Such a cute book. So many teens will recognize themselves on the pages. I think it will be checked out a lot from my library.

Perfection is something that so many of us at one point or another strive for, but it is something that no one can be, including Emma who must figure out how to make it through as she navigates not being the best at something she loves. Luckily, her friends, and her new pet, are there for her. I also loved that this wasn’t just a normal sequel to Bounce Back, but was a companion, but we do get to see Lilico and how she is doing.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Misako Rocks and the publisher of the book for the eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Emma has a hard time comparing herself to others espcially her older sister, Julia. The more she's around Julia the more she tries to change herself. All Emma wants to do is please her mom like her sister can.

A little help from her basketball team and friends though will show Emma that perfect is no such thing and it's more important to be your true self.

A great read for kids on the importance of being you because that's all the world needs!

No Such Thing as Perfect was a fun graphic novel with great illustrations. I recommend reading this series in order.

The dialog was really choppy and repetitive--it made me think it was a weird translation but then I realized it was originally written in English! It was hard for me to stick with it because of the writing style. I also found the characters of the mom, sister, and most of the friends to be really one-dimensional. The mom says things that kids imagine their parents say, but it's not usually their actual words, it's the kids' interpretation. A mother who actually screams across the house, "why can't you be more like your sister???" shouldn't be surprised that those comparisons hurt--it was intended to hurt! The friends too, have no development beyond whether or not they play basketball and the fact that Emma is jealous of/annoyed with/anxious around them. I thought the presence of the animal spirit wasn't utilized any more than a particularly thoughtful friend or family member could have been, so I'm not sure why the author chose to use them. The story was still cute, and I'd probably recommend it to younger kids who like stories with friend drama and talking animals, but it wouldn't be my first choice for them.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book. I liked the first book in this series, and I mostly enjoyed the next book as well. I think this one lacked a bit of the charm of the first book, as it follows Emma around instead of Lillico. I would love more stories about Lillico! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

Fans of the first in the series “Bounce Back” will be excited to follow Emma’s story in this volume.
Emma struggles with the pressure of middle school fueled by her mother’s perfectionist nature and comparisons to her older sister’s previous success.
When Emma makes the All Star basketball time the pressure seems to rise as she’s side by side with the best of the best in her age group. Unfortunately this comes out in ways of anger.
Now that we have middle school drama and sports, we’ll bring in the fantasy piece! Each title has a magical pet, in this case Lexi an adorable dog who helps guide Emma in mending her friendships, relationship with her mom, and with herself.
I love that this series appeals to readers who like realistic middle school stories, includes sports, and has the twist of magic.
Great for fans of The Babysitters Club and Katie the Catsitter who are looking for something with sports representation or more in depth issues based plots.

Thank you to Macmillian Publications for the ARC. This was my first Misako Rocks! book and I am hooked. The book was so cute and had a wonderful life lesson. My students will be so excited to read this graphic novel about being kind to yourself and others.

The cover of No Such Thing as Perfect caught my eye while browsing Netgalley. It kind of reminded me of The Cupcake Diaries graphic novels. The illustrations inside are nice but I'm not a big fan of the 'manga' look. It didn't distract a lot from the story but I also didn't really enjoy the story. And there's no real conclusion. This one might have worked better as a webcomic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for providing me with a review copy.

I am interested in graphic novels, so I thought I’d request this book. The title and cover are eye catching. I liked the book, but yet I didn’t. The main character has anger problems. The mother also seems to pick favorites amongst her children. I didn’t see it as being perfect was the issue between the mother and daughter. I saw it as another conflict. I found it interesting that a talking dog and cat are what brought the girl to realize how she treated others. The idea of perfectionist is a good one, but the story, needs a bit of work.

I will definitely be recommending this to my students. This is a good read with a great message. I think there is a good message for all students. I think they will all really enjoy the book.

I loved the first book in this series and really thought I would enjoy this one too. Unfortunately, this story fell flat. The story could have been cut in half and the dialogue was very forced as were the tough topics. The story also doesn't have much of a conclusion, it seemed like it just suddenly ended. Skip this title.

Manga style graphic novel about Emma and the pressure of being perfect and be the best in everything. The theme is nice, but the execution isn’t.

The plot was all over the place, the characters were too crowded and didn’t have distinct personalities so I had a hard time recognizing them. Lots of filler dialogues which was basically just the characters arguing. Boring. Sorryy

No Such Thing as Perfect follows Emma as she struggles with jealousy over her perfect sister and her friends who have decent talents, her acceptance in the All-Star basketball team and the knowledge that she is no longer the best player on the team, and the little dog that her sister is house-sitting who Emma is afraid of.

The artwork was very nicely done in the typical Japanese manga kawaii style. I love that the author put thought into changing the characters outfits and hairstyles throughout the graphic novel. I also think its fun that the author put how-to-draw tutorials at the end because kids love those.

I appreciate that the book was trying to teach a lesson about speaking out when something bothers you and about it being okay to not be perfect. It's also great that Emma's friends were good enough to give her second, and sometimes third, chances. I realize that Emma was supposed to be difficult to like in the beginning because she was working through her inner demons, but that is actually where I had a hard time with this book. Emma was a pretty self-centered brat in the first 3/4 of this book. Its hard to believe that her friends would have really stuck around with her as long as they did if that was the type of outbursts she was having at least weekly, especially if they were new friends through the basketball team or mutual friends.

With that being said, I still think that this is a book that will go over well with the target audience.

Emma is a middle schooler feeling a lot of pressure. Her mom wants her to do better in everything and be more like her more perfect older sister. The thing she excels in is basketball and she is invited to play on an all star team made from the best in the schools in her area. Now she is no longer the star or starter making her lash out at others. Unfortunately, she makes everyone uncomfortable around her. Emma’s anger issue is a lot and doesn’t make you like her much. And her mother is just as angry most of the time as well. Her sister Julia, is the voice of reason and peace in the household, which is an odd dynamic.

This is a sequel to a book I haven’t read but involves another character in Emma’s friend group. A twist in the stories is that each gets an animal spirit guide to help them work out their problems. The illustrations in the novel are stylish and colorful, but I didn’t love how much of the story is anger based. Emma does finally learn to express her feelings but I’m not sure that really would solve all her problems. The best role modeling from adults comes from the basketball coach. I like that there is a lot of reading in this graphic novel. This is aimed at middle schooler but I could see it on my elementary school library shelf for older grades. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

In this sequel to Bounce Back, we get to see the world through Emma's eyes. She's on the basketball team with Lilico, who came from Japan. (I need to check the print version of Bounce Back; I thought the main character was named Misako, but since I struggle with names, I might have to amend my review of that title.) She has a difficult home life because she and her mother have very similar temperments, so almost every interchange they have results in the two screaming at each other. Some of this conflict comes from the fact that Emma believes her mother likes her older sister Julia better, and pressures Emma to be more like Julia. Julia is actually a voice of reason in the household, but when she offers to watch Lexi, the adorable dog belonging to a boy she likes, Emma has another fit about that, since she hates dogs. Emma is pleased to make it on to the all star basketball team with Lilico, but has problems there are well. She starts a combative relationship with Alyssa, and the two fight on the court. Emma is used to being one of the few really good players on her team, so when everyone else is as good or better than she is, this causes her even more emotional turmoil. On the bright side, she does take to Lexi, who turns out to be her guardian spirit in the way Nicco was Lilico's magical guide in the first book. The entire all star team is affected by Emma's frequent outbursts, and don't play well because they are focusing on individual goals instead of coming together as a team. Emma has not been talking to Nala, since the two had a falling out in the first book, but the two have a bumpy road to reconnection, with Emma again disrepecting her friend on multiple occasions. When Lexi becomes ill when Emma is watching her, she has to work together with Lilico to get Lexi medical attention, and finally has a discussion that helps her to tell her mother what is bothering her. Can Emma get the help she needs to have constructive rather than destructive relationships?
Strengths: I would love to see more graphic novels with sports in them, like Dawson's Fifth Quarter or Tavares' Hoops. There is a bit of basketball in this, but most of the book is taken up with the friend drama, which is also a popular topic. The manga vibe of this one is strong, and Nala dresses in a very bold harujuku style of dress, which I have seen on a couple of girls at my school. This series definitely has a lot of tween appeal.
Weaknesses: If I had to diagnose Emma, I would say that she falls on the Oppositional Defiant Disorder spectrum somewhere. Her mother is also absolutely horrible in her interactions. I know this happens in real life, but in books I would like to see some of the characters model good behavior. It's wearing just reading about all of Emma's tantrums, and I'm surprised that she has any friends at all.
What I really think: Like the first book, this is absolutely overwrought, and handing it to students feels like giving them cotton candy for breakfast. The first book fell apart spectacularly after five circulations, even though I got a Follett Bound copy. I requested a replacement, so I'll see how well it circulates before ordering this. It's similar to the Chloe series by Tessier in many respects.