Cassie Clark: Outlaw
Brian Falkner
OneTree House
Pub. 2018

May 3, 2022

Cassie Cark: Outlaw by Brian Falkner is an action-packed, thrilling book about a young girl on the road to finding her father.

Written from the perspective of Cassie Clark, the story begins in the hospital where she has just recovered from a hit and run. She hears on the news that her father has mysteriously disappeared, supposedly with a news reporter, and is shocked. She does not believe this – she cannot believe this.

Cassie, an eighteen year old girl, is really smart and prides herself on solving problems and reading people. She is a Literature major and has a bodyguard, Cameron or Cam for short. Unlike her mother and sister, Cassie is very good at keeping her emotions in check and held by a leash. She has one good friend, Jackson, who is her adventure loving partner. He is always ready to go with Cassie, even when she is a fugitive on the run. Not only that, but Cassie seems like a really relatable person!

Cassie’s father is a senior congressman and speaker who works for the president. Her sister, Katz, while being two years younger than Cassie, is really amazing at writing and is an independent girl who does not like to be told what to do. Her father is missing, her mother is depressed and her sister is outraged.

Cassie faces a series of challenges in this book such as a hit and run, a missing father, a kidnapping attempt, the puppet masters – who may sound sweet right now, but are really the opposite – and much more. She doesn’t know what’s coming but faces them with bravery.

I enjoyed how Cassie Clark: Outlaw was written in a really clear yet descriptive manner while keeping elements of surprise and excitement. It is a really fast paced book that even shocks Cassie “I can’t believe that just a few weeks ago I was worrying about my end-of-year exams and my weight.”

If Brian Falkner’s aim was to create a daring, reader-sucking book then he definitely achieved it. I could visualise the scenes clearly in my head and while I was expecting action, when it did arrive it was still brutal and unexpected. While I was reading this story, I had to remind myself to come back to reality and go to sleep.

Finally, I’d like to recommend this book to older readers, or young adults but really to anyone who can handle meeting Cassie Clark the outlaw.

• Sana is 13 and lives in Hamilton.