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A review by sandrareilly513
Mr. 60% by Clete Barrett Smith
4.0
Meet Matt, aka "Mr. 60%", a nickname earned thanks to just-passing grades and Matt’s habit of doing the bare minimum both academically and socially to graduate high school. The only time he engages in conversation is when he's completing a "transaction" with a classmate. Instead, he spends his time looking for more creative places to stash his "merchandise" at school so when his nemesis, the vice principal, and the on-campus cop conduct random drug searches, they turn up nada. Everyone thinks Matt is destined to be a high school dropout, yet what they don't know is that Matt feels like he has no other choice -- he's only selling drugs to pay for medicine to help ease his uncle's pain in the wake of a fatal cancer diagnosis. With his mother in jail, his dad never having been in the picture, and living in trailer #6 at the local trailer park with his dying uncle, Matt has limited options and no one to turn to. When the school board develops a new policy requiring seniors to participate in at least one student activity club in order to graduate, Matt is forced to see he's not as alone as he thought. There just might be a friend he can lean on when times get unbearable.
THOUGHTS: Mr. 60% reminds adult readers, educators especially, that our children are more than what we see on the surface, and reminds teen readers that they’re not alone, that a classmate passing them in the hallway might have it worse than they do. Despite its somber tone and overwhelming sense of helplessness readers may feel for Matt, there is still a note of hope throughout the story: the fellow classmate whose offer of friendship helps her just as much as it helps Matt and his uncle, the guidance counselor willing to try over and over again to offer Matt options to help him graduate even though he doesn’t seem to appreciate it, the police officer who keeps trying to warn Matt of his impending future should he not change his drug-dealing ways, among others. My only complaint is the abrupt ending -- the conclusion needed at least one more chapter to feel complete. Teens and adults alike will appreciate the realistic characters and the how real Matt’s life is portrayed, and the short length is perfect for reluctant readers. Recommended for grades 9 and up.
THOUGHTS: Mr. 60% reminds adult readers, educators especially, that our children are more than what we see on the surface, and reminds teen readers that they’re not alone, that a classmate passing them in the hallway might have it worse than they do. Despite its somber tone and overwhelming sense of helplessness readers may feel for Matt, there is still a note of hope throughout the story: the fellow classmate whose offer of friendship helps her just as much as it helps Matt and his uncle, the guidance counselor willing to try over and over again to offer Matt options to help him graduate even though he doesn’t seem to appreciate it, the police officer who keeps trying to warn Matt of his impending future should he not change his drug-dealing ways, among others. My only complaint is the abrupt ending -- the conclusion needed at least one more chapter to feel complete. Teens and adults alike will appreciate the realistic characters and the how real Matt’s life is portrayed, and the short length is perfect for reluctant readers. Recommended for grades 9 and up.