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wessela's review against another edition
5.0
Great read-aloud for 5th graders. Buyea is a great author to develop an understanding of different perspectives.
dads2tired's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shirleytupperfreeman's review against another edition
As an adult who thinks the standardized testing craze is crazy, I loved this middle grade book. Told from the perspective of five new 6th graders, this one had me in tears at the end. At first I thought the characters were too simplistic but as the story unfolds, each character becomes more nuanced. All of the kids face pressure of some sort in their daily lives but all are unexpectedly enjoying their new teachers - especially old, brought-out-of-retirement Mrs. Woods. But as the date for the all-important CSA test approaches, more and more of the joys of learning get taken away so the kids can take reams of practice tests. Bad choices are made - even if for the best of reasons. But all is sorted out at the end. Great story - I loved all the references to great read-aloud books. I will be interested to see how the book is received by middle grade readers. It was a pleasure to read the ARC for this book to be published in October.
kawarwick's review against another edition
5.0
The Perfect Score deserves a perfect score of 5! I hope tweens enjoy it as much as I did. Adults could learn a few things from it too. I think it would make a great read aloud because there are so many opportunities to discuss many different things. Things about school, standardized testing, friends, bullies and family.
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Middle grade students in grades 4-6 will love this book, but teachers will ADORE it.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy - all opinions are my own.
Buyea's Mr. Terupt series is incredibly popular with my students in grades 4 - 6, and I guarantee that this title will be as well. The differing narrators provide a wide range of perspectives and enable virtually every kid to be able to relate to someone in the story due to the diversity of characters. I almost have to review this in 2 ways, though ~ once from the perspective of a middle grade reader and once as a teacher. As I already stated, middle grade readers will love the readability of the text and the nature of the story. My almost-12-year-old read this in one evening and LOVED it - she claims it's even better than the Terupt series. That seals the kid review - no more from me on that.
As for teachers, this is one we cheer for. Standardized testing can be completely overwhelming in some districts (thankfully not mine!) and THE PERFECT SCORE exposes the inanity of the obsession on scores and performance on an arbitrary measure. The teachers are who we aspire to be in the classroom, and the students' descriptions of Mrs. Woods make this school librarian almost weep with happiness. Teachers will rally behind this book, and I hope that it becomes an instant read aloud hit.
Highly recommended for purchase for classrooms and libraries grades 4-6. Students in grades 7 and 8 may definitely appreciate the storyline but may also shy away from reading characters definitively younger than they are.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy - all opinions are my own.
Buyea's Mr. Terupt series is incredibly popular with my students in grades 4 - 6, and I guarantee that this title will be as well. The differing narrators provide a wide range of perspectives and enable virtually every kid to be able to relate to someone in the story due to the diversity of characters. I almost have to review this in 2 ways, though ~ once from the perspective of a middle grade reader and once as a teacher. As I already stated, middle grade readers will love the readability of the text and the nature of the story. My almost-12-year-old read this in one evening and LOVED it - she claims it's even better than the Terupt series. That seals the kid review - no more from me on that.
As for teachers, this is one we cheer for. Standardized testing can be completely overwhelming in some districts (thankfully not mine!) and THE PERFECT SCORE exposes the inanity of the obsession on scores and performance on an arbitrary measure. The teachers are who we aspire to be in the classroom, and the students' descriptions of Mrs. Woods make this school librarian almost weep with happiness. Teachers will rally behind this book, and I hope that it becomes an instant read aloud hit.
Highly recommended for purchase for classrooms and libraries grades 4-6. Students in grades 7 and 8 may definitely appreciate the storyline but may also shy away from reading characters definitively younger than they are.
mrexroat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book gets the highest rating I could give because I enjoyed it a lot. I really like how it ended, because it closed the story but there was still more that could be written for the next book. In this book, Natalie, Gavin, Randi, Trevor, and Scott's school are preparing for the CSA's. When they come up with an idea on how to do well, things start to go wrong. I like all the different perspectives of this book.
brenna_reads_books's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book, though not as much as the Mr. Terupt trilogy by the same author. It was harder to relate to this book as I did to Because of Mr. Terupt. I still strongly recommend this book!
gohawks's review against another edition
4.0
If books can teach children empathy, this one is a good, albeit obvious, example. This is one of the better Golden Sower nominees for the 2019 awards. Buyea demonstrates that, unlike some of the others, this isn't his first middle grade novel.