A Perfect Mistake

by Melanie Conklin (Author)

A Perfect Mistake
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A moving, voice-driven novel about friendship, responsibility, and fighting against unfair expectations, for fans of Rebecca Stead and Erin Entrada Kelly.

Max wishes he could go back in time to before he was diagnosed with ADHD, before he grew to be the tallest kid in his class, and before he and his best friends went into the woods in the middle of the night. Max doesn't remember what happened after he left his friends Will and Joey and the older kids who took them there. He's not sure if he wants to remember. Knowing isn't going to make Joey talk to him again, or bring Will out of his coma.

When the local authorities run out of leads, Max realizes that without his help, they may never know what really happened to Will. Charged by the idea that he may be the key to uncovering the truth, Max pairs up with classmate and aspiring journalist Sam to investigate what really happened that night. But not everyone in the community wants that night to be remembered.

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ALA/Booklist

Middle-grade realistic fiction and mystery lovers will gobble this one up.

Kirkus

Mystery and just a little peril make an absorbing vehicle for an exploration of ADHD.

Publishers Weekly

Adeptly examining potential culpability around a mysterious tragedy's aftermath, Conklin's compassionate (Every Missing Piece) contemporary whodunit centers a kid managing his recent ADHD diagnosis. At the start of sixth grade in a New Jersey suburb, Max is struggling on several fronts: he's learning how to navigate his "inattentive type" ADHD; his close "Three Broskateers" bond with friends Joey and Will is disintegrating; and he finds being a nearly-six-foot-tall 11-year-old frustrating when adults suddenly expect him to act grown. The weekend prior to this book's start, he and Max pressure Will to sneak out at night and visit a graffitied railway roundhouse hangout deep in the woods. The next morning, Max doesn't remember the details of the night, but he recalls enough to feel extreme guilt, which is further heightened when he learns that Will is in a medically induced coma. Together with classmate and aspiring journalist Samantha, the narrator resolves to discover what happened--including his own part in the accident. Lightly touching on social complexities that range from interpersonal assumptions to the uncertainty and pain of changing relationships, Conklin's emotionally grounded mystery imbues Max's quest for truth with a perceptive portrait of a kid learning to understand his ADHD. All characters read as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (July)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Gr 3-7--Eleven-year-old Max was looking forward to starting middle school as one third of the "Three Broskateers" along with Joey and Will. On the first day of school, Max has to write a letter to his future self; but he's stuck, acutely aware of the stares of the rest of his classmates as they wonder about his height. He had always been tall for his age, but he's now 5'10 thanks to a recent growth spurt, leading to hurtful assumptions. He's also hurt by Joey's sudden distance. He's not answering phone calls or texts ever since a night Max doesn't like to think about. Will is in a medically induced coma and all the adults want to know what happened when the boys snuck out. Max has no answers, but carries tremendous guilt. He also has ADHD. Sometimes the new strategies he learned with his therapist work--though sometimes his coping mechanisms are misunderstood, like when his new classmate Sam assumes he is staring at her instead of just spacing out. Max is immediately endearing with his careful, open, and thoughtful manner; readers will instantly relate to his pain. School and family dynamics are authentically portrayed. The suspense over what occurred slowly ratchets up as Max flashes back and gradually reveals events. His investigations with Sam, a budding journalist, are also believable. The adults surrounding Max are supportive and positive. VERDICT Readers will enjoy a first-rate mystery which as an added benefit subtly reinforces the practice of empathy. Highly recommended.--Brenda Kahn

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Conklin expertly portrays Max's challenges, diving deeply into what it means to be accountable and not to carry guilt that isn't yours to own. Middle-grade realistic fiction and mystery lovers will gobble this one up."Booklist
Melanie Conklin
Melanie Conklin grew up in North Carolina and worked as a product designer before she began her writing career. She is the author of middle grade novels Counting Thyme, Every Missing Piece, A Perfect Mistake, Crushed (2024), and her debut picture book, When You Have to Wait. Her books have won awards such as the International Literacy Association Teacher's Choice Award, Bank Street Best Children's Book, and nominations to seven state reading lists. When she's not writing, Melanie spends her time doodling and dreaming up new ways to be creative. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316668583
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
July 12, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV015020 - Juvenile Fiction | Health & Daily Living | Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV077000 - Juvenile Fiction | Neurodiversity
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Mystery and detective stories
Friendship in children
Guilt
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Best friends
Guilt in children
Hyperactive children
Attention-deficit-disordered children

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