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dwcofer's review
3.0
I was slightly disappointed in Valedictory, by Daniel Scott. The story was engaging enough to finish, but not so much as to keep me glued to the book.
Earl Castle, the protagonist, is trying to be the valedictorian of his class. But his plans are derailed when one of his teachers gives him a B on a paper and refuses to change the grade or allow him to rewrite the paper. About this time, he gets mixed up with Calvin, a friend of his, who is involved in a takeover of the school. Earl gets himself in a predicament that ultimately could jeopardize the valedictorian prize.
From a writing/craft point of view, I felt the characters were not fully developed. I would like to have known more of Earl, Calvin, and especially Bertram and Walt, who were pivotal to the story. I really never cared for any of the characters, even Earl, and better development might have helped.There was some head hopping in the book, which made it difficult to follow, as well as some point of view shifts within the same paragraph. Also, more dialog tags would have helped knowing who was speaking at points, as that became confusing.
Overall, I give it 3 out of 5 stars, but the book would have been improved with a stronger editor.
Earl Castle, the protagonist, is trying to be the valedictorian of his class. But his plans are derailed when one of his teachers gives him a B on a paper and refuses to change the grade or allow him to rewrite the paper. About this time, he gets mixed up with Calvin, a friend of his, who is involved in a takeover of the school. Earl gets himself in a predicament that ultimately could jeopardize the valedictorian prize.
From a writing/craft point of view, I felt the characters were not fully developed. I would like to have known more of Earl, Calvin, and especially Bertram and Walt, who were pivotal to the story. I really never cared for any of the characters, even Earl, and better development might have helped.There was some head hopping in the book, which made it difficult to follow, as well as some point of view shifts within the same paragraph. Also, more dialog tags would have helped knowing who was speaking at points, as that became confusing.
Overall, I give it 3 out of 5 stars, but the book would have been improved with a stronger editor.
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