Middle Grade Sidekick Short Review: Last Chance Academy: A Study in Secrets by Debbi Michiko Florence

18 hours ago
2 min read

cover image of Last Chance Academy A Study in Secrets by Debbi Michiko Florence, published by Aladdin, 2025. — cover image of *Last Chance Academy A Study in Secrets* by Debbi Michiko Florence, published by Aladdin, 2025.

The Basics

Page Length: 304

Audiobook Length: ~6 hours

Grade Reading Level: 3+

Target Audience Age: 8-13

Goodreads Score: 3.68 out of 5

Buy it HERE

Setting: A boarding school in contemporary upstate New York, Leeland Chase Academy

Genre: Mystery

Topics: Treasure hunt, puzzles, friendship, grief, competition, boarding school

Plot: Ever since Megumi Mizuno’s mom passed away, she’s been struggling in school. She was even sent to live with her Aunt Vivian as punishment. Her relationship with her father has become very strained, especially when he decides to send her to boarding school—Last Chance Academy, a place for kids with nowhere else to go, who are on their very last chance.

When Megumi arrives, she’s grieving and alone. She has a hard time trusting people, which makes making friends quite difficult. Although she and her roommate are starting to bond, everything changes when a small silver envelope slides under their door. They have been invited to participate in a secret school treasure hunt, with an amazing grand prize—a trip to Newport Beach over winter break.

Megumi is determined to win so she can spend time with her father, repair their relationship, and convince him not to sell her childhood home. She won’t let anything stop her—even friendship. But will her growing friend group be torn apart by the treasure hunt and the secrets it brings? Will Megumi’s quest to win destroy the friendships she’s finally made here at Last Chance Academy? Who will win the prize—and is it worth what it might cost?

You might like this book if you like:

Treasure/scavenger hunts, escape rooms, logic puzzles
Geocaching
Books like: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Chasing Vermeer, Friday Barnes: Girl Detective, 39 Clues series
Shows like: The Mysterious Benedict Society, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Secrets of Sulphur Springs, Wednesday, House of Anubis, Carmen Sandiego
Movies like: Enola Holmes, The School for Good and Evil, National Treasure, The Goonies

Other books written by this author: Keep It Together, Keiko Carter, Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai, Sweet and Sour, This is How I Roll

Content

Language: none
Sex/Romance: Some of the main characters have crushes on each other.
Violence/Scariness: There is no violence or anything scary. There are mature themes about death and grief. The main character's mother passed away and she struggles with that throughout the book.
Drinking/Smoking/Drugs: none