Jaclyn Hyde

In this heartwarming and hilarious reimagining of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a secret potion accidentally turns eager-to-please eighth grader Jaclyn into Jackie, a goblin-like monster who’ll do anything to win at everything she does in this funny school story—no matter how much chaos she creates along the way.

Jaclyn Hyde is almost perfect. Whether she’s baking cookies for her classmates, building a replica Mt. Vesuvius for the science fair, or practicing her lines for Fog Island: The Musical, she almost never makes mistakes. When she discovers the last batch of perfection potion in an abandoned laboratory, Jaclyn decides that being almost perfect isn’t perfect enough anymore.

But Jaclyn quickly discovers that the potion turns her into Jackie, a goblin-like monster and chaotic alter ego who’ll do anything to make sure Jaclyn comes out on top. Suddenly, she’s wreaking havoc on the school play, stealing someone else’s brownies to pass off as her own, and that’s just the beginning. If Jaclyn wants to save her school, her friends, and herself from her perfectly horrifying alter-ego, she’s going to have to screw up her courage and risk it all—even if that means accepting her imperfections and admitting that she never was as perfect as she seemed.

Can Jaclyn learn to embrace her flaws before her monstrous alter ego takes over for good?

• A Modern Jekyll and Hyde Retelling: What happens when a potion designed to make you perfect accidentally unleashes a chaotic, goblin-like monster in the halls of middle school?
• Laugh-Out-Loud Middle School Humor: Follow the hilarious disasters as Jackie wreaks havoc on the school play, a science fair volcano, and a charity bake sale.
• A Story About Perfectionism: For every kid who’s ever felt the pressure to be perfect, Jaclyn’s journey is a funny and relatable reminder that it’s okay to make mistakes.
• Heartwarming Friendship Story: With her school, her reputation, and her own identity on the line, Jaclyn has to rely on her two best friends to help her face her inner monster.

“An absolutely hilarious, well-plotted comedy with huge thematic heart in dealing with the pressures and costs of high expectations.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“[K]ids will sympathize with Jaclyn’s need to be the best, but they may also get a wicked thrill from Jackie’s rebellion and want to look for Robert Louis Stevenson’s original “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“This clever and imaginative rendition of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde does a valiant and ambitious job of exploring how unhealthy and destructive one’s obsession with perfection can become…Readers will enjoy the witty and loyal characters in addition to the well-executed plot” - Booklist