The Perfect Score Project by Debbie Stier was a wonderfully written, heartfelt novel, written by a mom who was desperate to motivate her son to study for the SAT. I came across this novel after perusing the exam prep book section of the library, and was surprised to find what appeared to be a novel with a plot and characters, that could somehow aid in test preparation. After reading the first couple of pages I could not put it down. The author, Debbie Stier narrates in a fun and easy to follow manner that lures the reader into her life, which is full of mishaps, joy and sorrow. In 2011, Debbie started the new year with a goal: to receive a perfect score on the SAT and formulate a “recipe” that can guide all students, including her son to a perfect score, guaranteed. After taking her first exam in January with no test preparation, she decides to begin a rigorous journey of experiments, testing out all of the different commercialized test prep companies, including Kaplan, Princeton, and other less common prep books and chains such as The Critical Reader by Erica Meltzer, the “Blue Book,” as the College Boards’ book of practice tests became referred to, and 20 Minutes A Day, a book to prepare her for her most difficult section: math. Debbie devotes her entire year to test preparation, which is not easy, but her perseverance and dedication are extremely inspiring. By the end of the year, Debbie has taken the exam seven times, has grown more intelligent, and has developed a stronger mother-son relationship with her teenage son. In the end, Debbie concludes that there is no structured formula that will guarantee a perfect score for everyone, but gains valuable insight into the best methods for determining which particular study strategy works best for particular individuals and that the key to success is more than just devoting a set number of hours to preparation. While I was reading the novel, I marked with post-it notes all of the pages that contained relevant information that would help improve scores, and found that there was plenty of advice that is not found in an ordinary test prep workbook. After reading it, I now feel better prepared and more knowledgeable about the entire college process, and although there was a recent change to the 2016 SATs, the strategies presented in this book are still extremely useful. I definitely would recommend this novel to all high school students to develop a better understanding of the SAT and other college entrance admission exams.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a story that is very hard to describe, and it is especially difficult to write a review without revealing anything about the plot. I will therefore attempt to limit this post to my reaction after reading it, and will not go into further depth than the most fundamental elements of the plot that were known previously to the book’s release so as not to spoil it for any readers. As the arrival of this book’s release date came upon us, I, like any other Harry Potter fan was excited, but at the same time I was afraid that it would ruin the series’ prodigy, and I came to conclude that I was perfectly content with the original seven novels and the two companion textbooks that were written along with them. However, when I managed to get my hands on a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I decided to read just the first few pages, only to get a sampling of what the book was about. Well, I must warn, do not start reading this book if you do not have an hour to read and fully digest all that happens in just the first scene alone. Fortunately, I started reading early in the evening, but even still, I stayed up until midnight before I decided it might be a good idea to put it down and go to bed. Immediately when I woke up in the morning I dove right in again, and finished it within the hour. I have never had this sensation with a book before, and one might assume that I must have really enjoyed it or that I am a very avid reader. While I did enjoy the reunion of the characters and the continuation of a beloved series, I was slightly disappointed by the simplicity of the plot and felt that the characters’ personalities were at times misaligned from the previous books. I liked the concept of revisiting Harry nineteen years into the future, but the characters’ dialogue did not fully correspond to prior books, although I do take into account that this was a play written by three authors. The book itself consists of four acts, which can be read quickly because of the format of the play, and made the plot seem very quick and full of action. This play was slightly more dramatic than the initial series, which was fine, but after reconsidering the play as a whole, not as much happened as it felt while reading it. I really enjoyed the last fifty pages, which felt up to par with the complexity of the plots in the other seven books, and was more what I had been expecting. I had been anticipating essentially an eighth book to the series, but after reading it, I now realize that it was not meant to be the same as the rest of the series. I would have liked to have seen another Harry Potter series that follows the lives of Harry’s children, but this play will definitely suffice for any reader who wants to experience the story with the same characters and setting. Overall, I did like the book (I would be lying if I said I did not), it was just very different than the other seven books and what I had been expecting.
The Perfect Score Project by Debbie Stier was a wonderfully written, heartfelt novel, written by a mom who was desperate to motivate her son to study for the SAT. I came across this novel after perusing the exam prep book section of the library, and was surprised to find what appeared to be a novel with a plot and characters, that could somehow aid in test preparation. After reading the first couple of pages I could not put it down. The author, Debbie Stier narrates in a fun and easy to follow manner that lures the reader into her life, which is full of mishaps, joy and sorrow. In 2011, Debbie started the new year with a goal: to receive a perfect score on the SAT and formulate a “recipe” that can guide all students, including her son to a perfect score, guaranteed. After taking her first exam in January with no test preparation, she decides to begin a rigorous journey of experiments, testing out all of the different commercialized test prep companies, including Kaplan, Princeton, and other less common prep books and chains such as The Critical Reader by Erica Meltzer, the “Blue Book,” as the College Boards’ book of practice tests became referred to, and 20 Minutes A Day, a book to prepare her for her most difficult section: math. Debbie devotes her entire year to test preparation, which is not easy, but her perseverance and dedication are extremely inspiring. By the end of the year, Debbie has taken the exam seven times, has grown more intelligent, and has developed a stronger mother-son relationship with her teenage son. In the end, Debbie concludes that there is no structured formula that will guarantee a perfect score for everyone, but gains valuable insight into the best methods for determining which particular study strategy works best for particular individuals and that the key to success is more than just devoting a set number of hours to preparation. While I was reading the novel, I marked with post-it notes all of the pages that contained relevant information that would help improve scores, and found that there was plenty of advice that is not found in an ordinary test prep workbook. After reading it, I now feel better prepared and more knowledgeable about the entire college process, and although there was a recent change to the 2016 SATs, the strategies presented in this book are still extremely useful. I definitely would recommend this novel to all high school students to develop a better understanding of the SAT and other college entrance admission exams.
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter and the Cursed Child is a story that is very hard to describe, and it is especially difficult to write a review without revealing anything about the plot. I will therefore attempt to limit this post to my reaction after reading it, and will not go into further depth than the most fundamental elements of the plot that were known previously to the book’s release so as not to spoil it for any readers.
ReplyDeleteAs the arrival of this book’s release date came upon us, I, like any other Harry Potter fan was excited, but at the same time I was afraid that it would ruin the series’ prodigy, and I came to conclude that I was perfectly content with the original seven novels and the two companion textbooks that were written along with them. However, when I managed to get my hands on a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I decided to read just the first few pages, only to get a sampling of what the book was about. Well, I must warn, do not start reading this book if you do not have an hour to read and fully digest all that happens in just the first scene alone. Fortunately, I started reading early in the evening, but even still, I stayed up until midnight before I decided it might be a good idea to put it down and go to bed. Immediately when I woke up in the morning I dove right in again, and finished it within the hour. I have never had this sensation with a book before, and one might assume that I must have really enjoyed it or that I am a very avid reader. While I did enjoy the reunion of the characters and the continuation of a beloved series, I was slightly disappointed by the simplicity of the plot and felt that the characters’ personalities were at times misaligned from the previous books. I liked the concept of revisiting Harry nineteen years into the future, but the characters’ dialogue did not fully correspond to prior books, although I do take into account that this was a play written by three authors. The book itself consists of four acts, which can be read quickly because of the format of the play, and made the plot seem very quick and full of action. This play was slightly more dramatic than the initial series, which was fine, but after reconsidering the play as a whole, not as much happened as it felt while reading it. I really enjoyed the last fifty pages, which felt up to par with the complexity of the plots in the other seven books, and was more what I had been expecting. I had been anticipating essentially an eighth book to the series, but after reading it, I now realize that it was not meant to be the same as the rest of the series. I would have liked to have seen another Harry Potter series that follows the lives of Harry’s children, but this play will definitely suffice for any reader who wants to experience the story with the same characters and setting. Overall, I did like the book (I would be lying if I said I did not), it was just very different than the other seven books and what I had been expecting.