This was a great sequel to the first book!! I know I will have students on a wait list to read this book. I can't wait to read the next book!

This book is just all around great. this is the PERFECT continuation to the first one. It's about friends that used to be enemies but learns to get along. it is so inspiring and it's a MUST read. it leaves you with so many questions which I sometimes hate but a good thing because there is the third book coming out soon !

The Perfect Secret is a follow up to The Perfect Score, and from the start, this is a follow up that works well as part of a series, but will leave the reader with a lot of questions if they haven't read the first book. Buyea takes no time to provide any backstory aside from the fact that The Recruits were thrown together as punishment for something they did (although from one character's perspective I got the sense that it wasn't something entirely bad.)

The story picks up where the last left off, so I just went with it, and once you've suspended the questions you have about some of the storylines, it is a fun and engaging read. The story is told from multiple perspectives, which always puts an interesting spin on the story as it unfolds. The Recruits are now 7th graders (and having a 7th grader myself) captures well the feel of being wiser in the ways of middle school, and the complexity of crushes that break out between friends in tight-knit groups. They are good-hearted kids on a mission to bring Coach, Mrs Magenta, and Mrs Woods back together and patch up their distant relationship.

The story is age appropriate (although I'm not entirely settled on my thoughts of how he handled the issue of Gavin's mother as an undocumented immigrant.) It's a good middle school read for a kiddo who has read the first in the series.

Buyea has found a successful formula: follow a typical group of kids (if such a thing exists) through life inside and outside of school. What keeps his writing from being formulaic is that Buyea realizes that each student has a different story to tell and that in the world of school, these stories will intertwine. Serious issues don't get glossed over but readers will find hope as the students, their families and their teachers work together to figure out life. "The Perfect Score" does start in the middle of some stories, and leaves some storylines hanging, but enough is resolved for the reader to walk away satisfied. Recommended for 10-12 year olds. Based on a review copy received via NetGalley.

“I hate losing more than I love winning. But, Valentine, it’s how we carry ourselves in defeat, how we rise after failure, that tells it all. Because that’s when character is revealed.”

The gang is back! This time, their overall mission is to get Mrs. Magenta and Mrs. Woods to talk to each other. But it has to remain a secret. If the women find out what the group is up to, everything could backfire. Along the way, though, each character has their own problems to deal with and to keep to themselves. But should they? Gavin (QB) and Scott (Stat man),are jazzed about middle school football for the first time, find that things aren’t always fair in the world of sports. He’s always believed that “Good things happen to people who work hard,” but with Coach Holmes that doesn't seem to be enough. Natalie is teaching Gavin’s Mom to read and dealing with some emotions she’s never felt before. “ ... but here was another reminder that life wasn’t always black-and-white. Life was messy. I didn’t know how to feel.” Randi, excited about her gymnastics regional win, is hesitant to tell anyone about her invitation to a special camp ... she doesn’t want to brag, after all.

”Seventh grade was a year of secrets and discoveries.” Join the gang as they work their way through another exciting school year, filled with friendship, family, smiles and tears. And a few lessons learned along the way, such as being nice helps to knock down fences. Another great one for my elementary library.

I had the opportunity to read a NetGalley digital ARC of this follow-up novel to The Perfect Score. In the first book, readers met the characters: Randi (the gymnast), Gavin (the football player), Trevor (the mean kid), Scott (the smart kid), and Natalie (the future lawyer). These unlikely friends teamed up to cheat on a statewide assessment. In The Perfect Secret, these kids are back. It’s the next school year and they’re still dealing with the consequences of their cheating scandal.
But this year, they are working together to get their teachers Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta (who are estranged mother and daughter) to reconcile their differences. In addition to that, each of these characters deal with their own problems of racism, bullying, and family drama. Middle grade readers who enjoyed the first book will appreciate the continuation and development of each character’s storyline. The book has a lot of good messages about friendship, perseverance, and kindness.

In this sequel to The Perfect Score, we revisit the classmates who were involved in Ms. Woods' project to visit the senior center as they start seventh grade. Their teachers are all okay, and they do get to continue to visit the center. Other things, however, have changed. Trevor's parents have kicked his abusive brother Brian out of the house, which makes things better even though his mother misses his brother and there are still some problems with him. Randi's mother is much calmer about her gymnastics, and the two get along much better, although Randi finds out a secret when she attends a camp. Natalie is trying to get Ms. Woods and Ms. Magenta to talk to each other, but since no one will tell her why they have been estranged, it is difficult. She is also helping Gavin's mother learn to read. Scott, whose grandfather is in the senior center, becomes the stat man on the football team, but some of the other players, as well as the coaches, are jerks about it. Trevor still plays football and is very focused on it, but he starts understanding the appeal of graphic novels that Ms. Woods, who is volunteering at the local library, sends his way. When Gavin is injured at school and his mother is involved in an auto accident, many of the secrets that all of our characters are keeping lead to some problems that are difficult to overcome, but with the support of their class, the students work through them.

Strengths: This addresses several issues of current concern in an age appropriate way. Immigration problems, problems with siblings and parents, getting along with high achieving parents, and finding community service that is productive and enjoyable are threaded through this book. Buyea is good at making the characters distinctive so they can be told apart, and I know that teachers often like to use his books as an example of voice.

Weaknesses: I'm not a fan personally of multiperspective books, since each chapter change tends to take me out of the plot for a bit. I would love to see Buyea mix it up a bit and get away from the multiple character, entire year formula he has used in the past.

What I really think: I got the first book in this series late in the year, so I may wait to see how it circulates before purchasing the sequel.

Gav, Natalie, Scott, Trevor, and Randi are back in this spirited sequel to The Perfect Score. The group's plan to reunite Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta is sidelined by personal issues each character has to face and a major issue that impacts them all.

Buyea has an uncanny ability to spin a tale from various perspectives while intertwining multiple storylines that all seem to come together brilliantly at the end. This was a great story that touches on some truly pertinent topics and themes.

This is another soon to be hit by Rob Buyea! He does a fabulous job in letting the reader see the story unfold from multiple perspectives. Even with several characters, I really feel like I get to know each of them. There is a great deal that goes on with the kids in this book, and they learn about each other and how to support one another as time progresses.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early ebook to preview.

I love the way Rob Buyea writes through different characters’ eyes. Each chapter is a different character and you hear their perspective on things. There are a lot of issues going on here. There is a lot for the reader to take away. I really like that this is the second novel that I have read this year that has dealt with aging. It is a cute story. I would recommend for grade 4 and above.