The Cat That Went To Homecoming

by Julie Otzelberger

Paperback

First published February 8, 2014

About the author

Julie Otzelberger grew up in Hartland Wisconsin and has been a Milwaukee area resident since her high school years. She is no stranger to bullying, having been bullied for most of her school years. The comments classmates made still haunted her after thirty years. In an effort to overcome her self esteem issues, Mrs. Otzelberger underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2010.
The unconditional love that pets offer can heal almost any pain. Gastric Bypass surgery changed Mrs. Otzelberger’s appearance, but it could not heal the scars of bullying. The work she does with her therapy cat, Bear, gave her the self esteem she was lacking.
Julie Otzelberger has been married to her husband for 17 years, and their daughter still lives at home while attending college to become a vet tech. They have four cats and one dog-several of her coworkers refer to her home as “Noah’s Ark”.
“Hershey is a combination of each cat God has blessed me with over the years. My life was similar to Ellen’s, but I did not find anything like Pet Partners until very recently. I hope I help a young girl finds her way to Pet Partners and follow her altruistic path with her best friend.” Julie Otzelberger

Reviews

[Barbara Parrott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book very much even though I found parts of it very painful to read, being one of many who have experienced bullying for much of my life. The book is a very touching story of a young girl’s victory in overcoming low self-esteem, social anxiety and depression caused from bullying by schoolmates, divorce by her parents and her weight issues. I especially loved reading how getting involved with her cherished cat Hershey in the Pet Partners program to bring joy to the sick, disabled and elderly got her to break out of her shell and got her on the healing path in in her life. The book made me smile, laugh and cry and I learned a lot of new things about cats that I never knew. I found it to be a real page turner and I highly recommend it to everyone. I personally will donate copies of it to several libraries in my area to help benefit children, preteens and teens.

[Kathy Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touched me on so many levels. I'm 60 years old and can still remember the bullies that tormented me when I was growing up. I was overweight, had acne, and had to wear saddle shoes until I was in high school. I attended Catholic schools and even the nuns that taught seemed to be bullies. It's much worse these days because of social media. People that don't even know you can bully you. "The Cat That Went To Homecoming" shows how a young girl went through being tormented and came out victorious in the end. She did this with self discipline, courage, and compassion. A great book for anyone out there who is being bullied and is looking to change their situation in a positive manner.

[Kelly Rea · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely loved it! everyone needs to read this. Ellen is my hero and feels like a long lost friend. everybody needs to read this and cheer for Ellen.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads*

Ellen Jones is an overweight teen, who lives with her single mom and her cat Hershey. Ellen is relentlessly teased and bullied by classmates, and she eventually closes herself off to everyone. She avoids social interaction, and rushes home from school every day to spend time with her only real friend, Hershey.
The summer before her junior year of high school, Ellen volunteers as a therapy animal handler along with Hershey. It gives her confidence that she had been lacking, and she reconnect with her childhood best friend, Cindy. Ellen learns to stand up for herself and for what she believes in.

The Cat That Went To Homecoming is a quick, easy read. It was a cute story, with a serious and heartfelt message. As an animal lover and someone who was never part of the popular crowd in high school, I could relate to Ellen.

Although some parts of the story seemed simplified and rushed, I enjoyed reading about Ellen and Hershey, and witnessing Ellen's transformation from insecure introvert to confident young woman.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dont have a cat, but now I want one! The main character Ellen was so introverted from her years of being bullied, but her cat Hershey helped her to grow out of her shell. The relationship that developed between her and her school bus driver touched me the most and is the reason I want a cat. I would love to do the therapy work Ellen and Hershey do. It is such a caring thing to do for another human being. Through her volunteer work, Ellen grows into a confident young lady who could take on her meanest bully without being a bully herself. Miss Otzelberger showed me that a bully is really just an insecure person who tries to showcase other people's flaws in order to avoid their own flaws being seen. I think this book is great for the middle school aged girl.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very touching. It was about a young girl who experienced bullying related to many issues. She struggling with being self-conscious because of this. She found comfort in her cat though and began to participate in an animal therapy program. It allowed her to break out of her shell. I loved the book and am so glad I read it. It brought back many memories of issues that I dealt with growing up with low self esteem. A great read!

I got this book from GoodReads First Reads program.