The Perfect Score

Scott’s class spends the next morning doing practice worksheets for the CSAs. Scott complains that the worksheets are terrible, to which Mrs. Woods says, “Not everything in life is fun and games” (58). After the worksheets, Mrs. Woods has the class read, and Scott finds a picture book in the reading corner about a sick grandpa, which reminds him of his own grandpa. The doctor found nothing wrong at the physical the other day, which Scott expected because his grandpa is sad, not sick.

When Trevor says that the CSAs “suck,” Mrs. Woods keeps him in from recess to write a paper about the proper use of the word, complete with appropriate synonyms to use instead. This time, Trevor does the assignment and offers three synonyms—the names of his older brother and two friends who torment him. Mrs. Woods says nothing when Trevor explains, and Trevor thinks, “That was a smart move” (60).

In Mrs. Magenta’s class, the kids dissect flowers, pasting the pieces in their notebooks and labeling them. Trevor gets