This is a fun mystery by way of scavenger hunt for younger readers! Even I as an adult enjoyed the story over all.
I can see it being a hit for 4th or 5th grader readers as an introduction to academia based novels as well as mystery and adventure type stories. It is on the more simplistic side and at times very repetitive but I think it may be intentional for how younger readers process and hold on to information.
I will say that the clues for the scavenger hunt were overly simplistic when they didn’t have to be.

The book is the first book in a future series and it ends on a cliff hanger but the main story focus was wrapped up. The cliff hanger was perfectly placed to encourage the reader to pick up the next installment.

I think the younger readers will be able to identify with the students in the book and I loved that they appeared imperfect and faced many of the things that today’s kids do as well as challenges with parents, teachers and peers.

The book comes out March 11,2025 and would make a great addition to a classroom or home library.

I am thankful to have gotten an eARC for free from Simon Kids through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system for Middle Grade and children’s books

⭐️ Significant problems and would never recommend to the audience.
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea but may have some appeal.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ an ok book which I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend but it has some value for young readers
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! I would recommend for the age or reading level appropriate for the book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Would recommend highly, especially to school programs as a wide spread reading opportunity.

MG semi-mystery novel set in an expensive and private boarding school for supposedly troubled children. Nicknamed Last Chance Academy, it's not really clear why this school would be the last chance for any of the pupils given nearly all of them are, at most, their second school and appear to have been kicked out of their old schools for mostly benign reasons (failing grades, antisocial behavior that is almost entirely remedied with a two minute conversation, and wanting to write fiction stories instead of prepare to take over the family business as a seventh grader). The story primarily follows Meg and her emotional challenges in the wake of her mother's death, her father's emotional abandonment, and the rejection of her childhood best friend (who is, frankly, the only character anywhere near the level of sociopathic behavior you would expect for a kid going to a school with this level of security). The main mystery isn't fully resolved in the this book, it instead leads into another upcoming volume, but the identity of the mysterious gamemaster is frankly incredibly obvious. This volume is moody and semi-gothic, but some of the narrative suggests the second book in the series may have a different tone.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A Study in Secrets by Debbi Michiko Florence is the first person-POV start of a contemporary middle grade mystery series, Last Chance Academy. Megumi Mizuno’s grades slipped drastically after her mother passed away and her father left her with an aunt who didn’t give her a very loving home. To give Megumi another chance, her dad sends her to the Last Chance Academy or else she will be homeschooled. Megumi’s new school might be the thing that helps her start to move on with her life or it could send her further into her self-isolation.

A major theme is grief and the slow process it takes to move on when you lose a loved one. In Megumi’s case, she lost her mother and then, shortly after her mother’s funeral, her best friend dumped her because she was ‘too depressing to be around.’ I think a lot of people, young and old, can relate to how grief can take a variety of shapes and come about from the loss of any significant relationship as well as responding to grief with refusing to get close to anyone else. Eventually, Megumi does learn to let other people in, particularly Tana, Zane, and Ryan, but it does take a bit.

Megumi’s Japanese heritage is showcased in several different ways. She listens to J-pop and reads manga, has visited Japan, and when her mother was alive, they celebrated Hinamatsuri or Girls’ Day with a treasure hunt. Megumi also knows at least some Japanese given that she can curse in the language, but we don’t know if she’s fluent or if her skills are more in speaking and listening vs reading and writing. Zane is also Japanese-American and we know he knows at least some of the language, but we don’t know what other ways he’s connected to his heritage. There are other characters of color on the page, including Ryan who is of Chinese descent, I believe, and there is Jewish representation with Tana.

While the mystery is quite fun and provides riddles for readers to try to decode, the real star of the show for me was the character relationships. Megumi and Tana hit it off fairly quickly but also have a friendly rivalry due to Tana’s desire to be the best student in their school. What helps keep their relationship fun and interesting is Tana isn’t malicious, but it’s obvious she is really competitive and the potential relationship between Tana and Ryan and Megumi and Ryan. Ryan flirts with both girls, though Tana herself admits that Ryan flirts with everyone, and I’m not expecting anything to pan out in the next book as middle grade often takes a while for romances to grow, but I’m all of Tana and Ryan getting together and Zane and Megumi dating. There was something I really liked in Zane and Megumi’s dynamic that was more shippable to me, but I’d happily read the next books even if romance never happens at all.

I would recommend this to fans of middle grade mysteries, young books looking for novels with themes of grief and moving on, and parents, educators, and guardians looking for books with diverse casts of characters

Losing a parent and then being sent to boarding school could cause a lot of issues for Meg, but she overcomes them via a treasure hunt game with her classmates. Readers will enjoy the suspense and realistic nature of the story.