DIARY OF AN UGLY SWEATER by Cassi Eubank

DIARY OF AN UGLY SWEATER
by
Cassi Eubank



 OVERVIEW
(FROM AMAZON)
Have you ever felt alone? Can you remember a time when you thought you weren't good enough? Maybe you have even felt ugly before?

Sophie certainly knows how you feel.

Sophie was created a Christmas sweater and was feeling on top of the world when she was chosen to be featured in a newspaper ad. For one day, she was shipped off and was the model for a glamorous photo shoot.

Her feeling of joy faded when she got back to Warehouse City and had to quickly learn to understand and find the best way to work with all the different personalities of the other sweaters. With compassion and humor, Sophie was able to turn those who started out as adversaries into allies.

These were skills she would need when she arrived at the Superstore, the place where her forever person would find her. During her short stay at the store, before Katie purchased her, Sophie had the opportunity to watch and observe human nature in a big way as the masses of holiday shopper descended when the doors opened each day. All of the things she learned would be needed for what was to come.

At first, Sophie believed she was the happiest sweater in the world. The perfect forever person had chosen her, and she even heard her talk about going to a Christmas party and being entered into a best sweater contest. Sophie was alive with excitement, especially when she found out that Katie was going to “bling” her out. Oh the glitz, the glam, Sophie was loving it all.

First came the garland. Then the blinking lights. Next it was larger ornaments and presents under the tree. Being an over-achiever, Katie also added bells, bows, a purple peacock, a raccoon, an elf, a floating Santa head, an angel and candy canes all over her right arm!

Sophie was feeling like a freak show and wondered why her forever person would want to change her so much. Why wasn’t she good enough just the way she was?

With the help and support of her new family, Sophie learned some new coping skills that allowed her to grow and gain from the feelings she once had. With these new skills in place, what once seemed overwhelming was now simple and easy. Life was good. Until…..

One evening, Sophie and the family that had been attached to her were left on the kitchen table. There before her, Sophie saw things that caused her world to crash in around her. In plain sight, was an invitation to the party she was going to with the prompt to Get Your Ugly On! $100 to the winner of the UGLY SWEATER CONTEST.

As her heart sunk, she glanced to the right and saw a newspaper advertisement. What it said made her go numb.

There on the open page was a picture of her. It was one that had been taken when she had been sent to model at the photo shoot.

UGLY SWEATER SALE the words above her head screamed.

She had been created… no, she had been born to be ugly. Her only purpose in life was to be a hideous amusement. Sophie was heart-broken and saw no reason for her worthless, pathetic life.

Thanks to the love and understanding of her adopted family, Sophie came to learn her true value. Having come to love herself, she was able to offer those around her so much more, which made her feel even better. She was also able to let her challenges turn her into a champion!

Join Sophie as she shares real life solutions to the opportunities for growth that present themselves in our lives. When you delight in these pages, you will come to love Sophie and feel both her trials and her triumphs. Take this journey now and engage in a delightful ride that will capture hearts of all ages during all seasons.

Sophie's journey allows young people to witness and learn some of the struggles they may come across and offers real life solutions. Readers are invited to explore opportunities and possibilities to every day challenges that will allow them to grow into confident adults with better relationship and coping skills.
 
AUTHOR
Cassi showed a passion for reading and writing at a very young age. In second grade she read over 150 books while maintaining an A average and was first published in the local newspaper for a poem she wrote in the fourth grade. In college, English was the young scribe's major and Psychology her minor. Being gifted with the ability to communicate, Cassi got a job as a corporate trainer, working with companies such as HMS Host, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Wynn Casino, Las Vegas, Chili’s, Shula’s Steakhouse, the US Government and hundreds more. During that time, she still wrote short stories and poems, as well as remaining an avid reader. In 1990, Cassi wrote, Do You Know Elvis? 501 Questions About the King. It was a fun project and she sold almost 1,000 copies in a weekend, this being before the age of social media. Cassi has stayed in the field of communications with the television show she produced and hosted on Fox network almost 5 years. Home Grown Music enjoyed almost a quarter million viewers each week. She also was the DJ for an AM radio station for almost 2 years and now hosts Believe & Receive Radio on blogtalk. Once Cassi became a contributing author in the book, Dare to Be Authentic, she decided to put her skills to use and write another book of her own. With the recent birth of her grandson, she decided to revisit her dream of writing for a younger audience. She understands the mind of a child and believes that if we can show our kids how to remain child-like while learning how to shed childish ways, we will all see a brighter future. Cassi has completed Diary of an Ugly Sweater and is in the process of completing Diary of an Ugly Sweater: A Companion Guide. This action guide will allow readers to take the lessons that Sophie learns throughout her journey and apply the solutions to experiences that have or may occur in their own lives. Ms. Eubank speaks at medium and large engagement on topics that result in success in your business and life. She donates her time to at-risk young people to help them build the self-esteem and life skills they need. When not immersed in a book or behind her computer writing, Cassi loves to garden, cook, and sing. Her greatest passion in life is Elliot, her grandson and family. After that, it’s travel that Cassi is passionate about. www.CassiEubank.com Cassi@CassiEubank.com 


REVIEW
 If you enjoy an interesting Christmas story, this book would be great for you and your children.  This book isn't your normal children's book with a hard cover and 30 pages.  It is paperback and 198 wonderful pages.  A Chapter book, no less. I found it rather cute that the story was told from the sweater  herself, her name Sophie.  It's rather strange but I found myself relating  and getting to know the sweater in all kinds of ways.  Sophie writes down her daily events since so much happened in December.  She is separated from her family, gets to be a model and is looked at a lot.  Even though Sophie goes through a lot of disappointments, she struggles and learns to  get through it all with the  help of her  "family".   She finds ways to stay happy.  The author wrote a heart warming novel that is meant for little ones, tweens, YA and those not so young at heart.  There are a lot of lessons to learn from this novel.  There are a lot of emotions in this book too that everyone can relate to.
 If you're having a bad day and are down, if you are worried about something then this book should be on your shelf so you can go pick it up and do a little reading.  You will feel better. You can't help but love Sophie.

I was given a complimentary copy of DIARY OF AN UGLY SWEATER from the author Cassi Eubank for my view of the book.


I would give this book a SOLID FIVE STARS.



 
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