Kate Carson can’t believe her luck when Dan asks her out. She thinks everything will be perfect, but as time passes, she discovers that nothing and nobody are perfect.

Review Perfect opens with a note from the author explaining that she ‘wanted to write about something that really happens to people and how- in spite of what we’re told- we don’t always behave very well.’

 The themes in Perfect are around issues of friendship, trust and loyalty. Having a boyfriend is important to Kate, so too is her friendship with Shannon. But as the story unfolds, Kate finds herself questioning magazine articles that advise their readers that ‘friends are more important than your boyfriend’. By the end of the story, as she awaits punishment following an incident involving Shannon, she has reached her own conclusion. The actions of the three main characters in this story present the reader with an opportunity to consider what might be justifiable behaviour in situations where any two from three can be great - but where three is a crowd – and especially where a boyfriend is involved.

This first person narrative is an accessible and pacy read. In keeping with Barrington Stoke books, the language is clear and direct. The appearance of the book is reader friendly, having well spaced text on off-white paper. Hannah Webb’s black and white illustrations compliment the text – and leave the reader in no doubt about the characters’ feelings.

2008-04-11