Read an Excerpt

Potion Problems
Question: Why was I, Kelly Quinn, jumping on the bed late at night, over and over again? Was it: Exercise? A relaxation technique? A way to digest my dinner?

Answer: None of the above.

There was a very special book—a Secret Recipe Book—that I kept hidden in the tiles above my bed. And the only way to access it was this jumping situation.

I jumped again and reached into the ceiling for the Secret Recipe Book like I had so many times before.

Except this time, it wasn’t there.

I texted my besties, Hannah Hernandez and Darbie O’Brien immediately.

Do either of you have it?

It? Darbie texted back, followed immediately after by, The pox? Before I could reply, she added, Small Pox or Chicken Pox? I was almost ready to send my response when a third text came in from her: Doesn’t matter. I don’t have either.

Hannah wrote, The Book, Darb. You took it home with you last night.

Guilty, Darbie wrote. It’s right—

Right where? I wrote. At this point I was sweating. This was no ordinary book.

She didn’t respond for too many seconds. . . .

A few weeks ago, on the last day of summer vacation, Darbie and Hannah and I found the Secret Recipe Book hidden in my attic.

Who am I? Kelly Quinn, seventh grader, average/mediocre soccer player, and lover of all things cooking.

What’s the Secret Recipe Book? It’s a bunch of handwritten recipes taped within the pages of an old World Book Encyclopedia, Volume T. With the Book, we formed a secret cooking club and made the recipes, which called for some pretty unusual ingredients that we could only get from one local store: La Cocina.

Weird things happened to the people who ate the food (a.k.a. potions), and also to us. Seems that potioning someone comes with a price, like a payback. It’s called the Law of Returns. So any time we make a potion, the person who adds the special ingredient gets a Return, which is bad luck.

Darbie? I wrote again.

She returned, Problemo.

Problemos with the Secret Recipe Book were not good.