Review: Cassandra Steps Out

Cassandra Steps Out is a middle grade graphic novel with a premise of an Animal Psychic Detective.  The illustrations are very pretty, especially the large spreads.  The girl in the story is quite dramatic, with strong emotions about changes happening in her life.  I can see how this would appeal to early tweens and middle graders.   The story itself seems over-ambitious in that a lot happens very quickly without giving the time to allow for needed backstory, which gave it a somewhat choppy feel, and it was perhaps a bit preachy.  But overall the story was enjoyable and quite cute, with good character growth.    3 1/2 stars