The Report Card [Audio CD]

Andrew Clements (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2005

Fifth grader Nora Rose is really a genius. Read by Dina Sherman. Unabridged

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Random House (2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030720751X
• ISBN-13: 978-0307207517
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,150,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Most of my characters are fairly normal people who are dealing with the basics of everyday life--getting along with others, finding a place in the world, discovering talents, overcoming challenges, trying to have some wholesome fun along the way, and getting into some scrapes and a little mischief now and then, too. I guess I hope my readers will be able to see bits and pieces of themselves in the stories, particularly the novels that take place in and around school. School is a rich setting because schools and education are at the heart of every community. The stories that are set in school seem to resonate with kids, teachers, parents, librarians--readers of all ages. Everyone's life has been touched by school experiences. And I also hope, of course, that kids and others will enjoy reading, enjoy the use of language, enjoy my storytelling.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Feelings, April 10, 2004

By 

Lisa G. Scott (Sarasota, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Report Card (Hardcover)

I am a teacher who adores Andrew Clements' books. I use them for class reading and for literature circles. Clements never talks down to kids-- he writes both kids and adults as people rather than caricatures or puppets to advance a plot-- and his stories are engaging and interesting.

I enjoyed reading The Report Card, although it was a bit preachier than his other books, and some characters, especially Nora's parents, are not as well developed or realistic as I expect from Andrew Clements. The debate about standardized tests is highlighted, and as a teacher it was nice to see it pointed out to kids that most teachers are not test fans either. The fact that standardized test numbers can't really tell you much about a child seems to be Clements' main point, and it's one I agree with.

My main concern about The Report Card is the mixed message it sends about being smart, especially being a smart girl. Nora, the highly gifted heroine, has been hiding her intelligence for years, in large part so she won't make her best friend, a boy, feel bad. I had expected Nora to come to a realization that her intelligence was a gift to be celebrated and shared. However, the resolution leaves Nora content to be "normal," which by Nora's definition means not to pursue any opportunities available to learn about and expand her gifts, and essentially to continue masking her intelligence so that other people won't be made to feel bad.

My worry is that girls in the target age group will read <i>The Report Card and conclude that "normalcy" does not include intelligence. While I don't believe that this was Clements' intention, the message is there. Girls have hidden or downplayed their academic abilities far too long-- we should be teaching them to embrace their talents.

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars the pressure to be yourself, April 9, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Report Card (Hardcover)

Nora brings home a report card full of D's on purpose to protest grades and how kids label themselves based on grades. This act of rebellion upsets her parents and starts an investigation which uncovers the secret Nora has been keeping since she was a toddler and learned to read. She is actually a profoundly gifted girl masquerading as a "normal" one.

Both editorial reviews mention this secrecy in a neutral/positive way; it being a reasonable method to avoid the "pressures" associated with high intelligence.

What disturbed me greatly about this book is that the author evidently agrees. This report card is not the first one that Nora has manipulated, just the first one that was caught. Nora has been manipulating report cards since she started school, maintaining a nondescript C+ average. Imagine how much pressure that takes, to never ever let it slip to the teacher or classmates that you really understand the material in a significantly deeper way? Every day in class discussions, homework, written assignments, tests... constantly being on guard not to get too many answers right or answer something too thoughtfully and blow your cover. Doesn't that put a lot of pressure on a child? Not for Nora.

The author gives Nora a compelling reason for this behavior: hide your talents so you can have friends. Nora has found wonderfully caring, honest and brave friends, especially Stephen, and believes that to keep her friends she must act normal - just like they are. To maintain her special friendship with an honest, trustworthy, wonderful boy, Nora has to maintain a life of deceit. In a world where teen age girls often feel pressured into dumbing themselves down to attract boyfriends, Nora wins the prize by starting in kindergarten.
What a role model!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ashley's Review, June 5, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Report Card (Paperback)

The Report Card is a good example of showing that kids can actually make a difference. I really liked this book!
Nora is a eleven-year-old girl with two smart older siblings. She is a genius but keeps it a secret because she doesn't want to stand out! For her first report card, her parents were expecting average grades because that's what Nora usually got. Instead of average grades, Nora got all D's and one C! Her parents were very upset because she wasn't doing her best and wasn't herself at school or at home. The reason for all the chaos was her best friend Stephan. Stephan wasn't the smartest boy in the class but Nora thought he could be! Nora's big plan was what would happen when every kid in the school got really bad grades on tests and quizzes. Nora thought school was for fun and to learn a little bit, but not to do work! She was totally wrong. When she got to school the next day, she found out that mostly every kid had gotten a zero on every paper that had been assigned to them. Nora knew what she was doing was totally wrong to the worst degree, but she thought it was great that she was actually making a difference! When all the teachers found out about Nora's plan they took it straight down to the principal and told her what was happening and who was a ahead of all the mess. The principal found out Nora was the one, she called her down to her office and made her confess what she did. Nora ended up telling everyone she was very smart and just wanted to make a difference. She told them she did it because having Stephan feel so bad about himself she wanted him to feel better and to think he was actually smart.
This book was so powerful, I couldn't put it down! I recommend this book to all kids who are worried about their grades!