A Place Called Perfect

Published: 1st August 2017

Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd

ISBN: 978-1474924160

RRP: £6.99

Age range: 9+

Available at: A Place Called Perfect
Let's just jump straight in with the cover designed by Karl Mountford. I straight away got this creepy feeling and I love the contrast of the dark background with the eye catching colours. When you look closely at the flowers, the eyes are weird and coupled with the teapots, it's like a dark version of 'Alice in Wonderland', I love it. When I received a 'books of the month' email from Waterstones (owners of all my money), I was intrigued straight away and went the same day. I have not been disappointed!

Violet is forced by her parent to move to Perfect against her will, as her dad has been head-hunted by the Archer brothers due to his success as an opthamologist. Everyone in Perfect goes blind, supposedly because of their location in relation to the sun and everybody wears glasses but everything else in Perfect is, in fact, Perfect! However, Violet suspects there is more to this when her parents start acting weird....and who is the mysterious 'boy'?

Helena Duggan has created a fantastic mystery, which had me gripped from the first page.
Comparisons have been drawn with 'Coraline' by Neil Gaiman (I have only seen the film to date) but the whole feel of the town and characters reminded me of the storyline of a Nintendo Professor Layton game without the puzzles, which is awesome and it also reminds me a bit of the BFG joined with a Tim Burton film. That said, comparisons aside, this story is unique in itself and I just could not put it down.

Violet is fantastic, both scared and feisty, which gives a more 3D feeling to her. She is full of love for her parents and will do whatever it takes to save them. No matter what the Archers try, some imaginations just can't be stolen and Violet's is one of these! I loved the idea that the glasses worn in Perfect make her unable to see or hear Boy but when she takes them off, there he is! Boy is brave and fun, Perfect's answer to the Artful Dodger and an orphan. I love that he laughs off having no parents but we can feel acutely just how much he feels alone without a family.

The Archers are comical baddies, though worshipped by the inhabitants of Perfect, which is what they've always wanted. I don't want to give any of the excitement away but I will say their control mechanisms over the town are fantastic and Duggan's imaginative side shines through brilliantly!
I also love the addition of the map. When I opened the book and saw it, it meant nothing but halfway through the book, I went back to it and it is quite fabulous to see Perfect laid out in front of you!
I think for the age range, it's excellent as it alludes to science topics, such as eyes and transplants, not in great detail, but definitely could be linked with curriculum material and science for KS2. I love a book that makes me want to know  more about other things!

Please go and get this book NOW (or even better, yesterday!) for your child, yourself, your class reading shelf, whatever! Too excited for the upcoming sequel!!