Episode 1: Creature Comforts: The Extraordinarily Ordinary Life of Cassandra Jones

Walker Wildcats Year 2: Age 11 #1

by Tamara Hart Heiner, Elisa Allan (Illustrator)

Snakes and woods and spiders, oh my! Cassandra Jones returns home from a week with her grandparents, excited to go to summer camp and rest up before her last year of elementary school starts. But an unexpected accident lands Cassie in the hospital, and even the medical team isn't sure how well she'll recover. Will Cassie make it to summer camp? Or will she spend the rest of the summer in the hospital? Readers of Junie B. Jones and Diary of a Wimpy Kid will love Cassandra, an ordinary girl trying to make it in sixth grade!

Genres: Middle Grade

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2016

Reviews

[Richard Goodrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Very realistic. Cassie learns that life isn't always great. Friends and adults don't always understand. But, there are others in worst shape. And more who want to help.

I was provided this book as an ARC by the author; however, the review is my honest opinion.

[Anna del C. Dye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cassandra Jones is a twelve year old girl who is a bit selfish, much like many girls at that age. She wants to have friends and be liked by other girls her age, which is also pretty much like girls that age. She has a normal family, mom, dad, that loves her, but gets tired of the drama they don't need while taking care of her and her siblings. Every day is a new adventure and a new page in her life.
The series is composed of short books divided into chapters. The reader walks in Cassandra's shoes through different situations in her life. Is a great reading for girls ten to twelve.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassie is looking forward to going to a sleepover camp. She doesn't like bugs, though. Emily, a younger sister, is going to go with her. Riley, Cassie's best friend, will also be at the camp.

Things don't go as planned, though. Cassie is bitten by a cottonmouth and has to spend time in the hospital. To make things worse she has a bladder infection at the same time. The hospital experience goes well, though, as she meets other kids around her age and the people working there are really nice to her.

There's also problems at camp that makes things sort of rough for her.

I don't pretend to know why an author writes a particular book but it wouldn't surprise me if this one was written with the purpose of helping young people prepare for going to the hospital and learning that it won't be a horrible, nasty experience. They will make it through (granted, not in all cases but in most of them.)

Cassie also exhibits an inner strength that allows her to get through that and what happens to her at the camp showing that even a relatively young girl can be strong and overcome difficulties, both physical and personal.

[Hyacinth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The complexities of life at this age are super big. Your siblings get on your nerves, you like/don't like your parents, you are trying to find your peer group and everything embarrasses you. Cassandra is excited about going to her first sleepover camp to see her best friend Riley who she hasn't seen since they moved. Prior to camp though, she gets bitten by a snake. Riley who is used to being the attention hog is now not the focus of attention so the dynamics of camp and friendship become problematic. This is a good look at childhood angst and a realistic way to open discussion to address how to deal with dominant personalities.

[Shanae Branham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way Cassandra embraces life in this book. If I was in a cast, I wouldn't have gone to summer camp. But that doesn't stop our young heroine. She makes the most of life which puts her into interesting predicaments. As always, this series is written well. Another great book by Tamara Hart Heiner.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet and endearing tale on an injured eleven year old. This writer did a wonderful job capturing Cassie's youth and emotions. A sweet tale taking us through an injury, hospital stay, and a summer camp experience. I love the reactions of the other campers towards Cassie and that both the good and bad were shown. A great tale for young readers.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cassandra Jones’ creature comforts go rather awry when an accident at home lands her in hospital. She meets creatures and friends, looks forward to summer camp, hopefully not on crutches, doesn’t really appreciate her little sister, and appreciates her school friend a little too much. In short, she’s an ordinary ten-year-old with an ordinary family and friends. Young readers will easily relate to her, while parents of young readers just might want to rethink how their children see them. Failing to listen does get noticed. Mom and Dad’s disagreements are easily seen, even when they’re not heard. And wisdom may not always be appreciated, on either side of the age barrier.

Camp counselors who don’t care, friends who get jealous, sisters who are loyal, and creatures, human and otherwise, that wound unintentionally; they’re all in this short story. But readers who want to see how it all plays out will need to read more of the series. It’s a cool start to a series of ordinary extraordinary adventures for girls.

Disclosure: I got it on a deal and I offer my honest review.