Nobody's Perfect

"She's practically perfect," Megan said thoughtfully. She repeated the new girl's name, practicing the way Ms. Endee had written it on the whiteboard. "Alexis Powell."

Megan has spent forever planning her positively purple birthday sleepover. She's even made glittery purple invitations for every girl in her class. Then a new girl, Alexis, joins their class. Alexis seems perfect: She's smart, pretty, and rules the soccer games on the playground. But no matter how hard Megan tries to be a friend to Alexis, the new girl is aloof or rude. At first, Megan thinks Alexis is shy. Then Megan starts to fear that Alexis is treating her differently because she's deaf. When the girls are forced to collaborate on a science fair project, Megan learns the truth — and realizes that nobody's perfect.

Once again Marlee Matlin draws on experiences from her own childhood to tell Megan's story. In this funny, poignant book, readers will root for Megan, a spirited young girl who doesn't let anything stand in her way.

Megan has spent forever planning her positively purple birthday sleepover. She's even made glittery purple invitations for every girl in her class. Then a new girl, Alexis Powell, joins their class. Alexis seems perfect: She's smart, pretty, and rules the soccer games on the playground. But no matter how hard Megan tries to be a friend to Alexis, the new girl is aloof or rude. At first Megan thinks Alexis is shy. Then Megan starts to fear that Alexis is treating her differently because she's deaf. When the girls are forced to collaborate on a science fair project, Megan learns the truth — and realizes that nobody's perfect.

Once again Marlee Matlin draws on experiences from her own childhood to tell Megan's story. In this funny, poignant book, readers will root for Megan, a spirited young girl who doesn't let anything stand in her way.

Amie Rose Rotruck - Children's Literature

Megan is very excited about her upcoming sleepover. She has all the invitations made, but when a new girl named Alexis joins her class, she feels that she should invite her as well. Alexis is perfect in every way and seems to dislike Megan. Megan wonders if it could be because she (Megan) is deaf. When the girls are assigned a science project together, their personalities really clash. Eventually, though, Megan learns that things are not always what they seem when someone does not appear to like you. While Megan is an interesting character, the overall plot falls a bit flat. Alexis does very little to earn the title of "perfect," so Megan's complaints on that account seem unfounded. The details of Megan's ability to follow conversation are confusing. It is not until page 141 that Megan explains that "I wear a hearing aid and I read lips." While her deafness is not and should not be the main focus of the story, a little clarification would have helped. Still, an enjoyable read. 2006, Simon and Schuster, Ages 8 up.

Deaf since she was eighteen months old, Marlee Matlin won the 1986 Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role in Children of a Lesser God; she was also nominated for Emmy Awards for her performances in Seinfeld, Picket Fences, and The Practice. Her film credits include The Player and It's My Party. She has made numerous television appearances and currently appears on The West Wing. Under her own production company, Solo One Productions, she has also produced and starred in a number of made-for-television movies.