A Place Called Perfect

Violet does not want to move to the town of Perfect, but when her father is offered a dream job at Archers’ Opticians she has no choice.  Violet quickly realises that life in Perfect is not so perfect at all as everyone in the town has to wear rose-tinted glasses, supplied by the sinister Archer brothers, to stop them going blind.  All behaviour is expected to be creepily perfect and the town’s population is unwittingly controlled via the free provision of delicious Archers’ tea.  As Violet’s own sight starts to decline, her mother turns into a baking automaton and her father disappears, Violet sets out to save her family and the town, aided by the invisible Boy and her own courage and resourcefulness.

This quirky, creepy mystery adventure story is an original debut that should intrigue 9+ readers who like their stories with an offbeat, uneasy atmosphere.  There are plenty of macabre details, particularly to do with eyes, and some fast-paced action but the plot does become rather over-complicated by the end and readers will need to concentrate.  This book provides plenty of dark humour amidst the action and some key messages about not following the crowd, being brave, looking beneath the surface and resisting controlling bullies.  Those readers who are hooked into the strange world of Perfect can look forward to the sequel indicated at the end of the book.