Scored

Jan 18, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a very thoughtful book. Like most good science fiction, it begins with a concept. What would happen to our society if the "American Dream" died and was replaced by a ubiquitous surveillance and pattern recognition software driven meritocracy? What if participatory virtues were replaced with compliance to a greater than human intelligence nanny? McLaughlin's fascinating book explores this near future scenario through the eyes of Imani LeMonde. Imani is an intelligent high school senior wh...more

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May 07, 2013 Lisa Houlihan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, female

Was it through goodreads.com that I learned of this book, or did it come up in the NYT article about one-word YA titles along with Bumped and Matched? They're all the same, anyway: a near, seemingly possible future in which grades, pregnancy, or marriage is ordained by the state (or corporation; some version of The Man). The author's point is that you should read 1984 and Brave New World. There might be something else but those are the heaviest hammers.

This future world is far enough forward fo...more Was it through goodreads.com that I learned of this book, or did it come up in the NYT article about one-word YA titles along with Bumped and Matched? They're all the same, anyway: a near, seemingly possible future in which grades, pregnancy, or marriage is ordained by the state (or corporation; some version of The Man). The author's point is that you should read 1984 and Brave New World. There might be something else but those are the heaviest hammers.

This future world is far enough forward for a Second Great Depression to have ended but near enough that even young parents can remember a different kind of rat-racing ramp-up to college. In this future world, the river and coastline are polluted but you can go out and catch seafood, which apparently still flourishes enough not to be regulated and is not too contaminated to consume. A teenager reckons that she could feed her family with what she catches (a touch of Parable of the Sower). Bluefish is enough of a commonplace to be described as an acquired taste. Lobster still wander into traps and clams can be dug out from the beach. Did I mention the pollution? The protagonist does almost every time she brings up the river or the ocean. And yet there she is, harvesting clams.

This world is set after today, after last year in fact, yet students do homework on paper and respond to questions by writing by hand in a lined area under questions printed on paper.

In eighth grade I read The Illustrated Man and learned in "The Veldt" this useful tip about writing in a future setting: don't mention specific prices. The gadget-riddled house in that story cost $30,000. In 1981, I scoffed. Scored features an annual college scholarship of $40,000 -- in the future, when a year of college can cost that much now.

The anachronisms and inconsistent world-building wouldn't matter as much if the plot were stronger, but it was frayed and incoherent. And heaviest hammer is actually that a 12th grader can and should make life-altering decisions based on the boy she likes.(less)

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Dec 23, 2011 Hylary Locsin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

After the second Great Depression created an insurmountable gap between the rich and the poor, a powerful company known as Score Corp created a new system to give everyone an equal chance at going to college and achieving the American dream: the Score. From kindergarten on, children are under constant surveillance by Score Corp’s “eyeballs,” cameras that exist to monitor their actions, behavior, f...more Originally posted on my blog: http://libraryladyhylary.blogspot.com ! Check it out for more reviews!

After the second Great Depression created an insurmountable gap between the rich and the poor, a powerful company known as Score Corp created a new system to give everyone an equal chance at going to college and achieving the American dream: the Score. From kindergarten on, children are under constant surveillance by Score Corp’s “eyeballs,” cameras that exist to monitor their actions, behavior, friendships, academic performance and more. High school senior Imani LeMonde has worked hard her whole life to have the very high score of 92. Her best friend, Cady Fazio, however, is only a 71, and associating with her is a constant threat to Imani’s score. So far, Imani’s score has not been too impacted by her friendship, but after Cady is caught in a relationship with an unscored boy at their school, Imani’s score suddenly plummets to a 64. At Somerton High, there are only two kinds of unscored students: the uber-rich who can buy a college education, and the untouchable “peasants” who refuse to be scored because they are morally opposed or simply cannot afford it. In an effort to restore her high score, Imani begins a secret collaboration with Diego, an intelligent but unscored boy at her school, who thinks they are merely working together on an essay contest for a college scholarship. Imani hopes that gathering information from Diego, whose mother is a prominent anti-Score Corp lawyer, will improve her score. But once Imani begins to learn more about the truth of the score and its creators, will she be as loyal to the score as she once was?

Part dystopian fiction part social commentary, Scored is an interesting if not fully expanded novel for teens who want something to think about. While the score is the focus of the story, the exact mechanics of the scoring process are somewhat glossed over, leaving the reader longing to learn just how the elusive numbers are generated. Reference to a sophisticated software program are often made, but the author does not dive further into the computerized aspects of the scoring process. How do the Score Corp eyeballs watch everyone all at once? Are points added or subtracted by analyzing facial expressions? Do eyeballs exist in people’s homes? These are just a few of many questions that are never really answered in the novel, and could have used flushing out. Despite these missed opportunities, however, Scored does manage to delve quite deeply into the concepts that surround the score: social order, merit, socioeconomic disparities, and more. The idea of a caste system is brought up often, and conversations between characters, particularly Imani and Diego, will certainly leave readers who something to ponder after they’ve finished the book. Although it does seem more of a vehicle for the author to comment on the current state of education, particularly things like standardized testing and No Child Left Behind, Scored is an interesting and thought-provoking novel that many are sure to find enjoyable.

For me, this was one of those novels that had a concept I really loved by an execution that left me wanting just a bit more. I really wish that the author would have gotten more into exactly how the score worked. She touched on it from time to time, but I was never sure if it was Imani’s paranoia that caused her to think the cameras could judge facial expressions, movements, and other everyday behavior, or if that was really the case. I did enjoy Imani’s various battles with her conscience and thought the opportunity for social commentary was interesting, however. I think the author has a lot to say and that her point was expressed successfully in the novel. (less)

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Apr 28, 2013 Gabriel C. rated it 3 of 5 stars

I almost feel like she was working from a checklist, like she needed to make sure she covered bases of race, gender, slut-shaming, outgrouping, class, etc., etc. She hit all the notes she was supposed to, true enough. I wish that the position had been a little more balanced.

I've sort of had it up to here with these all-bad panopticons and dystopias. At first I had hoped that there was going to be some nuance, but that hope died a lonely death, shunned by everyone at the school. It takes an outs...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Carolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, multicultural, romance, wvreads150, young-adult

What if a single number determined your future? In our world of SAT scores, AP scores, and even credit scores, this dystopian future is not very difficult to imagine. Biracial Imani is a highbie, maintaining a score in the 90s through hard work and a solemn belief in the meritocracy that the score system promises. But when her best friend Cady begins a taboo relationship with an unscored boy, Imani’s score suffers by association. Unable to afford college unless her upcoming final score returns a...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Kevin White rated it 3 of 5 stars

Book Review: Scored By Lauren McLaughlin

Imani has dealt with being scored her whole life. Every action, reaction and thought that has ever crossed her mind has been calculated into her score. These scores are calculated by the hundreds of hanging black “eyeball” that monitor everyone. Not only has she been worrying about, but also so have many other students in a small fishing village in Massachusetts. The main character Imani finds herself in a mental struggle as she tries to be a best friend...more Book Review: Scored By Lauren McLaughlin

Imani has dealt with being scored her whole life. Every action, reaction and thought that has ever crossed her mind has been calculated into her score. These scores are calculated by the hundreds of hanging black “eyeball” that monitor everyone. Not only has she been worrying about, but also so have many other students in a small fishing village in Massachusetts. The main character Imani finds herself in a mental struggle as she tries to be a best friend to Cady who is a 71. All students are labeled and divided themselves by their score, Imani’s being 92. Through the division, Imani attempts to hold onto her precious high score in hopes of receiving a scholarship to college as well as staying friends with Cady. This science fiction book will leave you questioning the ranks of society as well as questioning where exactly the future will take us.
After reading this book, I can say I overall enjoyed it. While I usually prefer books with more action, this book was riddled with dialogue. This dialogue was very detailed and would at times span an entire chapter. The conversations amongst the characters were interesting, as two sides would strongly argue their opinion for or against the scoring. The author brightly conveyed the student’s opinions as a warning to the reader. The author’s overall message to the reader was to be careful with rankings. These social rankings whether visible to us or not, occur and have occurred for centuries. As individuals are oppressed, the ones who form groups can rise with their opinion and motive. Within this futuristic society, the town students have been eliminated their freedom of choice and chosen to only act in way that may better their score.
This book brings many interesting debates about test scores and the future of education to the table, however I would recommend this book to high school students. While I am one to usually not hone on language use, there are references to pornography, sex and swearing. These are topics that I’m sure many young adolescents have heard of before, however the dialogue and ideas are complex at times. The many characters spend a lot of time debating complex topics using even more complex language. For this reason, it may be hard for a young adolescent who is not strong in reading to follow. Another aspect of the book to consider is the ending. If you are aware that a child dislikes cliff hanger endings, then do not recommend them this book. The ending of the book comes very abruptly. The climax of the entire novel is the ending, which then leaves the reader to think about what could have happened. This may be frustrating to some readers, however some may enjoy the openness of the ending.
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Dec 21, 2012 Kvothem rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian

For some reason this story gets a 3.5, not quite a 4 but definetly higher then a 3 (do you ever feel like that?)
In this story, everything a child does is scored.The score comes not only from your regular school work, but also from all the information received through the hundreds of camera's (eyeballs) located throughout not only the school, but the entire town. It comes from how you act and who you associate with and what their score is. The higher your score, the more information you must allo...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Lynne rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: dystopia fans

Recommended to Lynne by: read about it on Scott Westerfeld's blog before it was released

Shelves: dystopia, ya, post-apocalyptic

The apocalypse wasn't nuclear; it was monetary. And Orwell was wrong. Government got smaller, private business got bigger and slowly and insidiously took over the government. Thirty years ago, would we have ever thought the Supreme Court would uphold something like Citizens United? Or that Edison Schools would continue to be allowed to run Philadelphia's schools, even after they pulled trucks up to those schools and removed technology and books and sports equipment because their stock was tankin...more The apocalypse wasn't nuclear; it was monetary. And Orwell was wrong. Government got smaller, private business got bigger and slowly and insidiously took over the government. Thirty years ago, would we have ever thought the Supreme Court would uphold something like Citizens United? Or that Edison Schools would continue to be allowed to run Philadelphia's schools, even after they pulled trucks up to those schools and removed technology and books and sports equipment because their stock was tanking? Or that Corrections Corporation of America would co-author a bill (SB 1070)that allows racial profiling and indefinite incarceration of illegal immigrants? Or that corporations that manufacture textbooks and create standardized tests would have a hand in creating No Child Left Behind?

After the second Great Recession, which decimated the middle class for good, the government decides there's got to be a way to level the playing field so poorer kids have a chance to go to university or have job opportunities. Two very intelligent people create a very smart software than can read lips, body-language cues, and small print on the note you write to your friend in Math class. The cameras are on all public properties, and your score is tallied based on certain criteria. It is much easier to fall than to rise. If your best friend is dating an Unscored, you are supposed to a)know all about it b)report it, or your score drops with hers, as our protagonist Imani LeMonde, finds out the day her score drops from 92 to 64. Loyalty is score-negative in the ScoreCorp world.

Imani has to make some tough decisions. Her school principal dangles the carrot in front of her that maybe, just maybe, she can rise into the 70's if she's willing to rat out some of the malcontents. Hello, Joseph McCarthy! So, what do you do when you have a tiny crumb of hope? Do you pounce on it or spit on it? I'm not going to tell you.

I will admit, the payoff was a little anti-climactic. But not for Imani, and that's what's important.

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Aug 20, 2012 Alex Templeton rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is set in a future where the SATs have gone wild. Well, not exactly, but it is set in a world in which your future really is determined by your test score (kids, that is NOT TRUE of the SAT!). A company called ScoreCorp has tried to level the playing field by monitoring the behavior and school performance of teenagers via the use of thousands of cameras; those who get a certain score get an automatic scholarship to college. However, one caveat is that hanging around those with a low sc...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Rebecca Buerkett rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am surprised I hadn't heard more about this book, as it has some very interesting concepts. It is a dystopian tale of a not too distant future, post-economic collapse. The middle class is no more and college has become unattainable for all but the uber-rich. In order to allow the lower class to become upwardly mobile, the government created "The Score". Teenagers are constantly watched by "eyeballs" placed all around their schools and towns. Specially-calibrated software ranks all of their act...more I am surprised I hadn't heard more about this book, as it has some very interesting concepts. It is a dystopian tale of a not too distant future, post-economic collapse. The middle class is no more and college has become unattainable for all but the uber-rich. In order to allow the lower class to become upwardly mobile, the government created "The Score". Teenagers are constantly watched by "eyeballs" placed all around their schools and towns. Specially-calibrated software ranks all of their actions and gives points for "fit" activities (good behavior) and takes points away from "unfit" activities (swearing, drinking, bad grades, etc). Teenagers are encouraged to only associate with others in their same score group, or risk hurting their score. Students get jobs based on their scores after high school; those students scoring above 90 are given full scholarships to college and the opportunity for a high-paying career.

The main character, Imani, daughter of a poor mechanic who desperately wants to be a marine biologist, starts out the story as a 92, and nearing the end of her senior year of high school her future looks bright. Until her best friend throws her score away by dating an "unscored" and Imani's score plummets by association. Imani begins to research the scoring process for a college grant application and an assignment in her history class. Surprised by what she finds, and intrigued by a mysterious "unscored" in her class, Imani's whole life begins to shift on its axis.

I was quite impressed with the concept of this story, an interesting commentary on privacy and surveillance in society, as well as a condemnation of current test-centered education policies and economic issues. I felt that the book wrapped up a little too quickly at the end, and I would have loved to see it go a little more in-depth into the privacy issues. While the Imani and Diego main characters were intriguing, I would have loved to see more insight into Imani and Diego's parents - greater development of the contrast between the pre-score and score generations. Still, I enjoyed the book very much and I know students will too! Appropriate for 8-12 grade, this book would be the perfect modern contrast to Orwell's 1984. It should appeal to high school students and teachers because it is fairly short, a good reading level for most high school students, and just plausible enough to be chilling. (less)

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May 08, 2012 Sylvia added it

Scored is a novel set in a world where surveillance camera—eyeball—track teenagers’ every move. The system scores teenagers on their mental fitness. Six months before graduation, Imani’s mark dropped from 92 to 64, because her best friend, Cady Fazio, had a secret relationships with a unscored student, Parker Gray. Imani’s updated mark was far below the scholarship line and it represented that she would not be able to study marine biology in the colleague.
When the opportunity to enter a scholar...more Scored is a novel set in a world where surveillance camera—eyeball—track teenagers’ every move. The system scores teenagers on their mental fitness. Six months before graduation, Imani’s mark dropped from 92 to 64, because her best friend, Cady Fazio, had a secret relationships with a unscored student, Parker Gray. Imani’s updated mark was far below the scholarship line and it represented that she would not be able to study marine biology in the colleague.
When the opportunity to enter a scholarship essay contest presented by a teacher, Imani thought her problem would be solved. The essay topic is about the disadvantage of the score system, but she believed whole heartedly about the score system. Finally, she decided to collaborate with Diego, an unscored student, in order to gain useful information from Diego’s mother who is a famous lawyer about fighting against the score system. However, the more time Imani cooperate with Diego, the more truths she knew about the score system and its creators. As a result, she began to think about whether the score system is a step forward or step backward for the society.
After I finished reading this novel, the two pleasure elements I found is about the realistic value reflected by the novel and the love relationship between Diego and Imani.
In fact, I was shocked by the ways of the score system works, because it sounds so familiar to me. In real world, numbers are basic judgement for people in the US. In Kindergartens, children have to take IQ test. In high schools, students have to take SAT or Act. In working places, salaries are dependent on employees’ academic degrees. Generally, the more academic degree you have, the more salaries you will earn. They practise the skills required on the tests every day. As a result, they work as robots and do not have any creativity. This is not the type of people that our society wants to have!
I was admired by the love relationship between Imani and Diego. Unlike falling in love at the first sight, their relationship changed gradually from time to time. At the beginning, they had no connection including eye connection. Every day, “Imani sit on one side, while the four unscored sat on the other.” Due to the essay contest, they cooperated, but Imani was afraid of being caught by the eyeballs. When Diego passed her a note, “Her eyes shot to the nearest eyeball. And it took a few steep breaths to reassure her that she would not be punished for it.” When she tried to pass a note to Diego, “she could not resist wondering if the eyeballs would detect it.” However, Imani’s ways of thinking about the score system changed by the intellectual conservations with Diego. At the end of the novel, her attitude toward the score system changed completely. When she knew that Ms. Wheeler would arrest Diego, she broke the rule assigned by the score system in order to save Diego on time. Imnai knew that “the eyeballs ticked by overhead. She knew her score was plummeting, and though she could feel the weight of it in the pit of her stomach.” This is how a long term relationship built up, because it is based on the intellectual connections instead of chemical reactions.
I recommended you to read this novel. It helps you think about our current educational system and it is a fast read, only 226 pages.
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May 07, 2012 Siew Ee rated it 3 of 5 stars

This dystopian novel dealt with an era after a second Depression which prompted the use of eye cameras to monitor and record every aspect of a teenager’s life, from which a score is then tabulated and posted every month. These scores form the basis of a supposedly meritocratic society, where children with high scores are given scholarships to prestigious universities and better job opportunities. There is an option for families to opt out of the scoring system, but in doing so, they are consider...more This dystopian novel dealt with an era after a second Depression which prompted the use of eye cameras to monitor and record every aspect of a teenager’s life, from which a score is then tabulated and posted every month. These scores form the basis of a supposedly meritocratic society, where children with high scores are given scholarships to prestigious universities and better job opportunities. There is an option for families to opt out of the scoring system, but in doing so, they are considered as social outcasts, not to mention practically given zero chance at a good education, and good jobs in the future. Very original in concept!

The beginning of the book, which set the background in place, made for a slow read, but the story picked up pace after a while. There’s clever storytelling, but not to the point of perfection or to my ability to totally suspend disbelief. However, I must give credit to the author for introducing the intellectual debates between Imani and Diego on the social and economic pros and cons of being scored. By showing two sides of the coin, readers are reminded that there’s no absolute black or white in any system. And on an intellectual level, teenagers are treated to a thought-provoking, insightful look at a totally new concept with all its beauty and flaws - albeit unreal, but it makes for a stimulating read.

With a good plot and fresh concept, “Scored” showed a lot of promise, but my impression of the book (until the end, that is) was that it had to be the first book in a series, mainly because by the last 10% of the book, the story still appeared to be happily trundling along without elevating to a climax. There was finally a good conclusion, but I was a little disappointed as it was a little abrupt and the author did not address the repercussions that accompanied Imani’s decision. Another two to three chapters would have wrapped up the story nicely. So all in all, “Scored” balanced out as a good, but not a great read.
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Apr 28, 2012 Libby rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not sure exactly when I finished this, but it was some time mid-April, and before I picked up Matched (which allowed me to return to the library, simultaneously, TWO dystopian YA's with single-word past-tense verbs as titles).

The premise seemed a bit silly to me at first, but it's woven into the near-future-America setting in an unusually convincing way. The story is set just far enough forward that the teenagers were born about when I expect my own kids to be born; I found it less forced than u...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Johnp rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, dystopia, female-lead, relationships

Welcome to the future. Electronic surveillance cameras (called eyeballs) are everywhere. They evaluate what you do, who you hang out with and what choices you make - everything about you effects your Score. The higher the score, the more opportunities are open to you (college, scholarships, etc). The lower your score, the more limited your options are. Imani is going strong - in the 90s! - but her association with her childhood friend Cady (who is only in the 70s) is dragging her down. Imani is...more

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Mar 09, 2012 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Set in the United States after the Second Depression which effectively does away with the middle class, this thoughtful novel examines a society where the future of the next generation is determined by scores. It's easy to see the parallels with what's actually taking place in our country today, beginning in the early grades, continuing with the standardized tests that are administered on an annual basis, moving all the way through to the use of SAT scores to predict future academic success. Sco...more Set in the United States after the Second Depression which effectively does away with the middle class, this thoughtful novel examines a society where the future of the next generation is determined by scores. It's easy to see the parallels with what's actually taking place in our country today, beginning in the early grades, continuing with the standardized tests that are administered on an annual basis, moving all the way through to the use of SAT scores to predict future academic success. Scores are posted periodically, and students move up and down in various peer groups, according to those scores. Through a series of surveillance tools--smart-cams or eyeballs as the teens like to call them--students are observed both while at school and on the street for any violations of the five elements of fitness: peer group, impulse control, congruity, diligence, and rapport. In this society, you are known and scored for the company you keep, and loyalty has little value since it won't earn you any points. In fact, it can actually cost you points, as Imani, the novel's protagonist, discovers to her chagrin when her friend Cady becomes involved romantically with someone with no scores. [Of course, I want to know more about Cady's own choices since the author almost makes it seem as though she throws away her future for love, which is a bit troublesome.]Imani's score drops drastically, leading her to conclude that she has no chance at the college scholarship and successful future promised by a score that is 90 or above. In desperation, Imani pairs up with Diego Landis, who is critical of the scoring system, to write an essay about the system for a scholarship, but her motives are suspect and self-serving. Naturally, Imani begins to realize that the scoring system, intended to interrupt the pattern of poverty, has gone awry since a computer program that continues to learn from its mistakes, has as its goal human perfection. Some of my favorite passages involved the interviews with the creators of the program, and I was intrigued by how much of the book mirrors our own tendency to define ourselves by our numbers: our GPAs, our SAT scores, our salaries, when really, those numbers have little to do with what kinds of human beings we are or the things that should matter. The book contains an untrustworthy principal in Ms. Wheeler and a well-meaning but essentially powerless teacher trying to rage against the machine in Mr. Clark. To be honest, I was surprised that nothing bad happened to him during the book, and I wondered why he was allowed to get away with his radical style of teaching and questioning of the system. While I enjoyed the arguments both for and against the scoring system espoused by Imani and Diego as they research their essay, I would have enjoyed more examinations of those points of view as well as a resolution to the disappearance of Sherry Potter. The ending felt hurried, and I had plenty of unanswered questions; for instance, given that there are still plenty of wealthy individuals in the book, what happened to make them release their control of government, schools, and politics? While I can easily understand the disappearance of the middle class, that aspect of the book gave me pause. Even now as I write these lines, I'm thinking about how the scoring system plays against what is good in human nature, and I wonder if such a system, taken to extremes, can eradicate kindness, generosity, collaboration, all ignored unless they are rewarded with points. This is a provocative title that raises quite a few important questions. (less)

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Feb 12, 2012 Andrew rated it 3 of 5 stars

“Clamdiggah,” the tall one said. “I give her two chances.” He raised his voice to ensure she heard him. “One, she’s swinging around a pole in a few years. Two, land mine food.”

The freckled one laughed with a tinge of embarrassment. “Man, that’s cold.”

“She does have a sexy walk, though,” the tall one went on. “Hey, you know you have a sexy walk? And I’m okay with the race thing. Seriously. No? Still not interested? What about now?”

Imani could feel their eyes on her as she willed herself to walk,...more “Clamdiggah,” the tall one said. “I give her two chances.” He raised his voice to ensure she heard him. “One, she’s swinging around a pole in a few years. Two, land mine food.”

The freckled one laughed with a tinge of embarrassment. “Man, that’s cold.”

“She does have a sexy walk, though,” the tall one went on. “Hey, you know you have a sexy walk? And I’m okay with the race thing. Seriously. No? Still not interested? What about now?”

Imani could feel their eyes on her as she willed herself to walk, not run, away from them. As the sound of their chuckling faded, a single thought cheered her: one day the score would be universal. There would be eyeballs everywhere, even in that haunted pathway. You’d need a score to go to college, a score to get a job. Maybe you’d even need a score to go to high school. Privilege would be wiped out, and boys like that would get what they deserved.

***

The gamification of the future continues in Lauren McLaughlin’s Scored. Best described as Nineteen Eight-Four by way of a Machiavellian Xbox Live Achievement Points-style meritocracy, Scored presents, for your consideration, Imani LeMonde and Diego Landis (those his name is mistakenly written as McLune on the book’s jacket flap): a scored girl with unlimited future potential—providing she tailor her associations accordingly—and an unscored boy with uncertain ambitions and a mysterious way about him.

ScoreCorp is paving the way for future generations. In Somerton High—a ScoreCorp sponsored institution—the scored are a band apart. The camera eyes around the school and surrounding town are watching their every move—their grades, their actions, and their associations, both in and out of school. Maintaining a score of ninety or above is the path to a higher education, scholarship, and employment in the field of your choice. Scoring in the seventies or eighties means retail sector, or possible military service. Dropping down into the sixties and below and you risk “lowbie” status. And like humans and our capacity to compartmentalize emotional scarring, one’s score is easily tarnished, but difficult to reinstate to its prime.

Scored is a bit of an uneven product. Taking inspiration from Orwell and Huxley, McLaughlin’s quiet little dystopian is more academic exercise than narrative. Using Imani and Diego’s different upbringings and opposing worldviews to provide ample room for debate, McLaughlin isn’t as interested in plot or character development as she is in addressing established dystopian parables within a contemporary framework.

The setting of Scored is more unsettling than its ideological contemporaries due to its accessibility. Rather than positing a future society that may or may not ever come to pass, Scored is our world, with one simple difference that changes how people determine their associations, their friends, and whether or not to sacrifice one another on the altar of upward social momentum.

Scored is a fun, simple read with an appealing ideological premise (recycled though it may be). The interplay between Diego and Imani is biting and amusing, though Imani’s about-face change of perspective comes with too little time in the narrative to be truly effective. It’s also worth noting that this is the first YA novel I’ve read in some time to use the word “fuck” so casually. The lack of conceptual originality works in the book’s favour as a means of prompting discussion between the characters, but the short running length and truncated running-into-a-brick-wall ending left me wanting more than what I’d been offered. Lauren McLaughlin’s Scored is a delicious first course—but that is all it is. Without acknowledgement and fallout from Imani’s decisions, it feels less like a complete story and more like the first act of a grander tale.(less)

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Feb 02, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Scored by Lauren McLaughlin

(Also posted on www.insearchoftheendofthesidewalk.com)

We live in a world where, in many cases, numbers dictate who we are. It starts in kindergarten when IQ tests are administered. Travelling through grade school, those numbers become how many words per minute the child can read and how accurately a Mad Minute math test can be completed. Heading into middle school and high school, the focus shifts to percentage scores and GPAs defined to the hundredth of a point. Throu...more Scored by Lauren McLaughlin

(Also posted on www.insearchoftheendofthesidewalk.com)

We live in a world where, in many cases, numbers dictate who we are. It starts in kindergarten when IQ tests are administered. Travelling through grade school, those numbers become how many words per minute the child can read and how accurately a Mad Minute math test can be completed. Heading into middle school and high school, the focus shifts to percentage scores and GPAs defined to the hundredth of a point. Throughout the years of schooling, throw in mandatory state testing as required by No Child Left Behind, and a shot or two at ACT and SAT scores. Add all of those numbers up and what you get is a judgment on most any kid in America.
Looking at society from this point of view, Lauren McLaughlin’s Scored really isn’t far-fetched at all. In this young adult novel (Another one, I know! I promise a review on a different genre soon.) ScoreCorp, a national company has found a way to utilize the ubiquitous cameras monitoring Americans on a daily basis to create a scoring system for adolescents. Families are not required to enroll their students in the program, and a few of the wealthy families are privileged enough to not have to, but for most families in the not-so-distant future Massachusetts clamming community, the Score is the only chance their kids have at any semblance of upward mobility. With a high enough score, students are given automatic scholarships to college, which puts an education and future in reach of kids who would otherwise be left with whatever service-industry job they can cling to in the economically depressed region in which they live.
Imani, the protagonist of the novel, has always strived to keep her score above the scholarship line. She works hard, follows all of the rules and hopes that will be enough to earn her a scholarship to study marine biology. When the monthly score reports are posted and she drops from the mid-90’s to the 60’s, she realizes that her friendship with Cady is the problem. With only a month before final scores are posted and lifetime trajectories are set in stone, Imani knows she must do something to get her score back to its previous standing.
When the opportunity to enter a scholarship essay contest is presented by a teacher, Imani thinks she may have solved all of her problems- until the teachers says she must write about why the Score is bad for society. Imani believes whole-heartedly in the score and the opportunities it affords those without monetary advantages. To write against the score is to write against everything she believes in.
Eventually, Imani is forced to turn to Diego, a wealthy, unscored classmate whose lawyer mother is famous for fighting legal battles against ScoreCorp, for help. Their relationship isn’t one of friendship, but of mutual need, as he too is entering the contest, but must write about how the Score has been beneficial to society.
The premise of Scored is one that should resonate with many young adults. Feeling constantly monitored and judged is a pretty universal part of being a teenager in America. The book has a strong foundation and delves fairly deeply into both sides of the argument towards a true meritocracy system. I appreciated the references to 1984 and Brave New World (hoping that maybe a teenager or two goes to the library and picks them up out of curiosity), as well as the snarky comment early in the book aimed at No Child Left Behind. The place where McLaughlin’s novel falls short is the unnecessary love story propagated by the relationship between Imani and Diego. I was disappointed that their intellectual connections weren’t allowed to stand on their own, but rather had to morph into romance. It would have been great to have strong female and male characters that were able to stand on their own as individuals and not need a bit of Cupid’s arrow thrown in at the end.
This young adult novel was a quick read, weighing in at just 160 pages. The story moves quickly, but has a depth uncharacteristic to such a short book. It can be read as just another dystopian novel, enjoyed and set aside without another glance. On the other hand, it would also make a great classroom novel. I can just imagine some of the great discussions that students could have about how society stratifies itself now and whether the world envisioned in the book is a step forward or a step backward. Lauren McLaughlin’s Scored earns:
4 SHELLS(less)

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Dec 23, 2011 Sandra Stiles rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, young-adult

As a teacher, I’m always trying to get my students to work hard. We all know that the state test scores determine so much for a student. It looks like someone finally wondered what it would be like if we went to the extreme and came up with this awesome book. Imagine a world where you are continuously watched and judged. Imani is a teenager who has bought into the whole ScoreCorp garbage. Why? She has a high score. Everything affects your scores, who you are friends with, who you date, who you w...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this book and I wish there were half stars because I would have given this book 3.5 stars.

I read this book in one night which says something...first I have to say that this book flowed really well and so it was easy to keep reading w/out taking breaks (even though the book was just over 200pg)...

The story is a dystopian where there are cameras everywhere that record all teenagers. That's right, teenagers. The whole idea behind this story is that in this world you have...more I have mixed feelings about this book and I wish there were half stars because I would have given this book 3.5 stars.

I read this book in one night which says something...first I have to say that this book flowed really well and so it was easy to keep reading w/out taking breaks (even though the book was just over 200pg)...

The story is a dystopian where there are cameras everywhere that record all teenagers. That's right, teenagers. The whole idea behind this story is that in this world you have to have a high enough score in order for any university/college in the state will be paid for you (a scholarship from ScoreCorp who owns all the cameras, etc and runs this whole 'program'). And with only a handful of people that can actually afford to pay for their kids to go to college this is very important.

There are 5 elements that you are scored on and those can greatly affect your score. One of the things that will affect your score is the people you hang out with. If you hang out with someone that is scored lower then you (the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc all stick together) then your score will drop. In order to get a scholarship you need to be scored in the upper 90s...and that isn't all...to get a job at all (if you can't afford to go to college) you need to score over a certain number. So these scores are very important.

The main character, Imani, has a score in the 90s and believes strongly in Score Corp, although not everyone does. Imanis score drops drastically through something that was no fault of her own, and she is desperate to get her score back up. Imani is already a senior and has limited time to do this. Because of her desperation she agrees to work on a her American Historys final paper with a non-scored, Diego (which is the worst thing you can do)-but she has another agenda that doesn't turn out the way she expected. Imani learns some things she didn't know and is left to decide if she still believes in Score Corp. like she did before or not...

This story was very interesting and it kept me reading til almost 4am. The characters were great, but the idea of the book is what I liked the best. Cameras that track everything teenagers do. Even on the streets. Their body language, facial expressions and interprets all of that.

The whole idea of this book to me was sort of scary. Not because of the whole 'big brother' thing, but because of the things that affect your score. The people you hang out with?? Wow...You learn that you are the only one you need to worry about and no one else. You can't form any close relationships and don't even think about dating...

I really liked how the author talked about our world now (the past in the book) and made you see things differently and what could happen or already did happen.

The things I wasn't too happy about with this book is the fact that the a big chunck of the book is spent with Imani and Diego, working on this paper, and discovering things along the way, but then in the end it is was about something else. I felt as if the ending was not developed enough and the whole paper thing didn't properly end. I felt like the basis for the story was being built, and it was great, but the climax didn't really happen. The ending fell flat to me.

I hope that makes some sort of sense.

Anyway, the story was a good read and if there is another book then maybe some of my misgivings on this book will be cleared up.

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Nov 16, 2011 Amena rated it 3 of 5 stars

What is ist with YA dystopia writers that they never seem to get the endings right?! Someone should open up a school for that, honestly.

OK, that was my greatest problem with the book. All in all, it's not a bad read. The main character is credible, but sometimes I'd have liked her to be either more (for the reader to identify) or less critical (so as to underline the kind of brainwashing she's been subject to). It would even have been possible to present her as hesitant, but then, some more idea...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Amy Lignor rated it 5 of 5 stars

FANTASTIC!!!!!

It will probably be a shock for readers to learn that a YA novel is about to come out that is, quite honestly, the next ‘1984.’

Somerton is a poor town; jobs have been lost since the second Great Depression when the Ponzi schemes and stock market crash left people homeless and helpless. In Somerton, however, they have found a new way of living life - they are what other people call a ‘trial city.’ Almost everywhere you turn in Somerton, there are small black balls (eyes) hanging fro...more FANTASTIC!!!!!

It will probably be a shock for readers to learn that a YA novel is about to come out that is, quite honestly, the next ‘1984.’

Somerton is a poor town; jobs have been lost since the second Great Depression when the Ponzi schemes and stock market crash left people homeless and helpless. In Somerton, however, they have found a new way of living life - they are what other people call a ‘trial city.’ Almost everywhere you turn in Somerton, there are small black balls (eyes) hanging from every street corner, café and in every classroom. These eyes were placed there by the Score Corporation, and they are there to watch, judge and keep score of all the students in the town. The score is received is based on many things - intelligence, social abilities, and how the subject can adapt to ‘fit in’ and do well in their future endeavors. The eyes don’t actually ‘hear’ words, they are set up to read lips, study facial expressions, body movements, emotions, etc. to make sure that you’re the “right” kind of person. For someone who has a high enough score, they will receive a free scholarship so that they can go on to college - the only way to do it because the parents are far too poor to further their child‘s education. If you are an “underscored” student, you will basically have the option of working in a mini-mart…or worse.

All ‘high scorers’ sit together at lunch, hang out together, and stay in their “socially correct” group. If they are seen talking with someone who is underscored THEY lose points and the chance at getting the scholarships.

In Somerton live two girls who have been best friends since they were little, and they made a pact that they would never give up their friendship no matter what happened with their scores. Imani is in the ‘90’s’ and has maintained her high score for a long time, but her best friend, Cady, has a very low score - and as she grows older and makes bad decisions, the score gets even lower.

One day, the day of the month when the Score Charts go up so that all the students can see what their current score is, everyone starts to act very odd around Imani. It seems that almost overnight her score fell from a 92 into the basement. Why? Because the ‘eye in the sky’ saw her talking to Cady, and her friend then went out and began to date someone with an even lower score. Simply because Imani was ‘spotted’ as her friend, all her hard work has been erased. She is now shunned by the 90’s group - with no hope of ever receiving her scholarship. Until…A teacher with tenure decides to offer a bright light at the end of the ‘underscored’ tunnel. There IS a scholarship, but in order to apply, a paper must be written that may just get Imani in even more trouble.

Linked to a boy who is smart, intoxicating, and rich (so he doesn’t even have to worry about money for college); working as a spy in order to bring her score back up to the 90’s before graduation; and without her best friend - Imani is in a real mess.

There are significant questions that this book brings to the surface regarding ‘social groups’ and the way people are ‘placed’ into certain sectors of the world based on their actions, skin color, language, etc. Is this simply a new dystopian world that is a mirror image of the Nazi-regime? Or, is it actually exactly the path our country is currently headed down? One of the most amazing lines in this book is when the writer talks about loyalty as being a trait that people USED to think highly of - but no more. The writing is stupendous, the characters are flawless, and Miss McLaughlin has certainly made George Orwell very, very proud.

There’s nothing left to say but…READ THIS!

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Feb 16, 2013 Shannon Kitchens rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a interesting little read that's really more of a 3.5 than 4. But I pushed it up to a 4 because it gets the reader thinking.

This is one of those introspective sci-fi pieces. There's not a lot of action, but rather the struggle of a Imani to figure out who she will be. So, it's bascially overachiver teen drama.

Which, I can totally relate to because I was an overachiveing teen. I was so focused on my GPA, and ACT scores, and getting a scholarship because without a scholarship, I would neve...more

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Jan 14, 2012 ⚝ Ŧáẅņá ⚝ rated it 4 of 5 stars

I would actually probably give this more like 3.5 stars, however I would be closer to 4 than a plain 3...so 4 stars it is.

This is about a America after a second great depression where the middle class was no longer surviving and the gap between rich and poor was increasing. A private company came up with a software program to record high school age and younger. Record looks, actions, words and put them all into a score. This score could help the poor kids get into college and then the scores eve...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Nicholas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Forget your family, forget your friends. You are a score.”, your score determines who you are, the friends you hang out with and what direction you are headed to in life (McLaughlin Inside Cover). The novel Scored is a remarkable novel that explores the surveillance society system through the experience of protagonist Imani LeMonde who was once at the top of the game with a score of ninety-two but, due to one false move her best friend Cady Fazio makes, both of their scores drop. The novel out...more “Forget your family, forget your friends. You are a score.”, your score determines who you are, the friends you hang out with and what direction you are headed to in life (McLaughlin Inside Cover). The novel Scored is a remarkable novel that explores the surveillance society system through the experience of protagonist Imani LeMonde who was once at the top of the game with a score of ninety-two but, due to one false move her best friend Cady Fazio makes, both of their scores drop. The novel outlines the importance of grades and how hard work is essence to flourish but also, how this type of surveillance society may not be acceptable and fair.

The two types of people at Somerton include: the “scored” who are students who have their whole life set and are getting into college and the career of their dreams, and the “unscored” who are rich kids who can buy themselves a spot in college or teenagers who were born with bad parenting and eventually drop out of school. The author explains through the message of her novel that this kind of society where everyone is given an equal chance in life whether or not they try, is or isn’t reasonable.

Along the road to success Imani begins to see both sides of this surveillance system and finds out through Diego McLune and his mother Dena Landis, that life for an “unscored” is tough and that they are humans just like the “scored”. “Imani’s heart sank, which she knew was absurd. Imani hadn’t believed Ms. Wheeler when she’d said it, and, at any rate, she had done so much to destroy her score between then and now that it shouldn’t have mattered.” (McLaughlin 211). Imani faces the decision to follow what she believed in all this time or to go against her belief of ScoreCorp and that it helps people like her and fast, because once final scores are in at graduation time, she can’t regret what has been done.

The novel began off rather slow for me with the introductory chapters but, I didn’t give up the book and it was the right decision. Soon I got really “into” the whole novel and finished in less than two weeks. The only criticism I have to point out is the constant dialogue between Imani and Diego when they decide to work together for a final essay in chapter six. The author decides to go into their minds and describe both character’s inner feelings along with what is occurring from a third person’s perspective. The novel also left me wanting more, the ending wasn’t satisfying enough. There should have been another chapter or two to tell the reader what Imani and Diego do with their future. Despite the rather, unique title page, the novel was generally well written about a dystopian society and giving us an idea of the direction our society is headed towards.(less)

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Jan 08, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews

Scored is a book set in a dystopian future where everybody has a score, given to them by a for-profit organization known as ScoreCorp. Cameras known as "eyeballs" follow your every move and a score is given based on criteria such as peer group, behavior, grades in school, etc.

18 year old Imani LeMonde has always prided herself on being a "90." Her score slips from the 90s when her best friend Cady begins a relationship with an Unscored, thus sending her score, and in association Imani's, down a...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, young-adult, topics-to-discuss, surviving-high-school, girl-power

My ACT score was in the 20's.
Nobody cares about that anymore.

My GPA has always been "above average"
No one wants to hear about it.

My life has been carefully controlled by grades, scores, ratings and rank since before I was even aware of it, all under the premise that if I scored well enough, the finances that I didn't have wouldn't matter. That without these scores, I was doomed to only achieve the levels my money would allow. The rich children would have better opportunities, but the well-scored...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Jade rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 14, 2011 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-teen, read2011

In this dystopia, your "score" determines everything. Talk about big brother (and the author made sure to shout-out the classic dystopian novels '1984' and 'Brave New World').

Book description: Set in the future when teenagers are monitored via camera and their recorded actions and confessions plugged into a computer program that determines their ability to succeed. All kids given a "score" that determines their future potential. This score has the ability to get kids into colleges, grant schola...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

"Scored" is set in the not-too-distant future, where school-aged students are filmed 24/7 by cameras located throughout town and school. The cameras are placed by software company Score Corp, who reviews the "fitness" of the students, based on their peer groups, behavior, and personalities, and assigns them a score. This is meant to bridge the gap between the poor and rich, since in this future only rich kids can go to college. If the score is high enough, a student can get a free ride to colleg...more

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Dec 13, 2011 Gary rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was definitely thought-provoking.

Many of us are distinguished academically by scores. Your CAP, GPA, SAT and so on. Those scores determine your intelligence level and are sort of your 'gateways' to better futures, or so the meritocratic society thinks. Question is, is meritocracy without its flaws? Should scores determine your future? Your career? Your opportunities? I believe there are pros and cons.

Today, those who come from the wealthy, those who have power -- in essence, those with priv...more This was definitely thought-provoking.

Many of us are distinguished academically by scores. Your CAP, GPA, SAT and so on. Those scores determine your intelligence level and are sort of your 'gateways' to better futures, or so the meritocratic society thinks. Question is, is meritocracy without its flaws? Should scores determine your future? Your career? Your opportunities? I believe there are pros and cons.

Today, those who come from the wealthy, those who have power -- in essence, those with privileges -- they can pretty much do anything they want. Kids whose parents have the money can enroll in international education institutes, even those which are prestigious. While other kids who don't have that sort of privilege, can only rely on scholarships, and themselves. Even so, scholarships are limited. What happens to the deserving ones who can't afford the rightful education for them? They're left out. Despite the presence of meritocracy, it still boils down to the issue of privilege.

Imani LeMonde is a member of the Scored. Set in a dystopian future where teenagers are monitored in almost every aspect -- verbal/non-verbal language, association with people, intelligence -- by small, round, black cameras termed "eyeballs", their scores are determined by those aspects. It's a surveillance society, yes. And at the helm is Score Corp, which oversees the eyeballs and every single one of the Scored. The Unscored are deemed as outcasts, whom every Scored keeps his/her distance from, in order to ensure that their individual scores do not plummet. A score of over 90 means a bright future ahead for a teenager, usually with a scholarship to a prestigious college. It's where every Scored wants his/her score to be at. Those at the 70s and 80s settle for something less, like the military and police, retail management and so on. Those at the 20s to 40s are virtually future-less. Meritocratic? Yes.

Imani is scored at 92. Yet one day she discovered that her score plummeted to a 64, due to her associating with a lower scored -- her best friend Cady -- who in turn associated with an Unscored. She was forced to dump her best friend in order to still have an opportunity at a scholarship, even though it's nearly impossible to rise up that much in a month's time before she graduates from high school. A sliver of hope appears when one of their teachers, Mr. Carol, requested them to write an essay for/against the Score as an entry essay to the Otis Institute, with a $40,000 scholarship. An unlikely and risky collaboration with an Unscored, Diego Landis, eventually leads to Imani and her inner struggles with conscience, betrayal and self-centredness, together with a forbidden romance.

This book set me thinking. I really liked the concept of a surveillance society and the Score system -- it was fresh, intriguing, yet disturbing. I can't imagine what I'd do if I'm monitored almost 24/7. Everywhere. What you do, say, who you're in contact with, can affect your score directly, as well as your future. Scary, isn't it?

The characters were promising, although I thought Imani's character needed better execution. Her stances towards the Score system were ambiguous. One moment she's all for it, the next she's not. I mean, make up your mind! Her romantic relationship with Diego Landis wasn't well-played either. It was cute, though.

One aspect of the book which I really loved was the dialogues. Especially the debates regarding the pros and cons of being scored. Was it really meritocracy? Or just another version of a caste system in place? However, the motives of Score Corp wasn't put across very clearly. Although the interview segment with the Score's creators was enlightening, I wondered about Score Corp's other motives. What's in it for them? What do they gain out of all this? Was it there just to help create equal opportunities for the not-so-privileged (but if you read the book, you'd realise it actually contributes to discrimination as well)? Why did Sherry Potter (one of Score's creators) disappear all of a sudden? Questions unanswered. Maybe the book's too brief.

This book wasn't all that exciting -- no major plot like overturning the Score system or something like that, but because the topic was thought-provoking, it made me turn the pages rather quickly in a bid to uncover answers. "Scored" is definitely a worthy read, because it'll set you pondering about issues and themes such as individuality, friendship, loyalty, trust and self-centredness in a dog-eat-dog world. And I can't deny that I've enjoyed it!(less)

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