So, I’m sure you read the title of this post and thought, bookworm3773 has done it! So soon after starting the quest, they’ve finished it by reading the perfect book—or, even better, series of books! Yay!
Sorry to disappoint you, but no. The title of this post is not a reference to my quest. The books in this series all start with the word “Perfect” (well, actually, they start with “the,” but The The Series doesn’t quite have the same ring to it) so I call it The Perfect Series.
The first book in the trilogy (my favorite one) is called The Perfect Score. The author, Rob Buyea (who also wrote the popular Mr. Terupt series) used his signature style of multiple POV’s to capture the story in a unique way, utilizing the thoughts of Gavin, Randi, Natalie, Trevor, and Scott to tell what unfolds over the course of their sixth-grade school year.
They struggle with dyslexia, pressure, rule-breaking, mild abuse, and bullying, but their wonderful teachers, Mrs. Woods and Mrs. Magenta, help them get through it all.
But then standardized testing comes along. It happens in every school (we all remember the test days well) but at their school, Lake View Middle, suddenly everyone is plunged into a test craze. First it’s just a couple practice tests here and there. Then they take away read aloud and even recess. They even bring in a few people to oversee the practice tests!
The kids have had enough (to be honest, so have the teachers.) So they give the administration exactly what they want, perfect scores on their tests, and learn that sometimes things have to get ugly before they can get better, and that you can do the wrong things for the right reasons.
I loved this book with every fiber of my being for a number of reasons! It’s heartbreaking and it’s sweet and it’s shocking and, and, and…!
If you can’t guess, I rate this book VERY highly. As in, 5/5 stars. As in, 10/10.
It goes on my “life-changing” list on Goodreads.
The second book, The Perfect Secret, takes place the next year and shows what happens when everyone’s secrets come out and the final one, The Perfect Star, is about how the kids use media and technology to make the world a better place. I give the second book 8.5/10 and the third 7/10.
I highly recommend the Perfect Series and will continue my quest!
(Kind of. Maybe. I’m unsure there is such thing as “the perfect book.” But I’ll keep this quest until I can come up with another one, because what’s life without a quest, right?)