I am not sure I liked the book Jaclyn Hyde by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and Connor White. I know I enjoyed it, but liked it? I am still on the fence about it. There is a lot of good, but I am assuming that I am not really the audience for it, and therefore, not picking up what Bondor-Stone and White were putting down.
And this story is obvious: Jaclyn Hyde is perfect. Perfect grades, organizes her school books alphabetically by authors’ hometowns, never really gotten in trouble, and always remembers to bake her grandmother’s special recipe cookies for a classmate’s birthday. That is until the day that the very bad day happens. Her friends are late to study, the volcano science experiment really blows up and out, she burns the cookies and her pet rabbit runs away. While chasing after him, they come to the abandoned house on the dead end street, where a mad scientist was rumored to live. And instead of leaving well enough alone, Jaclyn and her friends sneak in, locate an experiment that promises perfection. But of course, we know the rest when it comes to magic potions promises. And then our Jaclyn learns about perfection, how mistakes can help, how it feels to make them, and there are some fun mysteries to solve as well.
It has a lot of modern elements that were not in my wheelhouse. The over-the-top aspects were convenient but also had their moments. I think the best audience is strong ages 8/9 to age 13/young 14. The theme is spelled out (do not submerge your imperfections or they will explode on you) and is a nice one time read for adults. However, I see multiple reads in your child’s future.