The Perfect Star

August 1, 2019
Sometimes everything happens at the same time. Gavin, Randi, Natalie, Trevor, and Scott are back following The Perfect Secret and The Perfect Score (2018, 2017), and, as previously, myriad topics of varying seriousness are addressed through the various characters' points of view. Characters contemplate sports injuries, football strategies, and sportsmanship; having a female football coach and the accompanying sexism; maintaining friendships while experiencing budding romance; having a teacher who is pregnant; utilizing video and social media; being a target of bullying; supporting a friend; forgiving and helping someone despite their past negative behavior; having a hospitalized parent; being uninsured; overcoming racist attitudes; dealing with death and celebrating life; appreciating people without regard to their age; being assertive; helping others; achieving goals; raising money; and making a difference. This is a safe if not always realistic world, one where bad things may happen but most adults are accessible and helpful, people who misbehave tend to see the error of their ways, all are eventually open to reconciliation, difference is ultimately celebrated, and effort determines the ability to bring about positive change. While the sheer volume of issues prevents a deep dig into most of them, the characters (seemingly default white except for biracial Latinx Gavin) are appealing, and the various strands all come together in the end. An accessible delivery helps this issues-driven novel go down. (Fiction. 9-12)

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13iamgroot - The first two books in this series surprised me and I really liked them, but this one just wasn't as good in terms of the plot line. The main theme of this book is that the Recruits put together a morning announcement broadcast for their school using some equipment they found. The use this broadcast to help other people get through tough times and help people in need, but also to show people that everyone has some good inside of them. I loved this message that was buried inside the book, but besides that everything else about the book was just, meh. Firstly, I felt that there was too much spotlight on Gavin's football team. I feel like in most movies, shows, or books taking place in middle school it portrays the message that sports are the most important thing, and don't get me wrong I LOVE to play sports, but there is more to life than those wonderful jocks. Everyone is always admiring them, like, "look at those cool football guys who are the most popular of all, lets go try and sit with them." I feel that the spotlight should be put on something else for a change, and that everyone else didn't get the credit they deserved. In the book, when Natalie can't think of a story for the broadcast, she always just does sports recaps, and I think that really tells us something about how we are portraying certain aspects of middle school. Second, I feel that there was too much stress in the book on talking about Natalie and Trevor's relationship, they never knew what to do or say, them being together was causing a bunch of problems, and they weren't communicating very well. I mean, you don't NEED a relationship, especially in middle school, just be friends. Third, I feel that none of the stuff that the recruits succeeded in doing and none of the stuff that happened to them, would never happen to a normal kid. Now I understand that it is a book and the characters need to be special, but they got way too much publicity to be realistic. I would still recommend this series because I loved all the multiple perspectives and it was overall pretty well written, just not one of my favorites. Remember, this is just my opinion and no one has to feel the same way.