Tag: Perfect Score series

REVIEW: The Perfect Star by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: The Perfect Star by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Delacorte Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Eighth grade begins for the stars of The Perfect Score series.

  • Gavin is playing football after overcoming all the hassles from last year. After a summer with no coach, the team finally has one, but the unconventional choice leads to drama for the school and community.
  • Randi’s future in gymnastics is up in the air after a serious injury.
  • Natalie is leading the group once again, this time as they start up a school newscast in place of the newspaper.
  • Trevor and Natalie are still dating, but it’s causing a major rift in Trevor and Mark’s friendship.
  • Scott is enthusiastic about everything from being the weatherman on the newscast to being the stat guy for the football team. But his enthusiasm for protecting the new football coach leads to some issues.

And that’s just the beginning of an 8th grade year that is going to challenge these kids and draw them together tighter than ever.

Review

Wow. This was so good! It’s been delightful to watch these kids grow up and grow together over the three books in this series. And I LOVE this group of kids – even more than I loved the group in the author’s previous series. They are quirky and genuine and flawed and family to one another.

So much happens in this book (including at least one “suspend disbelief here” moment), but it all holds together around the idea of this core group getting older and gaining some maturity as well as compassion and empathy for others. Family, friendship, and football are major themes, but this also touches on homelessness, insurance and health care, grief, bullying, and dating (hand holding, peck on the cheeks/lips). This book is perfect for middle school readers in its richness and depth.

When I talk with readers about stories told from the perspective of several characters, I always end up talking about Rob Buyea‘s books. He writes these great, nuanced characters, and then turns them loose to tell their stories in their own ways. And I fall in love with the stories every time.

Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Secrets abound when the kids from The Perfect Score return as seventh graders.

  • Gaven is ready to play some football, but being on the team isn’t what he expected.
  • Randi is in a great place with her mom, but a special gymnastics camp opens an unexpected door to their past.
  • Natalie is determined to lead the team in their effort to reunite Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta (estranged mother and daughter), but she ends up leading a lot of other vital projects as well.
  • Scott learns that he has the perfect skills to be the stat guy for the football team, if only they’d give him a chance.
  • Trevor is safe from his brother and his friends, but the whole mess last year could be tearing his family apart.

Review

Rob Buyea’s books are my favorite example of multiple points of view done well. Each of the kids has a great voice, and they can tell so many stories because each gets a moment on the “stage.” I think I love this group of kids even more than the group in the Mr. Terupt series. They are smart, caring kids. They are so good at looking outside of themselves and helping others.

The first book in the series looked at standardized testing. This one looks at immigration – among other things. It’s a pretty simple discussion of a very complex issue, but it’s handled really well. Middle school dating is introduced in this one, too – hand holding only. There are also pieces in this about racism, bullying and the trouble secrets can cause. My only complaint is that it felt like there is a lot of “we would learn later…” sorts of foreshadowing. I would have preferred the story to just happen, or maybe to just use that technique once or twice when it really mattered.

This is a series I highly recommend. I look forward to each new book. Book three – The Perfect Star  – will release in the fall.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea

REVIEW: The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

As their sixth grade year begins, these five kids have a lot going on:

  • Gavin loves football but isn’t so hot on school. His dad dropped out to take over the family business, so Gavin thinks that is his destiny, too, unless football gives him another choice.
  • Randi’s whole life is about gymnastics. And early on she enjoyed that. But now she’s practicing 6 days a week, including three hours on school nights. But she’s somehow supposed to keep her grades up, too. And her mom wants her to ace the CSAs (state standardized tests) so she can be placed in the highest levels in 7th grade.
  • Natalie is the teacher’s pet of the class. She’s never really had friends before but things may be starting to change this year. Once she has friends, what is Natalie willing to do for them?
  • Scott is crazy smart but also something of a naive goof ball. He doesn’t realize some of the guys in his class aren’t teasing him because they like him. They are mocking him.
  • Trevor doesn’t care about much more than cutting up with his friends at school and steering clear of his older brother and his crew at home. Those guys have always told Trevor he was a mistake. And Trevor has started to believe them.

In the middle of these individual stories, there’s the larger story of a class of 6th graders, their teachers/administrators, and the state standardized tests. As the kids lose more and more of what has made the year special to make space for test prep, they become more and more desperate to ace the test and put it behind them. Whatever it takes.

Review

Wow, this was FANTASTIC! I loved all the kids – well, the punkish one won me over in the end. Their concerns and actions felt genuine. I cared about them from the first page. The adults were fantastic, too – not perfect by any means. But they felt real, and they were trying to do the right things (even when they failed to).

I loved the author’s previous series about another teacher, Mr. Terupt, and his students. But because it’s so special, I worried that this wouldn’t live up to it. My worry was unnecessary. This was a delight to read from start to finish. Buyea does an awesome job with this format of a handful of kids telling the story. Each has a distinct voice and style. It’s great. There’s so much more nuance to the story than just the test at the center of the plot. Every part of it worked for me. I was thrilled to hear that he’s already been working on a sequel.

Many thanks to Delacorte books and Netgalley for an electronic review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥