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A review by manwithanagenda
Final Grade by R.L. Stine
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Fear Street # 46
Not enough is said about the cut-throat nature of high-achievers in high school. Lily Bancroft is feeling the pressure as graduation day grows nearer and she is still neck and neck for valedictorian with Graham Prince. Worst of all, Mr. Reiner has given her a B on her test despite no wrong answers, and refuses to budge. Both of her elder sisters were valedictorian and her dad reminds Lily that it would mean so much to her mother if she did, too. After all, she's only just recovered from that stroke....
Wow. I can sympathize with Lily for freaking out a little at potentially getting second place. Her best friend Julie Prince (Graham's cousin) does her best to cheer her up, and her boyfriend Alex makes a manly effort to not be a typical Shadyside boy, but things get complicated when Lily discovers Mr. Reiner's body. Many think she did it. After all, Lisa Blume spread the story about that B all over school. Then there's additional accidents that throw Lily into an even more murderous light.
What 'Final Grade' did really well was make Lily sympathetic, it also had a completely different third act then what I was expecting. Usually the culprit is revealed at the very end and there's a showdown. Here you know much earlier and the tension is stretched out and is much more effective. This also contains a favorite Fear Street trope: the blackmail date. Points are given for Lily's clever misdirection that lets her date be two towns away without raising suspicion.
Fear Street in Publication Order
Next #47: 'Switched', Fear Street #31
Previous #45: 'Dead End', Fear Street #29
Not enough is said about the cut-throat nature of high-achievers in high school. Lily Bancroft is feeling the pressure as graduation day grows nearer and she is still neck and neck for valedictorian with Graham Prince. Worst of all, Mr. Reiner has given her a B on her test despite no wrong answers, and refuses to budge. Both of her elder sisters were valedictorian and her dad reminds Lily that it would mean so much to her mother if she did, too. After all, she's only just recovered from that stroke....
Wow. I can sympathize with Lily for freaking out a little at potentially getting second place. Her best friend Julie Prince (Graham's cousin) does her best to cheer her up, and her boyfriend Alex makes a manly effort to not be a typical Shadyside boy, but things get complicated when Lily discovers Mr. Reiner's body. Many think she did it. After all, Lisa Blume spread the story about that B all over school. Then there's additional accidents that throw Lily into an even more murderous light.
What 'Final Grade' did really well was make Lily sympathetic, it also had a completely different third act then what I was expecting. Usually the culprit is revealed at the very end and there's a showdown. Here you know much earlier and the tension is stretched out and is much more effective. This also contains a favorite Fear Street trope: the blackmail date. Points are given for Lily's clever misdirection that lets her date be two towns away without raising suspicion.
Fear Street in Publication Order
Next #47: 'Switched', Fear Street #31
Previous #45: 'Dead End', Fear Street #29