Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Jaclyn Hyde by Annabeth Bonder-Stone and Connor White

Jaclyn HydeMy name is Fatima, and my best friend Jaclyn has always been perfect. She aces every test, she's creating an exact scale model of a volcano, and she's the ideal understudy in Fog Island: The Musical. However, Jaclyn wants to be more perfect and stole a "Perfection Potion" from the creepy house down at the end of Cedar Street. And that's when Jackie first appeared. Paige and I have discovered Jackie's mission is to make Jaclyn look perfect, and her methods are really evil. We're never quite sure when Jackie will pop up, but disaster is sure to follow. It's hard enough keeping her a secret from everyone else, but our principal is on the warpath. Students aren't allowed to use lockers anymore, the musical must be perfect, and my friends and I have been assigned detention. Is there any way to stop the principal, and Jackie?

I was hooked by the book's concept, a young girl with an evil alter ego. The plot moved very quickly, and I was able to read it in just a couple hours. The root of Jaclyn's problem was her inability to accept anything less than perfection. She had imperfect school papers hidden away in boxes, because she didn't want to show the B and C grades to her parents. She also created a problem in third grade due to the self-imposed pressure, and that mistake unfairly punished someone else for five years. Some of the pressure may have come from living up to the exploits of her older sister. The plot wasn't overly complicated, and some parts of it were predictable. However, the author created a cute story of a middle grade girl trying to be perfect. The entertainment factor came from Jackie, since her actions were unpredictable. She was motivated to help Jaclyn, but her methods were mean to other characters. The lesson was to do your best but accept that you'll sometimes make mistakes or fall short. Overall, I liked the book and recommend you give it a shot. 

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