Top Ten Tuesday (22)

Top Ten Books I Associate Songs With

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen

(If you've read the back cover of the paperback, you'll understand.)

2. Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

"Forget You" by Cee Lo Green or "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People

3. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

"Amsterdam" by Guster- favorite band, by the way

4. Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay

"This Love" by Maroon 5

5. Take Me There by Susane Colasanti

"You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift

6. Piratica by Tanith Lee
"He's A Pirate"- Pirates of Caribbean theme
(I'm sorry, but I had to!)

7. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
"All I Really Want" by Alanis Morissette

8. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
"For the First Time" by the Script

9. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
"Demons" by Guster

10. The Gallagher Girls Series by Ally Carter
"Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson

Disclaimer: I haven't watched a lot of these music videos, so I can't warn you about their content! (However, I'm pretty sure they should all be clean.)

Book Review: Scored by Lauren McLaughlin

Genre: Dystopian
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Series: Standalone (I'm pretty sure)
Website: http://www.laurenmclaughlin.net/scored/
Source: Won from Random Buzzers- Thanks!



In Imani LeMonde's world, everything you do contributes to your score, the number that will determine where in life you are placed. Anything above a ninety is golden, but become a lowbie and your life is over. It's a system she's always accepted- after all, it will give her the chance to go to college- but when her best friend, Cady, slips into low digits (and brings Imani down with her) she has to question her values. Things are made all the more complicated by the class project partner she's assigned- the secretive, unscored Diego Landis. Which does she choose? Her future or friendship? Morals or ambition? 

Imani is a strong protagonist- she's easy to relate to, balances her angst with her wit, and is slightly, but not too greatly, flawed. In turn, Diego is interesting and intelligent, with a sharp tongue that made me like him, but I couldn't really get into their relationship. It's just that there wasn't any romantic tension for most of the novel, so it fell a little flat.

The social commentary in Scored, though, is anything but dry, and unlike many other dystopians, it is unclear which side is correct. Is the score wrong or beneficial? Both sides are presented and there are valid points for each perspectives. Furthermore, it's a topic that is very close to our own world and something that every teen can connect with. And even though the theme of the book is serious, Scored is an easy and quick read.

My only real complaint is the rushed ending. A lot happened towards the last thirty pages, with little to no development. I finished the last page thinking, "Wait, that's it?". The book starts out strong, so it is disappointing that it doesn't end that way, too.

*3.5 stars*

What's your standpoint on things like GPAs and SAT scores (which inspired Scored)?