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The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea , 364 pages. Delacourt Press, 2018. $16.99.  Language: PG (1 swear, 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.  BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE  AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  The kids from The Perfect Score are back for their 7th grade year. This year is all about secrets; everyone has secrets: Gavin is finally playing football, but the coach has something against him and won’t let him play - Gavin tells everyone football is great, but Scott knows otherwise - Scott’s football experience is also not as expected, he is terribly bullied by other team members. Randi has been invited to an elite gymnastics camp where she meets an unexpected relative. Natalie wants to get Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta back together - but she’s been told their problems are a secret so this is harder than she anticipated. And Trevor . . . Brian has moved out, but Trevor is afraid Brian is headed for big trouble.  Buyea has written another engaging story, well told through th

Focused by Alyson Gerber , 304 pages.  Scholastic, April 2019.  $17. Content: G  BUYING ADVISORY:  MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Clea can’t concentrate. If she can’t concentrate, she can’t get her homework done.  And if she doesn’t get her homework done, she’ll be on academic probation and she won’t be able to go to nor compete with the school chess club.  She may have started going to please her best friend Red, but now she goes because she loves it.  Unfortunately, Clea also can’t keep her mouth shut – and one day she wounds Red with her words - - at a time when she needs Red and Read really needs her. IS there something wring with Clea – could she really be one of those ADHD kids who need medication? Watching Clea at the beginning of the book as she navigates her world with her ADHD brain is eye-opening as a teacher.  I know that Gerber has had to severely simplify the struggles of someone coping with ADHD and trying out possible treatments and medications.  I can almost

Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter , 379 pages.  Harlequin Teen, 2018 (2006).  $10. Language: PG (5 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: PG (mentions without descriptions); Violence: PG (fight, not descriptive) BUYING ADVISORY:  MS, HS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE Originally released in 2006. The book has been extensively reworked to be more modern and a bit more believable. When she was five, Jade was injured in the car crash that killed her mother.  Afraid of getting close to anyone, Jade holds the entire world at arms length.  Her mortal enemy at school is the queen bee, Mercedes – who also happens to be the girl who lived with Jade and her dad for a couple of years like family when their parents were seriously dating.  After a scare one night, Jade wakes up and the world has turned upside down – all the pops are goths, with Jade as their queen, while preppy Mercedes lives in fear at school, and in Jade’s home as Jade’s dad and Mercedes mom are married. Can Jade let go of her anger an

Babymouse Tales from the Locker: Miss Communication by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, 191 pages.  Random House, 2018.  $14.  Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.     BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH A new phone has come out and Baby Mouse feels left out because all her friends have one. Baby Mouse pleas with her parents for the new Whiz Bang and they finally agree to let her get one. Baby Mouse is ecstatic and can’t wait to use it. But, knowing Baby Mouse, will the Whiz Bag survive it’s new owner? This is Baby Mouse’s journey with social media and adolescents. I enjoyed this book because Baby Mouse is an enjoyable character and is full of laughs. I think that the author did a good job of connecting the story to modern day dilemmas. The pictures were cute, and the story was fun.  This book has more text than previous Babymouse graphic novels, but is still full of expressive illustrations. Student Reviewer, I. Peterson, 9th grade.