A Place Called Perfect by Helena Duggan

One draw back of being young, is that you have no say in whether or not your family moves.  Ten year old Violet has no interest in moving, let alone to a town called Perfect.  Her father, an optician, has been offered a perfect research job.  Because he is so enthused about it,  Violet is willing to go along with the move for his sake.

Right from their arrival in town and the overly warm welcome from the Mr. Archers, who hired her dad, Violet feels there is something not quite right about Perfect.  I couldn't agree with her more.  There seems to be some sort of creepiness under all that nice, pretty and perfect.  This type of creepiness is the type that will most definitely appeal to the target reader ( pre-teens and young teens). 

Violet is not alone in her unease with the town.  Others who have felt this way have been dealt with, but no one ever talks about them.  Except Boy.  Boy is only a bit older than Violet, but he seems to know everything about Perfect.  Also, Violet is the only person who can sense that Boy is present. (you'll have to read the book to figure out what I mean by that).  The two of them work well together as a team and are able to accomplish much more united than they ever could have alone.

This is a most unique story.  I don't recall having read another book that relies so heavily on unclouded vision.  Violet learns quickly that what you see is not always what is really there.  She also has to consider what perfect means and whether it's the same thing for each person.

This is a fun story to read, though there are a few short scenes that I feel are  a bit creepy, my daughter assures me that pre-teen readers will love these.  I'm looking forward to loaning this to my eleven year old nephew.

Thanks to author Helena Duggan for my review copy.

Also reviewed by:

Petty Witter at Pen and Paper


The Apothecary by Maile Meloy is another novel that deals with a young girl who is unhappy that her family forces her to move.