The Perfect Score (The Perfect Score #1)

As he did with younger students in his Mr. Terupt books, Buyea takes readers into a sixth-grade classroom to follow five memorable students: Natalie, a rule-following future lawyer; Scott, a kid with brains, heart, and big ideas (that always seem to go south); Trevor, who acts tougher than he is; Gavin, a football enthusiast who struggles in school; and Randi, a state-ranked gymnast with loads of pressure at home. After their expected teacher moves away, they wind up with the elderly Mrs. Woods, whose no-nonsense style dates back to when their parents were in school, but whose love of books and underlying compassion wins them over. As the pressure to perform during state testing mounts, the five students reluctantly band together with a risky plan to ace them. Buyea gives his narrators clear voices and diverse backstories. The plot, however, plods along, pushed forward mostly by amusing mishaps (perpetrated by the irrepressible Scott) until the testing debacle late in the book. The students' stories are compelling, and Buyea confidently mixes humor and heart, but the story lacks tension until the final chapters. Ages 9-12. (Oct.)

Gr 4-6--In a stand-alone title similar to his "Mr. Terupt" series, Buyea continues to show middle grade readers how to overcome personal flaws to form a better whole. In this heartwarming narrative told in the alternating viewpoints of sixth graders Gavin, Natalie, Randi, Scott, and Trevor, readers slowly learn of the personal problems each student faces that affect their behavior in class and during extracurricular activities. As the story opens, the students are stunned and disappointed over the lost opportunity to have the awesome Mr. Mitchell as their teacher. However, the replacement teacher, Mrs. Woods, eventually wins them over and soothes their wounded feelings. Faced with adjusting to the reserved mannerisms of Mrs. Woods, students are surprised at how well she manages the classroom. They establish class rules by creating their own Bill of Rights; instead of having to read class sets of books, Mrs. Woods reads aloud to them. Mrs. Woods selects R.J. Palacio's Wonder, Gordon Korman's Ungifted, and Avi's Nothing but the Truth. The kids also work on a community service project with their science teacher, Mrs. Magenta. Once they learn what teamwork is, the sixth graders figure out ways to prepare for and pass the annual standardized assessments. Topics explored include sibling abuse, bullying, poverty, learning disabilities, pressures within competitive sports, community service responsibilities, and ethical values. VERDICT Recommended for fans of the "Mr. Terupt" series, Lisa Graff's Absolutely Almost, and John David Anderson's Posted. Engaging and highly discussion-worthy.--Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA