I love dystopian books, have I shared that info before? Good ones that is, and Scored is on my good list. In a world filled with technology the students of a small clam digging town are set up as an experimental student test group of being scored on the five elements of fitness, peer group, impulse control, congruity, diligence and rapport higher scores are a guarantee that you will have better opportunities open to you in the work force.
You are also scored by the company you keep and how that company acts is basically guilt by association. I hate that term this story shows how atrocious and archaic a thought that is even in a high technology setting. Imani was highly scored in her school, ready for college and scholarship bound, until her friend does an act that also lowers Imani’s score to a non-college bound level. Imani has to make some complicated decisions. Should she climb the score ladder again by manipulating her friends and school mates or will she decide to buck the system and be there for a friend and not let the governmental idea that guilt by association should dictate her life. ( )

Imagine a world where your every move is watched. Every decision you make, no matter how small it might seem to you, dictates how "fit" you are for society. College, a good job, a family, that all revolves around your score. You are scored on who you spend time with, how healthy you are, what you read, pretty much every aspect of your life. Welcome to Imani's world. For her and all the other teenagers in her society, this is reality.

In ScoredMcLaughlin weaves a story that is centered in a society so similar to our own that it is just eerie. Sure, we don't have cameras following us everyday. Or do we? I reveled in the fact that the author relates a lot of what is happening in Imani's world to our current world, which is the past world in the book. It adds an element of terror to the book, as the reader realizes that Imani's world actually does have a chance to become reality.

Imani starts out the story with a score in the 90s. Her life is set. For Imani, Score Corp isn't big brother. They are a benevolent company who gives people like her a way for her to transcend above the life she was handed. I liked Imani for the most part. Her strength was admirable, and her interactions with others brought her character to life. There were portions of the book where her criticism of others bordered on overbearing, but I reminded myself that she was born into a brainwashed society.

What really kept me from falling completely into Scored was that it revolved so heavily around Imani and Deigo's story. Almost the entire story they are working on a paper for a scholarship, and at the same time discovering the dark secrets that Score Corp is hiding. However at the end none of that really makes much of a difference. In fact, the climax that I was eagerly awaiting never really came at all. It was wholly disappointing.

Overall I'd say that Scored was a quick and entertaing read. Despite my disappointment at the ending, I feel like the book as a whole is rather solid. I'm not sure if there is another book in the works. If there is, I'd welcome some more of Imani's story. ( )

Standardized tests and GPA determines in part a person's opportunities for higher education. Scored by Lauren McLaughlin takes those unfortunate facts to their dystopian conclusions.

Imani is a high school student with a high enough score that she can go to any college she wants and her entire education will be paid for. Her best friend though has been on a downward spiral.

Recently some creditors have taken to watching the social interactions of their potential customers. Those who socialize on Facebook with others with low credit scores, might be turned down for a loan. The idea is that like minded people stick together. So someone who is friends with a bankrupt person is likely to go bankrupt too. That's the theory.

In Scored, these social interactions are watched too. When Imani's best friend's score dips to low and Imani continues to be her friend (against all the advice of friends, family and teachers) her score plummets too.

With her near perfect score gone, Imani's life takes a turn for the worse. Once this happens, though, Scored's plot does its best to hit all the after school special topics. You'll either like that it does, or you won't. ( )

Scored takes place in a future not so far away, where society is under constant video surveillance. Standardized tests are a thing of the past, replaced by the watchful eyeball of ScoreCorp, who assigns a monthly score based on five elements of mental fitness. The scoring system was designed to create upward mobility to all, regardless of class. But is the trade-off worth the personal sacrifices you have to make to maintain your score?

I like this type of realistic dystopia that’s easy to envision and makes you think about the future. The dystopian society presented in Scored is relevant to today’s world and brings up concerns about privacy, class, race, and questions the relevancy of standardized test scores. In Scored, every choice you make in your daily life is scrutinized and could bring you one step closer to a better life or doomed to failure. Your score is constantly being evaluated whether you are inside or outside school grounds, and the score of whom you associate with can even impact your score. I can’t imagine how stressful it would be to wait for those monthly scores to be posted.

Imani LeMonde is nearly finished with high school and has an enviable Score in the 90s. If she maintains that score to graduation she’s on the road to success with a scholarship to the university of her choice, something she wouldn’t be able to afford without the Score. However, one false move could cause her score to dip below the scholarship line and Imani could lose it all. Her best friend Cady has a Score in the low 70s, and they have a pact to stick together through thick and thin. That pact is put to the test when Cady’s romance with an unscored causes a big drop in Score. When Imani pairs up with the unscored Diego on a class project about the Score, she starts to question her beliefs about the scoring system.

I liked Imani’s banter with Diego as they debated the pros and cons of being Scored for their class project. Both sides of the argument were presented evenly and provided food for thought. Their class project is high stakes because it could afford one of them a college scholarship regardless of their Scored status.

The story moves at a brisk pace, and at just over 200 pages, the words fly by. The only complaint I have is I wish that the ending were expanded upon. There are a lot of interesting ideas throughout the book that seem to build to something big, but the end result doesn’t quite live up to the promise. I still found the book engaging and thought provoking though, and I found Scored an entertaining read. I would be interested in reading more from this author. ( )

This book is going to divide readers because it attempts to do two separate things and, unfortunately, doesn't marry them together well. The exploration of ideological positions and debate between the characters is interesting, but not fully fleshed out. The love plot is interesting, but moves whiplash fast through stages, which reduces its believability. Still, I admire the book for what it's trying to do--remind us all that standardized testing WILL lead us to something horrible if not stopped. This book is a kind of midway point between the novel The Wave and Rae Mariz's The Unidentified. Recommended for younger teens. ( )