The Report Card (英語) ペーパーバック – 2006/1/1

Probably the very coolest thing about Andrew Clements is that he manages to impart lessons even as he entertains his readers. This is never more evident than in some of my favorite Clements books. Frindle demonstrates the adaptability of a word. The Landry News delves into the first amendment and the power of the press. The School Story chronicles the process in which a twelve-year-old girl's novel is published. And then there's THE REPORT CARD.

"Most kids never talk about it, but a lot of the time bad grades make them feel dumb, and almost all the time it's not true. And good grades can make other kids think that they're better, and that's not true either. And then all the kids start competing and comparing. The smart kids feel smarter and better and get all stuck-up, and the regular kids feel stupid and like there's no way to ever catch up. And the people who are supposed to help kids, the parents and the teachers, they don't. They just add more pressure and keep making up more and more tests."

Nora Rose Rowley said that. Nora is a fifth-grader and she is a genius. Except that no one knows it. All her life Nora had kept her smarts a secret from everyone, even from her family. Secretly she takes an online college-level astronomy course from M.I.T., corresponds with a primate expert at the Jane Goodall Institute, and she's taught herself Spanish simply by viewing Spanish television shows. So, yes, Nora is a genius.

Nora wants a normal life, just wants to fit in; she doesn't like "performing." But that's about to change. To help out her best friend Stephen, who grows ever more anxious with regards to his grades, Nora is about to challenge her middle school and the state's standardized testing curriculum. It begins with her deliberately earning Ds on her report card (and, to her frustration, a C for Spelling). But what Nora doesn't figure on is that her actions would lead to a student uprising.

I happen to think that Andrew Clements is genetically encoded to be unable to write horrid books. Add THE REPORT CARD to his pile of terrific stuff. As usual, once you crack open the first few pages and allow Clements to set up the premise, he's got you. I got hooked early on in THE REPORT CARD when I got to the part where baby Nora was able to gaze at the scattered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle and instantly know how they fit together. After that bit of mojo, I just had to find out what happened.

This book features Clements' customary excellence in storytelling. He introduces us to a winning protagonist, plonks her in an intriguing premise, and raises thought-provoking issues along the way. Having been a school teacher himself, Clements shows the educators in this book in a good light, especially Mrs. Byrne, the school librarian and the first person to whom Nora opens up. Even the prohibitive villain, the unlikeable school psychologist/guidance counselor Dr. Trindler, isn't really a bad guy. Children (or basically whosoever else reads this book) will get a kick out of the appealing central character. To echo another reviewer, I felt a bit sorry for Nora in the sense that she's so intelligent that it's a struggle for her to fit in with regular kids, and she can't help but feel estranged. There are lessons to pick up on in this book, be it the significance of persistence in one's studies, yet tempering one's anxieties with knowing that tests do not ultimately define the student. And then there's that old maxim about, above all else, being true to yourself. I have no objections with Nora's wanting to be treated like a normal person. Nora is a genius. She's also only a kid. For a time, let her be a kid. But that's just my opinion. Read THE REPORT CARD and see if you agree.

liked

I loved this book!
I kinda got bored after reading for 20 minutes or so, but
That is my only complaint about this book.
If you read in short timelines, this is a grate book for you. I love the detail in this book, Andrew Celments worked his butt off for this one! I have never read frendle, but I know that it will be 10 times better, all the reviews are amazing!

I try to preview books my 8 year old son reads so I can tell how much of the story he gets. In this case I liked the story so much that I just kept reading to the end. Aside from the fact that his stories are funny and engaging Mr. Clements has a gift for not talking down to kids. It is obvious that he thinks of his audience as intelligent individuals who just happen to be young. Keep up the good work, sir! I am a big fan!

The Report Card by Andrew Clements keep me up all night! The only part I didn't like was when Nora talked about her childhood which was kind of in the middle of no where but overall it was a great book! I would recommend this to students,teachers, and anyone who goes to school so that you could relate like for students how you hate test and grades and teachers with having meetings and handling other students! Keep it up Andrew Clements!!!