When thirteen-year-old Alex discovers a decades-old secret buried in his front yard, propelling him into the center of a local mystery, he's forced out of the safe routine he built to accommodate his OCD and challenged to solve the mystery, embrace a new friendship, and explore the complicated history of his community.
Thirteen-year-old Alex Bennett is used to being overlooked by his classmates. From being bullied due to his OCD, hes learned that being invisible is the safest option. So hes unprepared when the new girl, Ida May, requests to partner with him on a school project. And he is even more unprepared when the project she wants to work on reveals a mysterious message left on a cassette tapeone that leads the pair to a box buried in Alexs front yard.
Soon, Alex finds himself knee-deep in a mystery he wanted no part of. Urged on by his therapist and Ida May, hes forced to step out of his carefully created comfort zone to untangle the complicated history he and Ida May have uncovered. But the more time Alex spends with Ida May, the more he wonders if the friendship growing between them is real or if shell leave as soon as the mystery is solved. As he and Ida May close in on the answers theyve been searching for, Alex begins to understand that not everything is as it seems on the surface, and that maybe he doesnt have to hide his OCDor himselffrom the world.
Written by a lifelong educator, The Cassette Tape Secret addresses sensitive subjects with a light touch as middle-grade readers solve a mystery alongside characters who are finding their place in a world that might not easily understand them.
