Book Review ~ Cassidy Jones And The Secret Formula by Elise Stokes
When I was young (gas was a whopping 32 cents a gallon), I was enthralled by the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories created by Edward Stratemeyer. I may have read every one of them. Nancy was smart, strong, and self-assured, with virtually endless resources at her fingertips—a teenage superhero for her time. Let me assure you, Cassidy Jones is no Nancy Drew. She’s smart, yes, but more importantly, she’s real—a typical young girl in today’s angst-ridden society, just trying to grow up and find her way. Unlike Nancy, who was seemingly ten feet tall and bulletproof, Cassidy is an accident waiting to happen.
And happen it does. With an intriguing plot that captivates from the opening line, Cassidy leaps from shy-girl to super-girl, discovering amazing new abilities and going toe-to-toe with the Bad Guys, all the while fighting her own personal battles. The story moves at a breathless pace, with superb writing and compelling storytelling. You simply have to turn the page.
Elise Stokes is a fine writer, spinning a wildly entertaining ride from beginning to end. With a supporting cast of memorable characters, Cassidy Jones And The Secret Formula leaves you wanting more. It will appeal strongly to the young adult audience, but is so well written it will appeal to a far larger (younger and older) group of readers. The first book in the Cassidy Jones Adventures series, this is a remarkable debut that should be on everyone’s bookshelf. Which reminds me, I’ve got some old Nancy Drew Mysteries to dump off at the used book store—I need the space for the new kid on the superhero block, Cassidy Jones.
Wonderful review David! Posted to FB and tweeted to all. I too was raised on Nancy Drew!
Hi, Mary, thank you, but don’t thank me, LOL–thank Elise Stokes! This is such a wonderfully written novel. I was a Nancy Drew junkie when I was a kid–who wasn’t?
Thank you, Mary. I appreciate that.
You rock, David! Thank you so much for the awesome review and for giving my book a shot. I loved Nancy Drew, too, but I was more of a Trixie Belden junkie. I saved every book from that series for my future daughters, and not one of them has been interested in reading them!
Thanks, Elise! Your book is fantastic, it really is. It took me all of one line to get hooked. The writing is superb from start to finish.
Trixie Belden? We are probably dating ourselves with all these references, LOL. Did I ever tell you I bought the first copy of the Bible when it came out? Cost me three gold pieces. We called them “pieces” in those days. Seriously, though, it’s a shame that they aren’t popular with kids these days. Those were great books and they sowed the seeds for a lifetime of reading.
David, your banner is soooo cool! It has mesmerized me for the last several seconds. Well done.
Thank you for that. You’re very kind and your encouragement is much appreciated, and no you didn’t tell me, but it gives me a great idea for a storyline.
I date myself often, and apparently am not as cool as I’d like to believe I am. I gathered this yesterday when my 13-year-old picked up the pace at a mall. My 8-year-old looked between her and me, and then ran to catch up with her. What a deflating, heart-breaking moment. 
Thanks for the comment about my banner! It is designed specifically to mesmerize and hypnotize the viewer into ordering hundreds of books at a time … yessss, you want to buy hundreds of copies … hundreds of copies … hundreds of …
Now you have me curious about this storyline of which you speak. I’m trying to read between the lines of my reply … well, if it helped, terrific! Can’t wait to read it.
Don’t worry about “not being cool.” You totally are!
(But I understand where you’re coming from … as parents, we all have those days when we’re just not the cool ones anymore. Their loss, LOL.)
Duh! I stopped by here last week to read your review, but didn’t leave a comment. I agree with you review of this book. Why is it YA adult books can be such fun to read? Maybe it’s the inner child in me not wanting to grow up.
Good review.
Dana, thanks for stopping by! Twice! This is one of the best books in the YA genre of this type, bar none. It’s such a blast to read because it’s well-written, fast-paced, and just plain entertaining from start to finish. I agree with you, the Inner Child can never grow up. It’s what keeps us young and vibrant. Always listen to the Inner Child–it knows what it wants!
Thanks for liking the review, too!
Awwww, thanks, guys.
I agree, and writing MG and YA appeals to me for the same reason. It brings me right back to those early teen years where self-esteem was at an all-time high and drama an all-time low (Kidding, of course.:)). It’s funny how those years are still fresh where a lot that has happened between now and then has been forgotten, and it’s also funny how there’s nothing new under the sun. Much of what my teens go through is like a flashback for me. I’m constantly: “Yep. Been there, done that. Now this is what you do.” But do they listen!
Hey, consider yourself blessed–your teenagers listen! Shows what a great parent you are. As I read your first book, I could tell that you understand teens perfectly. It’s amazing how realistic your characterizations are in the book. You have definitely “been there, done that,” and your writing shows it. It’s tough capturing reality the way you do, but you do it very well. The inner conflict, the angst, the peer pressure, it’s all there in your work. It’s no wonder people can relate to this book as well as they do, because it does bring back memories when you read it. We can all relate to one or more of the characters at one point in our lives.