The Perfect Score by Rob Buyea (2017) is a realistic contemporary middle grade novel that follows five sixth graders through the preparation and aftermath of cheating on their Comprehensive Student Assessment (CSA) standardized tests. Through the lenses of the point-of-view characters, the novel delves into the pressures that children face from school and home, how their different types of skill and intelligence make them unique, and their journeys toward finding their individual truths.

The Perfect Score was a nominee for the Arizona Young Reader’s Award and the Nebraska Golden Sower Award in 2019 and was as a selection for the Kansas State Reading Circle Award in 2018. Buyea is an American author of several books for young readers; he is most known for his Mr. Terupt series, which includes Because of Mr. Terupt and Mr. Terupt Falls Again. After earning a bachelor’s in biology and a master’s in education from Syracuse University, Buyea went on to teach at both the elementary and high school levels, where his time in the classroom inspired him to pen stories about the trials that children face in and out of school.

This guide refers to the 2017 Delacorte Press e-book edition.

Content warning: The source text and this guide discuss domestic abuse.

Plot Summary

The Perfect Score is told through the alternating perspectives of five students in Mrs. Woods’s sixth-grade class. Gavin has always struggled with reading and feels unintelligent because of it, much preferring to play football rather than do schoolwork. Under mounting pressure from her mom to be the best at everything, Randi trains to become a competitive gymnast, though she is growing more tired of the sport every day. Bullied at home, Trevor releases his fear and anger by being a bully at school, lashing out both physically and emotionally. Scott is smart and has a big heart, though his attempts to help often end in disaster. Natalie Kurtsman, who is an aspiring lawyer and keeps to herself, maintains staunch notions of right and wrong.

When these five children end up in the same class, each resolves to avoid the others. However, Mrs. Woods is the kind of teacher who inspires relationships and teamwork. Her no-nonsense attitude is softened by her desire to read aloud to her students, making them all realize that they hold a shared appreciation for a good story. The children also find themselves working together in their afternoon class with Mrs. Magenta, a free-spirited woman with few rules and a kind heart.

When Mrs. Magenta announces that she’ll start hosting an after-school art and community program, the five children are each drawn to join for reasons of their own. Tensions rise when Gavin and Natalie are placed on the same team to paint at the library. Years ago, Natalie’s mom defended a man who sued Gavin’s dad, and Gavin has never forgiven Natalie’s family for his parents’ financial struggles. As Gavin’s best friend, Randi defends Gavin, though she soon finds that Natalie isn’t all bad. When Scott’s accident-prone nature causes a huge mess, the children are forced to work together to clean it up, which is the first time they realize that they have the potential to be a team.

With the CSA tests looming in the spring, the administration makes more and more rules about how teachers should use their class time, resulting in more pressure for the children. In addition, they experience tension at home, particularly Trevor, who takes abuse from his adult brother, and Randi, whose demanding gymnastics schedule means that she has little time for homework. Since the death of Scott’s grandma, he has helped his mom take care of his grandpa after school, which mainly involves keeping him company. Scott is determined to find a way to help his grandpa be less lonely, though he isn’t sure how when he feels so lonely himself.

Around the holidays, Mrs. Magenta takes the children caroling at the senior center. Since this goes well, the kids return after the new year to spend time with the seniors. Gavin takes an immediate liking to a gentleman who spends his time drawing football plays, and despite the man’s Alzheimer’s disease, the two form a bond. Gavin is surprised when Mrs. Magenta seems to know the man and when he learns that Mrs. Woods reads aloud to him when she has time. The children look forward to their next trip to the senior center until they learn that Mrs. Magenta’s program time must be used for additional CSA practice. The tests also take away Mrs. Woods’s read-aloud time and recess. A friend of Trevor’s, whose dad is on the school board, reports that the test results will be used to determine what activities the students can participate in next year.

Gavin, Randi, and Trevor fear doing poorly on the tests. Without good scores, Gavin won’t get his chance to play football, Trevor will be forced to endure more abuse from his brother, and Randi’s mom will come down even harder on her. Wanting to help his friends, Scott devises a system of gestures to tell the others the right answers on test day. Though the group feels bad about cheating, they resolve to do it because the alternative is even worse.

The night before the test, Scott’s grandpa’s house burns down. His grandpa is unharmed, but after the scare, Scott is exhausted and stays home from school. When he doesn’t show, Natalie puts aside her reservations about right and wrong to use Scott’s answer system. Afterward, the children all feel guilty, even more so when they learn about Scott’s grandpa.

In the aftermath of the tests, tensions at home come between Randi and Gavin. Randi starts hanging out with Natalie, angering Gavin even more. Just as the two start to make up, an investigation is launched into the kids’ CSAs. The test administrators accuse Mrs. Woods of giving the kids the answers. Unwilling to let their teacher take the fall, Natalie organizes for all of them to write affidavits detailing what happened. As a result, the truth of the challenges in their lives comes out, and while this does not change what they did, it does make both parents and administrators understand the unfair amount of pressure that the tests put on the students. The children are forced to enroll in Mrs. Magenta’s art program for the summer as a consequence, which they all view as acceptable because they’ll get to spend more time together.

Gavin and Natalie finally learn the truth about what happened in Gavin’s dad’s court case, including how the man who hired Natalie’s mom lied to win the case. Natalie’s mom makes recompense to Gavin’s family, clearing the air between the children and making it financially possible for Gavin to play football next year. Randi’s mom lets up on the pressure, and Trevor’s parents put an end to the abuse that his brother has delivered. Scott’s grandpa finds a new home at the senior center so that he isn’t lonely anymore, and Natalie finally finds herself with friends. Through Gavin’s observations at the senior center, the kids realize that Mrs. Woods is Mrs. Magenta’s mom and that the two women have had a rocky relationship ever since Mrs. Magenta gave up on pursuing art professionally. The five of them resolve to help heal the relationship between their teachers.