Bright by Brigit Young

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Bright is a book following Marianne trying to pass 8th grade so she doesn’t have to retake the whole grade. Bright takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the school Etheridge Middle. For years, Marianne has found ways to pass through the grades by using many tactics like luck and teacher impression to pass classes despite not being intelligent at all. In fact, she was the dumbest in her class. Marianne has a friend in the name of Skyla, who is much smarter than Marianne. But soon, Marianne finds herself being left in the dust of Mr. Garcia’s class. She doesn’t understand math and is soon forced to join an extra credit program. The program Quiz Quest is the only way Marianne can pass 8th grade. However, she finds out that Quiz Quest wasn’t a free way to pass the grade. She needs to study hard with some friends she made along the way. She needs to not only participate, but win the whole tournament. Her relationship with her teachers is fragile, tension around the house is on the rise, and a not so smart Marianne is trapped in the center of it.

I really enjoyed reading Bright as it is an exceptional book for middle schoolers. I just wish that the author wasn’t as in-depth about Quiz Quest practice and rather put those details into the actual competition. The plot was nice and I liked the fact that there were multiple conflicts rather than just one. I really admired the unique personalities of the Quiz Quest group. They were mostly smart but with different settings of mind. I also really appreciate the ending plot twist (not going to mention it to avoid spoilers) as it was pretty stunning. All in all, Bright is a novel about the struggles of middle school learning and if I had to rate it, I would give Bright a 4.5 out of 5 (just because of the stressing of the Quiz Quest practice did the rating go down).

I also really feel the intensity of receiving good grades. If I were Marianne, I would join Quiz Quest but the amount of studying she has to do is agonizing for me. I really can’t bear that much burden. However, I would at least have friends to work with and personally, I think friends are the best thing about school and are what makes an otherwise boring class exciting and intricate. Marianne struggles and fails a lot and strays from the path everyone normally takes. I really enjoy that and I think doing just that adds the most crucial details in life. I feel a really personal connection to Marianne.

So, I really recommend Bright to all middle schoolers, especially if you are like me. It is 324 pages of twists and turns so if you can get your hands on the book, do so and read it. You should read Bright (and any prequels/sequels if there are any) as it really shows just what happens in middle school and in life if you don’t study. It’s also a novel of never giving up even when things are impossible and to reach for the highest, even when it seems impossible.