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.

This book made it into my hands because I saw a reluctant reader in my fifth grade class pick it up and have a hard time putting it down. If you’ve read it, you’ll know the irony of his reading it on audiobook while following along. I saw a child who was a master at “fake reading” during independent reading time, pick up this book and interact with it on a level that only someone who loved it would. I began reading it so I could discuss it with him and instantly knew why he fell in love with it!

First of all, Rob Buyea had an instant fan in me with his book “Because of Mr. Terupt”. I knew that his writing would appeal to so many young and old readers alike. But this book, “The Perfect Score” is best read through the eyes of all its characters! From each point of view, there is a child I know or have known. Rob Buyea has captured every child I’ve ever known in this book.

The best thing of all was the boy I caught reading it was “Gavin”. He is Gavin in so many ways. His teacher Mrs Woods saw something in him that no one else did…a child struggling to read but wanted to so badly. Putting audiobooks in the hands of struggling readers has been a HUGE mission of mine and I am so honored to have “met” Mrs. Woods. Her passion for helping kids is inspiring.

Thank you Rob Buyea for writing a story that speaks to children, teachers, and parents on so many different levels!!! You have a forever fan here and I would be happy to read/review/feature any book you write on our blog!

ROB BUYEA taught third and fourth graders in Bethany, Connecticut, for six years before moving to Massachusetts, where he taught high school biology and coached wrestling for seven years at Northfield Mount Hermon. He now lives in North Andover, Massachusetts, with his wife and three daughters and is working as a full-time writer. Because of Mr. Terupt, his first novel, was selected as an E. B. White Read-Aloud Honor Book and a CYBILS finalist and has won seven state awards and been named to numerous state award lists. Mr. Terupt Falls Again and Saving Mr. Terupt are companion novels to Because of Mr. Terupt. The books continue to reach classrooms near and far and have given Rob the opportunity to visit with students all over the country–something he loves to do. Rob spends his summers at Cape Cod enjoying family adventures, entertaining friends, and writing. 

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