Hi All! It’s Becky and I’m here to tell you about the new book by Rob Buyea.
The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea
Release Date: October 3
Summary: It’s the start of the school year and the new crop of sixth graders are under pressure and over stressed. Randi is a star gymnast who is afraid of failing and letting her mother down. Gavin struggles to be a good brother while hiding his reading weakness. Trevor appears to be a bully but is he the one actually being bullied? Scott is super smart and always want to help but is never able to help without harming. Natalie is a wannabe future lawyer who is good with facts but needs to learn how to be good with people. The five of them are thrown together by a new seemingly tough teacher and must band together to overcome the statewide assessment test.
Review: This book feels like a middle grade The Breakfast Club which is great for readers looking for a fun story about a sixth grade classes’s hijinks. However, the multiple viewpoints made the reader’s interactions with the characters feel very brief and at times slowed down the pace of the story. There are humorous moments that will appeal to young readers and they will probably be able to see aspects of themselves in the multitude of narrators but I have to wonder if the average readers would want to read an entire book based around standardized test. Plus, the inclusion of storylines about parental pressure, school pressure, ailing grandparents, family financial issues, and abuse made the book feel like it was trying a little too hard.
Bottomline: “The Perfect Score” is a fun novel with multiple view points however it’s basic premise may not appeal to some young readers.
Final Rating: 3 out of 5
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