A STUDY IN SECRETS

A grieving girl reluctantly embraces new challenges.

Meg isn’t happy to enter a tiny boarding school as a new seventh-year student. People jokingly refer to Leland Chase Academy, several hours from her Connecticut home in upstate New York, as “Last Chance Academy,” a place for kids with complicated pasts. Ever since her mother’s sudden death when she was in fifth grade, Japanese American Meg Mizuno has struggled in school. Her father travels frequently for work, so he gives Meg an ultimatum: Succeed at Leland Chase or she’ll be home-schooled by an aunt she can’t stand. Meg and her roommate, Tana Rabin, who’s Jewish, each receive a mysterious invitation to participate in a secretive treasure hunt; the winner will get to go with a chaperone of their choice on a fancy vacation to Newport Beach, California. Meg sees this prize as a chance to bond with her dad and convince him to bring her back home, a motivation that draws her into the treasure hunt. The puzzle-filled plot never drags, and the ending will surprise readers, although it lacks a satisfying wrap-up—this series opener is clearly setting up for the sequel. Meg struggles with trusting friends and being honest with her dad, two realistic and relatable themes for middle schoolers that Florence weaves believably into the story.

Interesting characters explore a compelling mystery.