I hate conspiracy theories. I generally find them lazy, immature and selfish. I hate when people feel the need to assign blame to something only they can understand instead of just playing the hand they are dealt.

But when it comes to fiction, a whacko conspiracy theory can help paint quite an entertaining picture. In America’s Report Card, author John McNally puts you somewhere between those two positions. The story of Charlie Wolf, Jainey O’Sullivan and the standardized test which secretly provides the government with a psychological profile of all students keeps you on your ties, but also make you wonder if the author has all his marbles.

Maybe he just has an active imagination, but I get the feeling he does think we’re all being watched. That gnawing feeling in the back of my head made it harder for me to accept the story as madcap or satirical. I think he did just enough to lighten it up. The action did move along fairly quickly, and I enjoyed the book overall, but I just couldn’t shake the feeling that he had an agenda. I’m not saying I’m some naive sap who thinks everything is at it seems. I just don’t think there are as many people lurking in the shadows as the book might suggest.

That said, I could see the book working wonderful as a move adaptation. The visual premise of the Bush/Osama mannequin, the testing storage facility, Jainey’s insane brother and Charley’s hair would translate perfectly to the screen. Maybe someone wants to make it into a flick, but the government won’t let them?