leslie a. wallant

An Illustrated, Middle Level and Up, coming-of-age Sci-Fi Fantasy. Average, artistic 13 year old Evie Sparks from Marblehead discovers an abandoned Chemistry set, fools around with it causing a blast that lands her in Atom City, a city based on the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. She finds she's condensed to the size of an atom like the atom sized beings she meets there. The ElemMates, element characters whose personalities are based on the chemical element's properties, live in their appropriate city block based on the chart. Evie discovers her condensed size gives her great mental and physical strengths. She can fly and weave fabric imbued with her traits just by concentrating. It has healing properties. With the ElemMates, Octavia Oxygen, Heidi Hydrogen, Carl Carbon and Gilda Gold and her best friend Liz who joins her in Atom City, they attempt to resolve earthly problems like closing the Ozone hole, bringing water to the desert and cleaning up toxic sites. With the ElemMates help Liz and Evie produce prize winning Science Fair Projects. With new found scientific ferver the girls get involved in research at the Blast Site Evie caused. The blast produces an exotic garden right in Marblehead which stirs International interest. Strange flowers grow. New elements are found. Turns out a flower and crystal have formed from Evie herself. Evie finds she is a new element. She is made an Honorary ElemMate. Getting involved in Atom City politics, she volunteers to support Gilda Gold. The opponent is a crafty Beryl Beryllium who runs on the platform to give power to the Radioactive ElemMates. When Evie finds love with Paul, a boy in her class, she thinks she has everything. She forms a Kid's Science Club which works toward organizing an end of Summer Youth Science Festival. Until he disappears and she and the rest of the town fall ill from the toxins in the new Garden. He reappears with a new girlfriend. Escaping to Atom City, she finds it in a state of anarchy and civil war. She finds her evil side and connects with the wizard like Beryl. Returning home in a vengful state, she poisons Paul who is transformed into a monster and falls into a coma. Instantly remorseful, powers gone, she grabs Liz to get help from the ElemMates. While there she helps quell the Civil War, helping to heal the crazed Radioactives and see Gilda and Tavia elected to Mayor. Back home the Atom City clean up also cleaned the toxins from Marblehead and everyone including Evie are restored. With support from the ElemMates, she heals Paul. The Science Festival is a success. The lovers are reunited.