Picture Perfect

Lecturas para Niños de Verdad ~ Nivel 2

by Elaine Marie Alphin

A gap in his memory the afternoon that his best friend disappears in a redwood forest has a fifteen-year-old photographer wondering about his own role in the mystery, and who he can turn to for help.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Book Club, Abuse

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

I was born on 30 October 1955 in San Francisco, California, and attended Lafayette Elementary School in San Francisco. Then my family moved to New York City, where I attended William H. Carr Junior High School. This is a school picture of me from my junior high school days. After that we moved to Houston, and I went to Westchester High School and on to Rice University.

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book, Picture Perfect, by Elaine Marie Alphin. Ian Slater is not the most popular kid in school, but he has a best friend, Teddy, who is. After waking up from a bad dream with Teddy in it, Ian soon realizes that Teddy is missing. Little did anyone one know, Teddy had done some research and was searching for his dad. Ian keeps hearing voices and having weird dreams about Teddy. Soon everyone starts noticing that Ian is acting very weird and they start to question whether or not he had to do with Teddy’s disappearance.
I really liked this book. The story does not turn out the way the author made it seem in the summary. It is an interesting twist that shocked me. And the author tricked me, I thought I knew how it was going to end but I was wrong. I honestly did not think I would like this book.
This book is for people who like thrillers and mysteries. The age group for this book is teenagers and young adults.

[Grace Iverson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought Picture Perfect was a really interesting book. I still don’t completely comprehend how Ian didn’t know that Luke was part of him, only a different personality. The beginning was a little dull however, towards the end I got curious. I really enjoy books that keep you wondering until the last few pages. The author of this book is a known author of ghost books, so I was hoping it wouldn’t end with Luke being a ghost, which I am glad that it didn’t. The author made me feel real emotions with the characters, such as being angry, upset yet understanding at Mr. Slater and not fully trusting Cal. Overall this was a real good book.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the book Picture Perfect. This book was about a boy named Ian and how he delt with the pain of his best friend going missing. In all honesty I almost fell asleep everytime I started reading it untill about the last fifty pages or so. The only reason I did not fall asleep during these last fifty pages was because you finally start to get some interesting things to happen,but it is short lived and ends abuptly. It has an intesting cover and it makes you want to read it but I strongly suggest against reading this book.

[Dustin G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was quite boring going on but it gets interesting.
A boy name Ian Slater he moves in a town, and he goes to a school name caldwell.
He is 14, and he has a best friend name Teddy. Him and Teddy were to meet inside the red wood forest. As Ian got there, He thought Teddy was messing around with him, but as he waited, he felt something strange going on, Teddy was kidnapped. Ian goes to Teddy's mom. Teddy's mom was worried because she was wondering where Teddy was all night. Teddy's mom thought Ian Slater did something to him.

[Kimathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i didn't read all of it, but i got bored and i realized i wasn't really concerned for his friend because the worry was so big from all of the characters. I didn't really like Ian, and didn't like his dad.

[Chika Mika · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really good book, it definitely got kind of confusing at time and seemed to get random plot twists but overall the book was really well written and fun to read.

[Presley Tullos · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts off strong with 14-year-old Ian Slater, the son of his school's well-beloved principal. On a random Tuesday Ian discovers that his best friend Teddy Camden has gone missing. It just so happens that the previous day Ian was meant to meet up with Teddy, but he can't seem to recall what went on that afternoon. The entire book follows Ian as he searches for his missing friend, while trying his best to deflect peoples suspicions of him having done something. We also learn about Ian's home life; turns out his father (the man loved by many) has been emotionally manipulating and abusing him his entire life, to the point where Ian defends his father from ever doing such a thing, believing his "[Dad] never abused [him]--just punished [him] because [he] deserved it--"(225).
That's what I personally really enjoyed about Ian's character, Elaine Alphin was able to capture the mindset of an abuse victim. It is very common amongst those abused by loved ones to think that they're the problem and that their abuser isn't doing anything wrong. Another thing I liked about him was his multiple personalities, especially Luke and his younger self. Although at times the transition between personalities was a bit confusing, I eventually realized what was going on. I just find it smart the way Alphin made Ian deal with dissociative identity disorder as a way to cope with, and survive his father's abuse. It was, however, annoying at times how Ian just went along with his father's demands and relied on Luke to be brave for him. I also found his character to be relatable because he had his hideouts, just like Ian I want "A place where I could be myself and feel I was good at something"(79). But just because I was so pleased with his writing doesn't mean he's perfect. He would often make very irrational decisions, like going to see Cal without telling anyone to see if he knew anything about Teddy, suspecting he had done something (which is just so stupid, because why would you go see a man who lives in the woods to ask if he had anything to do with your friends' disappearance without letting an adult know?). Along with the fact that he had just been investigated by the sheriff, so his timing of events was horrible.
Overall, the book wasn't as good as I was expecting. The first 90 pages or so were pretty boring and didn't have much of a hook. I didn't like how the chapters were days chopped up, since anytime I would pick up the book to continue reading I wouldn't have a clue as to what was going on because it was continuing a scene, which made me have to go back and get a refresher; and I wasn't a fan of that. Another thing is that all of the juicy stuff didn't happen until the last 60 pages, and it all just felt like a giant wave of plot twists, which made it hard to grasp what was happening. I also didn't like how Teddy was found, he pretty much just popped out of nowhere; there was no build-up whatsoever and so much more could've been done with that scene. Lastly, Mr. Slater was written very unrealistically. He was planning to murder Teddy and Mr. Mitchell right in front of his son, which sounded so unserious. When I read that it made me laugh because of how ridiculous it is. Though, it wasn't just Mr. Slater that was unrealistic, there were scenes that seemed highly over-dramatized, as if it were a soap opera (that I would most likely watch since they're all so ridiculously unreal and fun to watch). I most likely wouldn't recommend this book to the average person; however, if it were someone interested in psychological mysteries and dramatics I would maybe mention it as they might enjoy it more than I did.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

"An oversized T-shirt and jeans emerged from behind the tree. I knew it was Teddy before i even saw his face."

In this heart stopping mystery novel, Ian Slater and best friend Teddy are aspiring photographers of nature. I actually found this book very hard to put down once I got into it, because the author writes the story of Ian and Teddy so captivating. It takes place in Palo Alto, California, during 2003, which is Ian and Teddy's junior year of high school.

The two best friends are planning to meet in a redwood forest to hopefully capture landscape photos of the forest. When Ian shows up and Teddy is not there, he instantly gets a bad feeling about what happened to him. His father is never much help, but as they unravel the mystery of Teddy's whereabouts, Ian's relationship with his father slowly is put to the test.

I think this book is very well written and captivating. It engages every emotion during the rollercoaster that is the search for Teddy. This book nearly brought me to tears at one point, and no other book has ever come close to doing that. I honestly believe that Elaine Alphin outdid herself with this amazing mystery novel. I have only read one other book/series that I have enjoyed more than I enjoyed "Picture Perfect".

In my opinion, this is an amazing book for anyone who enjoys getting lost in a story. I would recommend this novel to everyone, simply because of how captivating and breath taking this book is.

[Rodeweeks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense and gripping. It held my attention and made me very angry at times. It shows the impact parents have on their children generation after generation. It shows how our personalities and worldviews are shaped by our parents. It is a warning to be real careful how we talk and act towards our children. Apart from that it also shows that there is a thin line between love and abuse and that, no matter how hard it is and how much we lose in the process, we have to somehow force ourselves to be honest and report things that does not make sense - not for sensationalism but for truth. Excellent read

[Hudhud Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was amazing, it was formed of very well written characters.
From Ian's dad, strong character, stubborn and mysterious. Ian, a simple teen struggling with finding himself. Teddy, the cool friend.
I love a psychological mystery. This one was crazy, the plot was Amazing.
I give it four stars because I thought the ending could have been better.
Great story though, recommend it 100%

[butterfly13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! This book was incredibly eyeopening. To me, the cover made it look like a kid book. But inside, its really a haunting tale of abuse, friendship, mystery and love. This book really opens your eyes to see how others cope and how scary it can be to have your mind manipulated. Definitely recommend to 13 and up.

[mayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as an independent novel project recently and me and my friend made a video to simulate what an interview would be like if they wee going to make a movie about the book.
Slight spoilers ahead but not too much to still enjoy the book!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iYTW...

[Ashley Briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! I've read it at least 5 times. I love the dynamic way that weaves the narrative of the multiple personalities and how Chris Slater is finally exposed to others and hopefully to himself. This is a wonderful book!

[Taylor Ren’e Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t like it until I got about halfway through. It was kind of slow and confusing at first- but the conclusion was excellent. I wish some parts were kept as more of a surprise until the end, but I was still surprised by some things and very happy with it.

[Michelle Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars only because it would probably be engaging for a reluctant teen reader. Not entirely sure the portrayal of DID is accurate or not, but the portrayal of psychological abuse definitely is. Lots of obvious foreshadowing, but a generally ok book.

[Applemily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im not quite sure what I think. A boy with multiple personalities, an abusive father, a best friend who is an illegitimate child, and a drunkard for a mother. The story was good, but also on the brink of what I would consider too far. I enjoyed reading it and will probably read it again sometime.

[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this as a kid and just finally remembered the title! i remember loving it and the twist was so shocking to me as a kid lol it’s stayed with me to this day. i’m debating on doing a reread now, about 18 years later, and seeing if it still holds up today as a shocking and memorable thriller

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian's best friend has vanished; he has blocked out a whole hour; did he kill Teddy?

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good book that's is well written. Despite having so many plot twists it gets less confusing towards the end.

[Heather Reeves · Rating 3 out of 5]

TRIGGERS:


Murder, Domestic Violence, Mental Disorder

[S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read. The constant mention of “iBook” dates the book a lot though.

[Heidi A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful psychologocial mystery, I have a short attention span and low stamina yet this book had me hooked, I couldn't stop reading.

[michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

sentí que el final fue apurado

[Amanda Leffew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating five stars based on my memory as a child reading this. I remember loving it when I was a kid.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't a very accurate portrayal of DID, but the story is compelling. It's a bit of a mystery story. I liked it when I read it, which was at least 10 years ago.

[Logan Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Slater, son of the principal at his middle school, founds out on some really bad news when his best friend Teddy goes missing. All fingers point towards Ian, but was it really him? Someone has been plotting against him, and theirs nothing he can do, unless he can use his different personalities to his advantage. Will he find out who did it? Will he find and save his friend Teddy? Picture Perfect is a very well written book in the mystery genre. It is very easy to understand and does not have unnecessary information in it. It is a 10th grade difficulty/language level and a little difficult to understand at some points. I enjoyed the ending and the climax. This would appeal to anybody who likes mystery books.

[Chelsea DiCicco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture Perfect is a wonderful Young Adult Suspense/Mystery Novel. I remember reading this book when I was 12 or 13 and just being engulfed in it's pages. This story is about 15 year old Ian and the disappearance of his best and only friend, Teddy. They are photography buddies and are looking to find the perfect shot of a redwood tree. On the day of Teddy's disappearance, Ian can't seem to remember what exactly happened. Sometimes, he blacks out and loses his memory, which is explained later on in the story. As I read this story, I felt my heart racing as it became stranger and stranger. This story had many layers dealing with multiple characters and different story-line's.

I will admit, the main character, Ian, was not my favorite. I did feel empathy toward Ian for his home-life situation, but mainly I felt pity for his best friend, Teddy. However, in the end of the story, the main character redeemed himself, so I was forgiving of his previous character.

Despite some heavy emotional content, such as troubles at home and mental terrorism/abuse, this story stays away from vulgar language and intimate graphic scenes of sexuality, which I see becoming more and more evident in Young Adult reading material.

I loved the telling of this story by Elaine Marie Alphin and would highly recommend it for ages 12-15.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intriqued by the ending, with Like taking over Ian and Mr. Slater NOT being Teddy's father. I overall liked the book and am currently enjoying The Perfect Shot. I found it odd how she went about things, although showing Ian's undereaction to the attempted murder due to trauma and brain-washing at an early age. the twist with Luke making the Macros to send the pictures to the sheriff and the paper really got me. i find it interesting that through it all Ian has a detatched point of view, always agreeing with his father until Luke changes that.

Q’s to Elaine Marie Alphin
1. What inspired this story?
2. Why did Ian have split personalities?
3. How do you know what kind of methods that someone like Mr. Slater would use?
4. Why do you think you decided for Ian’s point of view to be so constricted?
5. When do you think that Ian will get over his disorder?
6. Where is Sara? Is she torn between Teddy and Ian, or does she have a preference for one or the other?

[Brysen T.K]

This was about a boy named

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was very suspenseful and very well paced. I was always left wondering what would happen next. I was left on the edge of my seat, so to speak. My prediction on the story was correct, and I was very proud that I was able to predict it correctly. I predicted that Ian had some sort of Multiple Personality Disorder. (MPD) Ian turned out to have at least five different personalities. His personalities were Luke, in school Ian, failure Ian, at home Ian, and the one he recently discovered that held the memories from the past that he found painful. I liked this book because in a way, I could kind of relate to Ian. I sort of have a failure and an at home and in school Alex. I really liked this story because it was really enjoyable and suspenseful and it had a great ending.