I read The Secret School years ago when I was a kid, and loved it. Getting to revisit the characters again all these years later was a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend to readers of the first book!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This is such a cute book! I had not realized it was a sequel to another book until partway through reading, however. I think young readers would enjoy this book quite a bit. At times, however, I did wonder if Ida's internal thoughts were overwhelming the narrative. I also found Ida to be a bit annoying at times, and some of the scenes in the book were frustrating.

This story is too short. It's excellent for supplemental reading, but I wanted it to continue. I'm biased because there isn't an Avi book I don't like. That said, this is on my list of books to go along with Story of the World 4 for homeschoolers chronologically studying history.

Years ago, my older daughter read The Secret School, and recommended it to the rest of us. We were all hooked by Ida Bidson's fierce determination to be educated, in a one-room schoolhouse back in 1925. When I saw there was finally a sequel, I stopped for a minute to realize that this was probably not a book we would all read together. My daughters are grown now, and I have a lot less pull (if I ever had any) in recommending what they read.

But maybe not. This may be a book meant for a middle grade reader, but it is truly a story about perseverance, and the work of women who yearned for more than what society was willing to have them achieve. Sadly, still relevant today. It is a book about powerful women who fought for an education many men felt was unnecessary. For a life many men didn't accept. Ida Bidson is a hero, and I am so happy that Avi gave us more of her story.

Master storyteller Avi returns to his Roaring Twenties setting of The Secret School to continue the story of Ida Bidson. As she moves from her family's farm to the town of Steamboat Springs to attend high school, Ida is excited and nervous. She has never attended a school other than the one-room schoolhouse she and the other kids out in the county shared. Now she is boarding with a school system employee and taking classes like Latin. Ida also learns many lessons that are not academic, things like - some people expect rural kids to fail, some people don't like progress, and some judge you by the friends you keep or by outmoded social standards.

Ida makes a group of friends who form a club and name themselves the Secret Sisters. I enjoyed the way each girl has her own personality and backstory, but they could all support each other. A flapper, a miner's daughter, a girl from a sheep ranch...they all have strengths and can help each other succeed. They can also make each other brave enough to stand up for what is right.

Readers who are unfamiliar with the era may appreciate the glossary of flapper terms, as well as the author's note about the 1920s. A touch I especially liked was the way musical lyrics from songs of the day were worked into the story. Don't let your middle grade readers miss it!

If you loved Secret School, and have been eager to find out what happened to Ida after getting her acceptance letter for highschool in Steamboat Springs, the next chapter in her story is finally here!

Our story begins with Ida setting off on her new adventure in Steamboat Springs. While Secret School gave us a peek into life in rural 1920’s Colorado, Secret Sisters shows us a more modern view of city life. It’s packed with “flapper-speak” and all the modern conveniences of the 1920’s. As Ida tries to wrap her brain around all the fascinating things in this modern setting, she also struggles to understand why some people continue to hold to such outdated views on important things. Ida also grapples with staying true to who she is while embracing a new way of life.

I loved this new perspective on the time period, and was so happy to see Ida following her dreams in this new book. I also truly enjoyed getting to know each of her secret sisters. I did find it harder to connect with Ida in this new setting, and didn’t really find myself deep into the story until about 3/4 of the way through. I think I was waiting for a little more depth as Ida was older in this story. However, just as in Secret School, I found myself finishing this book with all sorts of wonderful, warm fuzzy feelings. This is a feel-good read for sure.

If you fell in love with Ida in Secret School, and are eager to find out what happened next, I recommend picking up Secret Sisters and embarking on the next phase of the journey with Ida Bidson.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Children’s for an advanced copy of this book to review.

When I first took the position as the elementary school librarian in our small town, the former librarian told me to never discard any book written by Avi. Now, several years later, I would like to extend special thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Secret Sisters by Avi.

This is Avi's latest middle-grade novel, and it is a wonderful book to introduce young readers to the fascinating genre of historical fiction. Ida Bidson has a dream to become a teacher and the only way this can happen is if she is willing to move to another town to attend high school, be a boarder in a new home, and learn to deal with an old-fashioned, stuck-in-his-ways principal,

To help adjust to her new surroundings Ida quickly becomes a part of a new club called The Secret Sisters. With her five friends and the help of some kind and strong female role models, Ida becomes "determined to define her own place amidst old rules and new ways in the Roaring Twenties."

This book is pure, engaging, and a delight to read. I highly recommend it!

The Secret Sisters is such a cute coming of age and inspirational read for middle grade. It’s such a great stepping stone into historical fiction. Very positive and female empowerment vibes for the younger generation to follow their dreams.

The Secret Sisters, by Avi, is a sequel to The Secret School. While I have read a number of Avi’s other books but not The Secret School, I never felt lost in the narrative. In 1925, Ida Bidson gets the opportunity to leave her rural one-room elementary school after she graduates and serves briefly as its teacher to go to high school in Steamboat Springs. She knows her destiny is to become a teacher, not to spend her life milking cows.

Miss Sedgewick, the Routt County inspector for one-room schoolhouses, sees promise in Ida and offers her the opportunity to board for free and attend the high school. New experiences await Ida far beyond the classroom. She soon becomes part of a group of friends who call themselves “The Secret Sisters.” There are movies, telephones, and a ride on the train for an overnight with her friend. Some of the new experiences threaten to spoil her attendance at the high school with its strict principal who seems to intimidate even Miss Sedgewick who worries about her reputation. When the group of friends learns to speak “flapper,” and the new young teacher shows them the moves to the Charleston, they feel copacetic and get a wiggle on. The principal becomes a killjoy and a flat tire, but Miss Sedgewick decides not to be an old fogie.

The book ends with a glossary of flapper definitions. Middle schoolers who read it will get a picture of another life – especially for women. The book is really the cat’s pajamas!

This book was a great middle-grade read - wholesome, charming, and informative! It's the sequel to Avi's previous book Secret School, but you really don't need to be familiar with that storyline to enjoy this book at all. Ida is the main character and is boarding in a small town to attend high school after growing up on her family's farm in rural Colorado. She's very excited and nervous about all the changes in her life, and the story (written in 3rd person) really allows the reader to connect with Ida's emotions during these transitions.

Ida soon discovers that small-mindedness can very much exist in a big town, and the book really explores the mistreatment of women in the 1920s while keeping the story very much relatable and understandable for young readers. I know that if my ten-year-old self had read this book, I would have immediately become obsessed with flapper culture! Avi does such a great job of incorporating the pop culture and slang of this time period and even includes a helpful glossary at the end of the book.

This book is very much G-rated, so I do feel that readers will age out of this book pretty quickly - I probably wouldn't purchase it for a middle school library. However, it is perfect for grades 3-5! Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books for the Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review!

A huge thank you to Net Galley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Secret Sisters by Avi. Having heard of the author, but having never reading any of his books, I was intrigued by the synopsis of his latest middle grade book and requested to read it. When I was approved, I was absolutely delighted.

Although I'm not the target audience, I found The Secret Sisters to be fun and engaging . . . and even educational! I loved the fact that Ida and her friends were learning how to speak "flapper" from one of their more modern friends and learned how to dance the Charleston. What was fascinating was that these things were frowned upon by some people in the town. This story was a great reminder that this time in history was vastly different than it is now. Even though I knew that many people in the twenties and thirties didn't get their high school education, especially those who lived on a farm, it was a great reminder to me, and I'm sure a new lesson to kids nowadays. This book is a great historical fiction novel for children between the ages of eight and twelve. I enjoyed reading this story immensely and now want to read its predecessor.

Four out of five stars is what I gave The Secret Sisters by Avi. The expected publication date is August 29, 2023. It's sure to be a winner with kids and adults alike.

The Secret Sisters was a breath of fresh air and gave Little House on the Prairie vibes. In the 1920s, 14-year-old Ida travels to a new town for high school. There she sees electricity, running water, and the intimidating idea of the modern woman. Ida struggles to find her place in this new world and outgrow the stereotypes binding young women to decorum rather than substance. I love her group of friends and the impact t she has on Trudy. Lovely book and though it is a sequel, I never read the preceding book and it posed no issue. Thank you to NetGalley ad Clarion Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a short middle grade story about fourteen year old, Ida who wants to be a teacher so leaves her home to attend high school in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in 1925. Things are alot more modern in her new town and she must struggle with how much to change to fit in and how much she should just be herself.

It would be a wonderful historical fiction "living book" for a child interested in this time period. The end includes a glossary of all the Flapper slang terms used throughout by one of Ida's new friends as well as suggestions and resources for further study.

Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read it in exchange for my thoughts.

I really enjoy Avi’s writing. I love this period piece. I learned new things about the era and the story was great. I am unsurprised that I enjoyed this! All of the 1920s slang terms sometimes confused me, but they were also kind of entertaining. The use of Latin was really neat! My children study it.

Having read other books by Avi in the past, I was ready for another good read. This book certainly qualified! I am sure middle school kids will be able to identify with Ida as she begins her 1025 high school career in a town far from her own home.

Ida experiences feelings and events common to most kids, such as feeling lost at her new school, getting used to new situations (including the modern world!), and meeting new friends. The Secret Sisters is the name of the club to which Ida and some friends belong. I especially enjoyed the historical descriptions and the "flapper talk" of LuLu!

This is a book meant to be devoured and loved (which I did). I am sure middle school readers will find this book to be one they will rapidly read and never forget. I highly recommend this book. This book earned a rare "five star rating" from me.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

The Secret Sisters is full of sympathetic characters and fun flapper slang. The main character reminds me of Jo March, if she lived in the 1920. This book inspires you to be yourself, speak truth to power, and be a loyal friend. I loved getting to know Ida and her friends.

This book was reminiscent of some of the middle-grade books I read when I was a kid, and that nostalgia plus the sweet characters and story made it a hit for me. I was a very Ida Bidson-like girl -- loyal to friends and familiy, felt big feelings, had an abiding sense of justice and was not a huge hit with school administration, so I appreciated her tenacity in the face of big, big change, and her ability to relate to Trudy. A good read for a young person really trying to find their place in things.

Readers were introduced to Ida Bidson in The Secret School, and now Avi offers the next installment in Ida's path toward her dream of becoming a teacher. Ida feels like she is a step closer to that dream when an opportunity to attend high school opens up in Steamboat Springs. She boards with a former teacher, Miss Sedgewick, and the world suddenly opens up to her. So many differences between her life at home and life in Steamboat Springs.

At school, she meets so many girls with various backgrounds. Ida is faced with new ideas and new friendships--can she still remain herself in this new environment? With challenging studies and a principal who has taken a disliking to her, Ida has her work cut out for her. If she doesn't pass her classes, she'll have to leave and that will be such a disappointment to the parents who sacrificed for her to have this opportunity.

Readers will get a glimpse at life in 1925 and share in Ida's excitement when using a telephone for the first time or seeing a movie. And she even belongs to a special club of "sisters"--girls who want to celebrate everything modern. But will modern life clash with the traditional values of the school principal? Can Ida find a balance between her life in the past and the possibilities of life in the future?

Check out The Secret Sisters to find out how Ida's year concludes and whether she'll be returning for another term or going home in shame. This book about friendships, learning to face consequences, and working hard to achieve your goals will resonate with young people of all ages.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of The Secret Sisters from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received and the opinions expressed are my own.

**Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!**
This story, unfortunately, missed the mark for me. It took me over a month to read it because I just had a hard time getting into the story. Nothing really grabbed my attention and held on. It was still a sweet story and I would recommend it to a child in the age 10-12 age range, but it just wasn't for me!

The year is 1925 and it’s a time of growth and change for Ida Bidson. She has completed eighth grade all while being a secret teacher to her one room school in Colorado’s Elkhead Mountains. She is now preparing to leave her home and move to Steamboat Springs to attend high school which will bring her one step closer to her ultimate goal of becoming a teacher.With all this change will she make new friends and be able to adjust to life away from home?

When I heard AVI wrote a sequel to The Secret School I couldn’t wait to read it. Ida’s heart for wanting to be a teacher really shined in that book. In the Secret Sister’s Ida learns a whole new set of lessons she could learn only from living life and interacting with things and ideas that are foreign to her.

Ida moves to Steamboat Springs to attend high school. Before leaving for school her parents remind her about the value of hard work and being yourself. On the first day of school Ida finds herself at odds with the school principle and not knowing anyone. But that changes quickly when a new friend,Lulu, invites her to join a first year girls club which Ida dubs the Secret Sisters. Each week the girls meet and a new president is chosen to decide what the activity for the week will be, their goal is to have fun and be best friends.

Overall, I enjoyed how AVI wove so much historical cultural references and viewpoints into the story. The era of the flapper was prominent with language and dances of the time. The nod to women winning the right to vote but still struggling with having to choose between working or getting married and having a family.
Growth in Ida is seen as she remembers the wise words of her mom, “Just be yourself, love” . Ida chooses to be an independent thinker who stands up for what is right even if those around her disapprove. It was a lovely read to see Ida grow from being the teacher to being the student in life once again.