From the beloved author of Because of Mr. Terupt and its sequels comes The Perfect Score, a new middle-grade school story with a very special cast of unforgettable characters who discover that getting the perfect score—both on the test and in life—is perhaps not so perfect after all.
No one likes or wants to take the statewide assessment tests. Not the students in Mrs. Woods’s sixth-grade class. Not even Mrs. Woods. It’s not as if the kids don’t already have things to worry about. . . .
Under pressure to be the top gymnast her mother expects her to be, RANDI starts to wonder what her destiny truly holds. Football-crazy GAVIN has always struggled with reading and feels as dumb as his high school–dropout father. TREVOR acts tough and mean, but as much as he hates school, he hates being home even more. SCOTT’s got a big brain and an even bigger heart, especially when it comes to his grandfather, but his good intentions always backfire in spectacular ways. NATALIE, know-it-all and aspiring lawyer, loves to follow the rules—only this year, she’s about to break them all.
The whole school is in a frenzy with test time approaching—kids, teachers, the administration. Everyone is anxious. When one of the kids has a big idea for acing the tests, they’re all in. But things get ugly before they get better, and in the end, the real meaning of the perfect score surprises them all.
BL 4.7
10 Points
No one likes or wants to take the statewide assessment tests. Not the students in Mrs. Woods’s sixth-grade class. Not even Mrs. Woods. It’s not as if the kids don’t already have things to worry about. . . .
Under pressure to be the top gymnast her mother expects her to be, RANDI starts to wonder what her destiny truly holds. Football-crazy GAVIN has always struggled with reading and feels as dumb as his high school–dropout father. TREVOR acts tough and mean, but as much as he hates school, he hates being home even more. SCOTT’s got a big brain and an even bigger heart, especially when it comes to his grandfather, but his good intentions always backfire in spectacular ways. NATALIE, know-it-all and aspiring lawyer, loves to follow the rules—only this year, she’s about to break them all.
The whole school is in a frenzy with test time approaching—kids, teachers, the administration. Everyone is anxious. When one of the kids has a big idea for acing the tests, they’re all in. But things get ugly before they get better, and in the end, the real meaning of the perfect score surprises them all.
BL 4.7
10 Points
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Activity 1: Consider the five students/narrators of the novel. Who did you like the most? The least? For what reason? In your opinion, which character faced the toughest situation? Explain.
Activity 2: In your opinion, what is the most important lesson the Recruits learn from their year with each other, Mrs. Magenta, and Mrs. Woods? Imagine you are one of the Recruits. Explain how you would’ve handled their situation.
Activity 3: In addition to Natalie, readers also witness Gavin, Randi, Scott, and Trevor choosing to cheat on the CSA tests as a means of helping each other and to make a statement about the school’s emphasis on high-stakes testing. Examine the ethical nature of these characters’ decisions. Create a character report card by building a table with the main characters’ names and the following column headings: respect, responsibility, cooperation, caring, integrity, self-control, honesty, and effort. Add a final column that will serve as a comments section. Under each heading, give the character the letter grade that you believe he or she deserves based on actions and choices made in the book. In the comments section, use two specific pieces of evidence from the novel to explain and support the grade.