and bad times. Why he chose to have Cassi change the past is unclear.

Otherwise it is beautiful moving story.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassi loves playing with her grandfather, but lately he has been very forgetful. Her grandmother explains that Cassi's grandfather's memory has changed how it works and that he can remember the past better than the present now. One day, when Cassi and her grandfather are playing, he goes missing. Cassi, desperate to find him, instead finds a strange building that looks like a human head. When she goes in, she finds all kinds of pictures from her grandfather's life, some on the walls, and some that act as steps. As Cassi walks through the memory palace, some of the steps that are her grandfather's memories begin to crumble. And some of the memories are not so good. Cassi jumps from memory to memory and enters one in particular in order to improve it. Eventually, she finds her way out of the memory palace and finds her grandfather, now with a greater understanding of who he is and how his life was built. I found the art work in this graphic novel fascinating and the storyline as well. The author captured the feelings of a child trying to understand a loved one's onset of memory loss well. I was a bit taken aback to see Cassi change one of her grandfather's most important memories, though

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an absolutely gorgeously illustrated graphic novel with a message. A girl learning to navigate her grandfather's dementia which felt a little Inside Out at times when the magical/fantastical element of Cassi going in to her grandfather's memories figured out that there were some things from the past. I guess my only hang up was that tragedies happen so her quest to "right the wrong" didn't feel appropriate. I think knowing and understanding her grandfather's past would be more realistic/authentic.

Either way, it's new territory that many authors are starting to tackle for middle grade and YA audiences. Heck, even adults struggle with dealing with their parents' memory loss so understanding it for a younger group is even more difficult especially if they live together or in close proximity.

It's a lovely look back in time but also the present of the situation. She learns to appreciate her grandfather, memory issues and all by loving the time they spend together. And then learning about the creator's journey makes the book more poignant. Definitely read the author's note at the end.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassi loves her grandfather, and they've always been great pals and done fun things, but lately he's been forgetting things--sometimes even forgetting her. When he wanders off in his backyard, Cassi runs to track him down, but finds instead a bizarre, head-shaped mansion that seems to lead her from one of her grandfather's memories to another. But the links between them, and sometimes within them, are fading, dissolving, breaking up. As Cassi plunges between memories, often about things she never knew her grandfather did, like teaching music lessons or being onstage, she learns more about him, and comes closer to tracking him down.

I liked the notion of this, but found it a little hard to follow sometimes. I was especially confused when Cassi interfered to change the past--I wasn't sure how that worked, since it was a memory of things that had actually happened. Is she just creating a false but improved memory? Confusing. The artwork style wasn't really my favorite, being very flat and loose, but that's just personal taste.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually more of a 3.5-star read, but since GoodReads doesn't allow half-stars, here we are.
I think the artwork in this is gorgeous, as is the idea of the story - I just don't know that the execution worked as well for me. I can suspend my disbelief that Cassi could actually change her grandfather's more troubling memories. Still, it seemed unnecessary in relation to the overall theme of the book - that her grandfather was losing his memories. It also gives me pause to suggest (especially to the target audience of middle-grade readers) that a loose circus tiger could be handled the way a house cat would be. I feel like that needs a disclaimer, lol.
My favorite parts of this book were the beginning and end, where Cassi is just connecting with her grandpa in the present and trying to understand him and why sometimes he remembers her and sometimes he doesn't. That felt like the most poignant and beautiful part of this, and I guess I wanted the whole thing to be more like that.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassi loves her grandfather, a former musician. He has dementia and it's causing their relationship, which before had always been joyful, to become a source of sadness. When she walks through a door, she discovers his memories, both those he misses and those he would be glad to forget. The illustrations remind me of those of Pepper Ann, unrealistic but also vibrant and full of motion and emotion.
As someone who has had relatives who experienced mental deterioration, and as a friend to several whose parents are currently experiencing it, this book hit home. And yet, it never becomes saccharine or manipulative. It shows that there are good days and bad days, times when people are still themselves and times when they mistake those they love for those already departed.
Highly reccomended.

[Rachel Buckley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another reviewer said it best, but I wish Cassi spent more time trying to understand her grandfather and learn from his memories than trying to right his wrongs and make his memories “better”. I also spent the entire time worrying about the butterfly effect because realistically, these memories made her grandfather who he is, so messing with them could have impacted the rest of his life, including Cassi herself.

This is a sweet story with a good mission. The author wanted to create a story that would help kids experiencing the same things as Cassi connect with their grandparents and better understand what is happening, but I think the attempt to “fix” her grandfather took away from that mission.

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel tells the story of Cassi and her grandfather who is dealing with dementia. The story takes place in a memory palace that represents the various memories of Cassi's grandfather. Many that are slowly slipping away.

I liked the illustrations - particulary the ones towards the end with lovely pastel colors. I found the story interesting, but I didn't quite make the connection of the significance of the memories Cassi travels to. It felt as if the story was going in one direction and then shift into something else.

All in all, I think this is a lovely tribute to the author's father.

[Kiara Brinkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this tender, middle grade graphic novel, a young girl grapples with her grandfather's dimentia--when he unexpectedly wanders off into the forest, Cassi enters a head-shaped building (with a spectacular, surrealistic maze interior), and sets off on an adventure through his fading memories. Visually stunning with painterly illustrations, it's hard to both describe and find a comparison to Stuart's singular style here.
I especially appreciated the opening sequence, in which Cassi notices new symptoms of her grandfather's dementia, and her grandmother explains what's happening in a simple, loving and respectful way.

[Meggie Ramm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cassi's grandfather has dementia, and sometimes he gets lost. In this book, he gets physically and mentally lost in the maze of his past, and it's up to Cassi to help bring him home.

This book was a middle grade intro to having a family member with dementia, albeit a very rosy view. Cassi lives through some of her grandpa's core memories from younger years, with the ability to change the outcome. This leads to some confusion for the reader: did Cassi change the actual past? Is giving a core memory an alternate ending more confusing? Lovely illustrations and concepts with a slightly muddled plot.

[Snail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked elements of the art a lot—especially the room of memories — looked like it would a lot of fun to explore in a video game setting! I also appreciated the message of the work, as dealing with dementia is frightening for both children and adults. I’m not sure how it might feel different to a child reading the work, but as an adult, I did feel the writing and the pacing were a little weak at times. The fact that Cassi could change the memory of the circus / tiger incident was also a little confusing and felt out of place; cool as an element of a story, but I’m not sure how that part was functioning in the world of the characters.

[Aurora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see what the creator was going for here, I just… don’t think it’s a good book. 😅 The narrative got nonsensical (beyond dream-logic nonsense) in ways that left me disconnected from the story. Having been peripherally around multiple people with dementia, this take felt almost too sweet to really be helpful for kids experiencing something similar.

And going back and changing a terrible memory into a good one seemed like it was incongruous with everything else the book had been building to until that point. Felt almost like someone was like “we need an exciting climax in here! I know!” and just ran with a random “happy ending”…

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Officially part of the sandwich generation, I am dipping into comfortable books (read: youth lit) to read about memory loss and dementia to learn more and feel empowered to deal with my own parents' aging. This MG GN has our MC experiencing connections with her grandfather's memories, similar to Alice going through the looking glass. Cassi sees and alters her grandpa's past so he doesn't have one particular life-changing negative event (fire at a circus). Great intergenerational story with stunning visuals as Cassi bursts through memory after memory.

[Lindsey Lawntea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I’d had this book as a kid to understand what dementia was like. This book is like if Inside Out and Soul were combined. Reading this was very heart wrenching and heart warming at the same time. It reminded me of my confusion about my grandma and how I did not understand when she’d forget my name and call me by my cousin’s name. It made me so angry, because I didn’t understand. Cassi gets upset too, when her grandpa forgets her name while playing with her. Then he wanders off into the woods, and she follows through his memories, discovering the secrets locked in his mind.

[Abigail Pankau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassi loves spending time with her grandfather. But lately, he has started getting forgetful. He remembers the past really well, but he’ll forget that he’s playing a game with her. Then one day, he wanders off from the backyard where they are playing. When she goes to find him, she finds a strange house filled with her grandfather’s memories. She must make her way through the memories to find him and bring him back.

A lovely mid-grade graphic novel about having a grandparent with dementia. Really sweet and fun, and an interesting way to view the memories of someone with dementia.

[I'mogén · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an emotional, moving story told through the eyes of a grandchild, navigating her grandad's dementia and finding a way to connect and empathize with him through the cloudy, lost moments.


It was reflective and touching and left a little bit of an overwhelming feeling in me living though something similar with my grandparents.


The illustrations were beautiful and loose. The colours reflected the emotion and viscosity of the memories and all these little added details provided extra texture to an already beautiful story.


Pick it up, give it a go & enjoy! 

[Gabry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art and touching story. In high school/college I had two grandparents struggle with dementia a few years apart. The hardest thing was trying to find those connections, both grandparents just seemed to get quieter as it progressed, time stealing their voices. One of my most precious videos on my phone is of my grandpa holding hands with my mom and grandma dancing gently to a new cd I had gotten for my birthday. I plan to hold on to that memory forever.

[Grace Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has good parts, and parts that should have been edited. Cassi goes on an adventure in her grandfather's mind to learn more about him. He has dementia.
The artwork was gorgeous, but this really should have been a picture book rather than a "chapter" book.
There is a whole subplot where Cassi learns about a mistake in her grandfather's past, so she goes and tried to fix the problem, and it seems like it works (but that's not possible).

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Grandparents with memory issues seems to be a trending topic in middle grade literature, and this is a good look at the issues involved with dealing with the gradual loss of a grandparent, but in graphic novel format. Some of the pages had more of a picture book feel to them, which makes this a short read.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassi loves spending time with her grandfather, but his dementia is getting worse and he's forgetting a lot of things, including her. This is a fascinating look at memory loss, as Cassi trails her grandfather through his messy, crumbling memories, trying to bring him back home. Definitely thought provoking.