The Report Card

This is a more simple chapter book great for 4th - middle school age students. It follows a girl who is a genius that can remember everything but chooses to hide it so she doesn't come off as the weird girl. It is a great book that supports students loving themselves and reminding them that a test score or grade does not define who they are as a person or even as a student.

Grade 3-7

Fifth-grader Nora Rowley is a genius. She takes college-level astronomy courses online and teaches herself Spanish from watching televeision. However, she is masquerading her intelligence for the sake of her average friend, Stephen. In addition, she does not wish to be singled out as a genius. Only the librarian, Mrs. Byrnes, knows this about Nora. She thinks that tests "are based on a bunch of stupid information that anybody with half a brain can memorize." When Nora brings home five D's and one C, she sets off a revolution among Stephen, her family, her other classmates, her teachers, and the administrators. She does this to prove that intelligence does not solely depend on test scores. Her plan to sabotage test scores show more backfires when the school discovers her intelligence and performs some "tests" on Nora.

The story has moments of tension: Will Mrs. Byrnes reveal that Nora is taking college classes on line? Will Nora's intelligence be discovered by the school psychologist and place her in the school's gifted program or Brainiac Academy? The story provides readers with a child's point of view regarding the controversial issues of tests. In addition, Clements highlights the pressures that administors, teachers, and parents feel on tests. The story will generate discussions among parents, students, administrators, and teachers. show less

The Report Card follows Nora Rose Rowley, a secretly gifted fifth grader who hides her intelligence to avoid attention. When she receives her first report card, Nora intentionally earns poor grades to protest how much pressure schools place on testing and ranking students. Her low scores cause confusion among teachers and concern at home. As her plan spirals into a schoolwide controversy, Nora must decide how to use her intelligence responsibly while helping her classmates understand that grades don’t define their worth.

I had mixed feelings about this book. One thing I liked was that the author Clements chose to make Nora a genius. Nora being a genius gave her a deeper insight than children her age which made the book more interesting for older readers (Including myself). "The fact is, when a kid gets a bad grade, the teacher does too." One thing I did not like about the book was Nora's parents. All they cared about were her grades and they pushed it too far. "Did you ever stop to think how this all makes me feel?" They just disregard Nora's feelings and it really bothered me. This book tells how grades do not define nor show who a student truly is on the inside.

Clements does an excellent job of getting into the head of older elementary students. There aren't enough realistic stories about what goes on in the mind of 4th and 5th graders. I found this novel especially endearing because I could, even 16 years later, relate to a girl who has always had the best grades and wants to deal with a little less pressure. I also appreciate that Clements never talks down to his readers and doesn't shy away from subjects that might normally be glossed over for this age reader. My only complaint is that his novels usually end in a sappy, heart warming way that is wholly unrealistic. But they are sweet stories about good kids and I've enjoyed every one.

This story is narrated by a fifth grader named Nora who just wants to be treated like a regular kid, despite the fact that she is way beyond average. She decides to challenge her school's focus on grading and testing because she's concnerned about her best friend who is made to feel like he doesn't measure up.

I was not very into this. The audio book reader had a really high-pitched voice and I often felt like it wasn't going anywhere interesting. The subject of testing has been beaten to death from every possible angle, so at this point I'm only interested in hearing creative alternatives to grading and testing...and this book offers none. As with many of Clements' books, the emphasis is on questioning authority in a mature and show more responsible way. I would recommend it, even though it didn't do much for me.

Oh, and the adult hero of the book is the school librarian, which was cool. show less

Fifth grader Nora is a genius but has learned to hide it from everyone. She reaches a point where she's fed up with grades and testing and the stress they cause for others. Does getting a bad grade mean you're a bad person? Does getting good grades mean you're better than everyone else? Nora takes a stand by deliberately earning poor grades but when it's found she has an IQ of 188, will everyone miss the point she was trying to make? Not the best story I've seen from Mr. Clements.