Since becoming a librarian I have read more Young Adult novels than I ever thought I would at this point in my life. Luckily, most of them have been good and some have been outstanding. One such book is Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes.
Several years ago I stumbled upon this book, although now I'm not really sure where I read about it. It was available as a free ebook, so I decided to take a chance. And what a find it was!
Cassidy Jones is like many other fourteen-year-old girls - she has a loving family that gets on her nerves on occasion, she's mostly ignored in school and has a secret crush on a boy who happens to be one of her twin brother's friends. Oh, and now she has super human strength!
Cassidy joins her television reporter Dad when he sets off to the lab of world-renowned geneticist, Serena Phillips, for an interview one day after school. Unfortunately, for Cassidy she doesn't leave that lab the same person. After a freak accident, she inhales fumes from several vials that have been knocked over and end up mixing together.
The next morning Cassidy begins to notice many changes. Her senses and strength have been altered dramatically and soon realizes that she has the speed of a jaguar. She decides to keep her new freakish abilities to herself. To make matters worse, Professor Phillips goes missing!
Then she meets the professor's enigmatic and brilliant fifteen-year-old son Emery. After confiding in Emery, the duo are determined to find Emery's mother which puts them both in danger.
I found Cassidy Jones to be a believable and relatable character even for someone, like me, who hasn't been a teen in a very long time. Cassidy is at an age where so many things are happening in her life and now she has the added burden of super human strength. These new abilities scare her and she behaves as many teenagers would - she keeps it to herself. She doesn't even tell her best friend. Instead she turns to a steady and reliable new friend. It's refreshing to see an author have a boy and a girl be real friends and not automatically turn it romantic.
This is really a story about how a young woman learns to deal with the unexplained changes in her life and the new friend who is helping her through this tough time. Ms. Stokes has given us a young woman who could be a great motivator for anyone, let alone other teens. Cassidy learns that she has courage and integrity. She also learns to rely on herself, but to also lean on others when she needs to.
More than anything, this book, and the continuing series, are just a lot of fun to read. So, if you'd like to check out a young adult book that isn't Twilight, The Hunger Games or The Fault in Our Stars, then be sure to read Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula. You won't be sorry!
The Series:
-- Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula
-- Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift
-- Cassidy Jones and the Seventh Attendant
-- Cassidy Jones and the Luminous
--Post by Tracy
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