A book that will haunt you in the best way possible weeks after you’ve read it.
A Place Called Perfect (Perfect #1)
by Helena Duggan
Publisher – Usborne Children’s Publishing
Release Date – August 1st 2017
Buy – Amazon | Book Depository
Violet never wanted to move to Perfect.
Who wants to live in a town where everyone has to wear glasses to stop them going blind? And who wants to be neat and tidy and perfectly behaved all the time?
But Violet quickly discovers there’s something weird going on – she keeps hearing noises in the night, her mum is acting strange and her dad has disappeared.
When she meets Boy she realizes that her dad is not the only person to have been stolen away…and that the mysterious Watchers are guarding a perfectly creepy secret!
This book is one of those that I wished I read when I first heard about it, when it received its glorious nominations and when my students kept on reading and recommending this book, I knew I was missing out. But never fear I got there in the end when the lovely publisher were sending around book 2 The Trouble With Perfect and it jumped on that band-waggon immediately. I’m so thankful to them as I absolutely loved it, it’s a book that stays with you weeks after you’ve read it.
When Violet moves to a new village after her father’s big promotion, she hates it. She left friends, her school, her home to now wash up in this place. There’s a problem with this town, and her father being an eye-surgeon is the only one who can help, the town is going blind. The next morning, her whole family can’t see, so they’re fitted with Archer’s Rose-Tinted glasses that glosses the town in utter perfection. When Violet meets the Archer brothers with their perfect tea that honestly tastes like nothing she’s ever drank, she knows not to trust them and she’s right too. This town is far from perfect, quite the opposite and she along with her new friend Boy, even with all eyes of the town on her, is going to prove it.
This book kept me going through the beginning of term. It took my a while but whenever I dived into the book, I was completely immersed. When I left it behind I wanted to know what happened next, I just wished I had more time to read it. Helena creates such a vivid and darkly imaginative of the world of Perfect, so much so it’s quite creepy. One particular thing is the eyeballs, growing eyeballs that wrap around you and attack you. I see them in a totally different way when I look on the cover. *shivers* I really loved the characters in this book, Violet is not afraid of being who she is, she’s confident and she’s got balls to take on two horrible brothers, to fight against her whole family and be cast out because she knows in her heart that this isn’t right, and that’s bold for a 11 year old. Oh and Boy, he’s so reserved I wish we saw more of him, I hope in the sequel he’ll come out of his shell, there’s a story that I want hear but I can tell that’s it could be broken one. Aow.
One of the goals as a reader and a librarian is to expand my reading, I’m not saying classics or anything like that, more Middle Grade, younger books not just the Teen and YA because as proven there is some glorious MG, that keep you in the edge of your seat. It was only a few days ago when I received Violet and Boy in the post by Usborne (thank you) that when students kept asking have you go this book? or “Miss, there’s a second book?!” or for some “Miss, what’s it about?”
Confession: I read so much that, I’m absolutely terrible at describing a book, but I did pretty well with this one as instantly I remembered what it was about, the adventure, cheeky characters and the eyeballs and the student reserved it instantly. Proud moment. That’s how amazing this book is and I would recommend to anyone. This is a hauntingly, captivating and beautiful story. Please read it.
Thank you to Usborne for sending this book in exchange for an honest review.
