Blog Tour & Middle Grade Monday: The Cassette Tape Secret by Danielle Herzog

Item: The Cassette Tape Secret
Author: Christy Jane

Crushed on by Christy Jane, on October 20, 2025, in Blog Tour, Feature, New Releases / 0 Comments

Blog Tour & Middle Grade Monday: The Cassette Tape Secret by Danielle Herzog

Alex Bennett has figured out how to survive middle school: stay invisible. After years of being bullied for his OCD, blending in feels like the safest choice. But when the new girl, Ida May, insists on partnering with him for a school project, Alex’s quiet routine unravels in ways he never expected.

Their project leads them to a mysterious cassette tape, and then to a box buried right in Alex’s front yard. Suddenly, Alex is pulled into a mystery he never wanted, nudged forward by Ida May and his therapist to face what’s hidden, not just in the box but in himself.

What makes this book stand out is how it balances a twisty, page-turning mystery with the tender, awkward beginnings of friendship. Alex’s voice is vulnerable and relatable, and the story handles OCD with honesty and care. It’s a reminder that sometimes the scariest thing isn’t a secret in the ground…it’s letting yourself be seen.

The Cassette Tape Secret is out tomorrow and is one to keep on your radar for readers who love mystery, friendship, and finding courage in unexpected places.

The Cassette Tape Secret

by Danielle Herzog
Published by: Jolly Fish Press
on October 21, 2025
Genres: Middle Grade
Bookshop
Goodreads

Thirteen-year-old Alex Bennett is used to being overlooked by his classmates. From being bullied due to his OCD, he’s learned that being invisible is the safest option. So he’s 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 tape—one that leads the pair to a box buried in Alex’s front yard.

Soon, Alex finds himself knee-deep in a mystery he wanted no part of. Urged on by his therapist and Ida May, he’s 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 she’ll leave as soon as the mystery is solved. As he and Ida May close in on the answers they’ve been searching for, Alex begins to understand that not everything is as it seems on the surface, and that maybe he doesn’t have to hide his OCD—or himself—from the world.