A Perfect Mistake
- Downloads：8760
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-26 06:21:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Melanie Conklin
- ISBN：0316668583
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Angie
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This middle-grade novel is perfect in so many ways。 Love how it interweaves a mystery/suspense story line along with a main character with ADHD and all the struggles of middle grade existence especially dealing with friendship in and outs。 I think a lot of kids and adults would identify as well as enjoy and benefit from reading this book。 Highly recommend！
Stephanie
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As the mom of an exceptionally tall 12 year old son named Max who has ADHD， I immediately made room in my heart for our protagonist。 But even that aside， this book absolutely blew me away！ Melanie has an amazing knack for writing realistic middle school characters and stories that pull you in and keep your attention until the end。 Half a dozen times， I thought I'd figured out what had happened， only to have something else revealed that proved me wrong。 Loved it！ As the mom of an exceptionally tall 12 year old son named Max who has ADHD， I immediately made room in my heart for our protagonist。 But even that aside， this book absolutely blew me away！ Melanie has an amazing knack for writing realistic middle school characters and stories that pull you in and keep your attention until the end。 Half a dozen times， I thought I'd figured out what had happened， only to have something else revealed that proved me wrong。 Loved it！ 。。。more
Debbie Fischer
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A fast-paced， powerful novel with spot-on representation of ADHD。 While ADHD presents extraordinary challenges， it also presents extraordinary gifts， a truth Conklin deftly weaves throughout this gripping mystery。 Readers will fall in love with Max and his courage to seek answers and stand up for himself。 Max’s journey navigating the gauntlet of shifting friendship dynamics and self-acceptance is both realistic and moving。 A must-have book， particularly for schools and libraries。 I’m so glad A P A fast-paced， powerful novel with spot-on representation of ADHD。 While ADHD presents extraordinary challenges， it also presents extraordinary gifts， a truth Conklin deftly weaves throughout this gripping mystery。 Readers will fall in love with Max and his courage to seek answers and stand up for himself。 Max’s journey navigating the gauntlet of shifting friendship dynamics and self-acceptance is both realistic and moving。 A must-have book， particularly for schools and libraries。 I’m so glad A PERFECT MISTAKE is out in the world。 。。。more
Jgramley
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I truly could not put this book down！！ I was so invested to see if Max and Sam would be able to work together to solve the mystery of what happened to Will。 I also truly appreciated being inside Max’s head and developing more awareness and empathy for what people with ADHD may be going through。
Anneliese Grassi
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This is a slow burn in middle grade form。 It certainly is an easy， quick read， & I enjoyed the suspense of it。 I also really liked the ADHD perspective of this book as a lot of it is all too familiar in the dealings with my daughter， which has opened up some great conversations with her & how she experiences it。 Overall， it is a great book for all ages。
Sammie
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You can find my full review on my blog， The Bookwyrm's Den， here。Many thanks to Little， Brown Books for Young Readers and TBR & Beyond Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。 OverallI’m always on the lookout for good books featuring characters that have ADHD， so when this one popped up， I knew I had to read it！ Not only does Max feel familiar as a character （I was also a too-tall 11-year-old with ADHD）， but I was super curious about that mystery！A Perfect Mistake is You can find my full review on my blog， The Bookwyrm's Den， here。Many thanks to Little， Brown Books for Young Readers and TBR & Beyond Tours for an eARC in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。 OverallI’m always on the lookout for good books featuring characters that have ADHD， so when this one popped up， I knew I had to read it！ Not only does Max feel familiar as a character （I was also a too-tall 11-year-old with ADHD）， but I was super curious about that mystery！A Perfect Mistake is a heartwarming story of a too-tall boy with ADHD and a gap in his memory that may hold the key to what happened to his best friend。 It’s a tale of mistakes， of healing， and of discovering what it really means to be a friend。I think the cover and title on this one are a little bit misleading， since they don’t really give a good feel of what the book’s about。 Then again， I’m not exactly sure what title and cover would， so maybe it’s just a facet of the book。 The mystery itself is interesting and compelling and had me wanting to read more just to see what actually happened。 Where the book really shines， though， is with Max as a character and depicting his struggles with his height， with ADHD， and just with growing into the person he wants to be in general。 My Thoughts- 11-year-old is a very compelling， relatable character。 He’s too tall for his age， learning to manage his ADHD， and still trying to figure out what it means to be a good friend。 The ADHD rep in this book is amazing。 Max is more than his diagnosis， of course， but having inattentive ADHD still plays a significant role in his life。 I mean， how could it not， considering the story is from his perspective？ Through the narrative， Max talks about some of the coping mechanisms he’s been taught and some of the ways his ADHD affects his classwork， including mention of having a 504 plan。What I thought was really interesting is that Max is very tall for his age。 Which you may not think is a problem， but of course， because he’s big， people forget that Max is only 11 and expect him to act older than he is。 Because he looks older。 This is something that so many people struggle with in real life， and I’ve seen it happen too often。 Kids look older so they’re expected to be more mature than their smaller peers， despite being the same age。 This is something that I don’t see often in fiction， especially not middle grade fiction， so it was great to see that sort of rep！Overall， though， I just really liked Max。 He was honest and earnest。 Yes， he makes mistakes， but what 11-year-old doesn’t？ Heck， I make at least three every day before I even leave the house。 Sometimes while I’m leaving the house， because I’m that talented。 Max is definitely a character that middle grade readers will be able to relate to。- Five kids went into the woods， but only four came back 。 。 。 and one ended up in a coma。 Max was there that night， but he has no idea what happened to his best friend。 But he’s determined to find out。 This is an extremely compelling mystery。 Mostly because no one knows what happened to Will， except that he was found in the morning in a coma。 Well， that’s not quite true， is it？ Someone knows what happened。 Not Max， though。 Not yet。Since Max doesn’t actually know what what happened， the reader gets to retrace everything that happened that night along with the protagonist， which is a pretty good way to do it。 I was absolutely hooked on this mystery and super curious about what had happened！ The reveal of what actually happened was just a tad bit underwhelming， but I think it fits with the overall narrative and the age group all the same。- Max doesn’t know much about friendship， but he’s sure he hasn’t been a very good friend。 But as he makes new friends， namely with a girl named Sam， he starts to realize some things he thought he already knew。 Sam is basically the antithesis to Max: she has plenty of friends， fits in well， and is fairly self-assured。 She knows exactly what she wants in life （namely， to be a journalist） and how she’s going to get there （you know， by doing the hard things and digging to uncover the truth）。 Max doesn’t necessarily want to be friends with Sam， but when Sam knows what she wants， she goes after it relentlessly。 I’m pretty sure that’s just a Sam thing。 And I would know， right？ 😉I really appreciated the character growth in this。 Friendship is hard， especially when you’re 11 and things don’t go exactly the way you plan。 People grow apart and things happen。 Max is starting to realize that some of the things he took as a given， like how solid his friendship with Joey and Will was， may not have actually been true。 And he’s not exactly innocent in it all， even though he’s also not necessarily to blame。 This story takes a deep look at how misunderstandings arise and how friends can drift apart without even realizing it， and stresses the need to understand other people’s perspectives。 Which is always a great message for middle grade readers！- There are a lot of BIG conversations in this book around mistakes， forgiveness， and what it means to be really be a friend。 There’s the big， overarching story going on in the town about Will， for starters。 Max can’t handle visiting his best friend in the hospital， knowing that he didn’t help him。 He harbors a lot of guilt around not being there when Will obviously needed him， and he’s not quite ready to face it yet。 Fair enough。It’s more than just that， though。 Max’s estranged uncle shows up out of nowhere， and it’s clear that there’s some tension in the family。 Max’s mother isn’t exactly thrilled to see her brother， and there’s a lot of history there that Max doesn’t quite understand。 His uncle isn’t the traditional sort， but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of things Max can learn from him。 If only his mother were willing to give him the chance。There are some big conversations about family and friendship and second chances that is perfect for middle grade readers。 The sort that fits neatly and cleanly into the narrative without the book being about these things。 Sticking Points- A lot of emphasis was placed on it being Max’s responsibility to take care of his friends， to the point where people were mad at him for not doing so， but 。 。 。 that narrative really doesn’t make all that much sense？ It’s such a small thing to pay attention to， and I doubt middle grade readers would notice， but since it came up multiple times， it really irked me！ People were legit mad at Max for not looking after Will。 You know， Max， the 11-year-old。The narrative is meant to be that since he’s big for his age， he’s supposed to have more responsibility and people are treating him as more adult。 Which okay， yes， that’s fair。 I grew up with a lot of people who looked older than they were， myself included。 Even my husband。 This narrative would make perfect sense 。 。 。 if it weren’t for the small-town setting where everyone had known Max and his friends since they were little and were well aware of how old （or， in this case， young） Max was。It also makes even less since when it becomes obvious that there actually were older kids （16-year-olds， in fact） with the younger boys。 Yet， no one seems to be mad at them for not looking out for the younger kids？ I knoooow it’s such a small thing， but every time it came up it bugged me that everyone blames Max for what happens to Will when there’s really not anything at all to support this narrative other than he’s taller than his friends。 。。。more
Tracey Vince
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A Perfect Mistake is the book I needed 40 years ago when growing up knowing that in people's eyes because of starting Puberty early and having Disabled Parents I was not one of them。 If I had something like this I would of realised that it is okay to be different。Our main character is Max who not only is already as tall as his dad but also has ADHD to handle which is a lot for an 11 year old。 Then there is this event that changes things and we learn about his interactions with his family and tho A Perfect Mistake is the book I needed 40 years ago when growing up knowing that in people's eyes because of starting Puberty early and having Disabled Parents I was not one of them。 If I had something like this I would of realised that it is okay to be different。Our main character is Max who not only is already as tall as his dad but also has ADHD to handle which is a lot for an 11 year old。 Then there is this event that changes things and we learn about his interactions with his family and those at School I did love the growing relationship between Cal and Max it was a beautiful sight to see as they both got each other。I would also like to have seen more of Sam she was a hoot with her strange words like funcle instead of uncle。Again Melanie turned me into another snot fest and again it was not pretty all I know is that this book will stay with me for such a long time and so I had to give A Perfect Mistake 5 stars and will be reading more from Melanie 。。。more
Cheryl Mizerny
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Another lovely book by Melanie Conklin。 She does such a great job getting inside a character's head and giving them an authentic voice。 This will appeal to my students who love mysteries because it kept me guessing throughout。 The protagonist is newly diagnosed with ADHD and I have students who will enjoy reading about his journey as they experience their own。I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher who shared it with my #bookexpedition ARC review group。 I will be purchasing a copy fo Another lovely book by Melanie Conklin。 She does such a great job getting inside a character's head and giving them an authentic voice。 This will appeal to my students who love mysteries because it kept me guessing throughout。 The protagonist is newly diagnosed with ADHD and I have students who will enjoy reading about his journey as they experience their own。I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher who shared it with my #bookexpedition ARC review group。 I will be purchasing a copy for my classroom library。 。。。more
Elisquared
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4。5 StarsI was so glad to have the opportunity to read Melanie Conklin's latest middle grade book， A Perfect Mistake。 Her previous two books， Counting Thyme and Every Missing Piece， were great ， so I knew this one would be as well。The story is told in 1st person， following Max， a newly minted 6th grader， who towers over all the other students with his growth spurt to 6 feet tall。 On top of that， Max was also recently diagnosed with ADHD。 So he has a lot going on。 But the worst thing to happen， w 4。5 StarsI was so glad to have the opportunity to read Melanie Conklin's latest middle grade book， A Perfect Mistake。 Her previous two books， Counting Thyme and Every Missing Piece， were great ， so I knew this one would be as well。The story is told in 1st person， following Max， a newly minted 6th grader， who towers over all the other students with his growth spurt to 6 feet tall。 On top of that， Max was also recently diagnosed with ADHD。 So he has a lot going on。 But the worst thing to happen， was his best friend Will's accident。 Max is determined to figure out what happened to Will， and why his other best friend， Joey， is no longer talking to him。This is such an amazing， age-appropriate mystery。 Max teams up with his classmate and budding journalist， Sam， to investigate just what happened the night Will got hurt。 With Max's ADHD， and his own fright from the events of the night， the pieces of the puzzle take a little bit to come together。 Conklin does a perfect job crafting each clue， and allows Max and Sam to really sleuth alá The Hardy Boys。Overlaying the main mystery is also Max's personal struggles。 His height makes adults treat him differently from other 11 year olds， and his ADHD means he processes things differently。 Max feels a lot of guilt about what happened to Will， so there is also openness about therapy， both for his ADHD and the accident surrounding Will。 Conklin really explores these topics in a way that is relatable to actual kids。 Everything Max learns or discovers feels genuine， and never as if an adult is telling the story。Friendship is also a big part of this story。 Not just male friendships， but co-gender friendships。 It is refreshing to see such a strong friendship develop between Sam and Max， but also to see how deep Will's and Joey's friendship （or lack thereof） effects Max。 The changing nature of these different friendships is set out so clearly that you， as the reader， feel them too。6th grade can be a tumultuous time for anyone， but Conklin really brings freshness and authenticity to the additional challenges and benefits that ADHD brings。 The way Max learns to function in the world， and the challenges he has to overcome， is written with grace。 I think that Conklin did another amazing job at looking at what most would consider an "adult topic"， but which effects kids， and presents it in a very real way for those very kids。 This is a really fantastic part to all of Conklin's stories， and one that makes them so impressive for adult readers， and timely for young readers。I recommend this to fans of The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin and Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt。 Pretty much anyone who wants a really engrossing story。 You'll get hooked by the mystery， but stay for the heart。 。。。more
Tonja Drecker
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With a character to want as a best friend， this book dives into relatable problems while weaving an intriguing mystery along the way。Max was hoping to have a good year at school， since he's learning to handle his ADHD a little better， but he doesn't expect a sudden growth spurt to leave him soaring above his classmates， and definitely wasn't prepared for his small group of friends to fall apart。 He has no idea how to digest or handle the fact that his best friend is now lying in the hospital in With a character to want as a best friend， this book dives into relatable problems while weaving an intriguing mystery along the way。Max was hoping to have a good year at school， since he's learning to handle his ADHD a little better， but he doesn't expect a sudden growth spurt to leave him soaring above his classmates， and definitely wasn't prepared for his small group of friends to fall apart。 He has no idea how to digest or handle the fact that his best friend is now lying in the hospital in coma， and even though he knows it isn't true， feels it's somewhat his fault。 His other best friend， Joey， refuses to talk to him after the accident and is acting strange。 Then， Max's uncle temporarily moves in with his family， and it's all nearing too much。 So， when the police can't seem to figure out what really happened to his best friend， Max decides it's time to take matters into his own hands， and this leads in directions he would have never expected。Max is such a wonderful character and is hard not to like。 He struggles with ADHD， accepts that， and is doing what he can （with help） to make life easier。 It was refreshing to have a character like this。 He still comes across as a normal kid， who's simply dealing with everything the best he can。 And， as is with middle school， he's also handling other insecurities and even a touch of bullying。 Despite all of this， his attitude steers in a slightly more positive direction and doesn't bog down。 Family issues and friendship problems also come into play， creating quite a bit for Max to face。 His uncle is immediately approached with a sense of hesitancy， letting the reader feel that something is quite right before the problem becomes apparent。 Not only does this also help add a pinch of tension， but Max's family circumstances have time to develop and gain depth， letting the reader sink into the situation。 It's the same when it comes to Max's relationships to the other students。 Everything is approached with a little care and not laid out immediately， letting each situation and relationship grow。The mystery dribbles in slowly， too， giving peeks and glimpses at what happened the day of the 'accident'。 This happens through little flashbacks。 By the time things pick up and Max decides to get actively involved， the background is already laid out。 The pacing remains steady the whole way through as Max is constantly dealing with something。 The mystery also adds surprises and takes an interesting turn at the end。 On a side note， I never figured out exactly how the title fits into all of this， but that could just be me overseeing something。 This isn't going to be a read for all middle graders， but there will be those who enjoy it quite a bit。 I received an ARC and was easily caught up in this tale。 。。。more
Elizabeth Mellen
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Thanks to Netgalley and Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the ARC of this！ I was diagnosed as an adult with ADHD （which explains a whole lot） after researching about my child - so I have definitely been on the lookout for middle grade books with ADHD rep to suggest to her。 I really liked the mystery aspect of this， and the pacing seemed really good。 It kept me engaged the whole time and I will be recommending it to my daughter for sure。
The Page Ladies
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My son and I really enjoyed this story！ Max is an easy character for the kids to like and find common ground with。 It has a nice adventure that keeps you turning the pages。 Max's family isn't perfect but the issues they face are really and what a lot of families deal with。 There were a lot of great messages for the kids！ Overall it's a great middle grade mystery read！ Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours， Melanie Conklin and Little Brown Young Readers for sharing this book with me and my son！ My son and I really enjoyed this story！ Max is an easy character for the kids to like and find common ground with。 It has a nice adventure that keeps you turning the pages。 Max's family isn't perfect but the issues they face are really and what a lot of families deal with。 There were a lot of great messages for the kids！ Overall it's a great middle grade mystery read！ Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours， Melanie Conklin and Little Brown Young Readers for sharing this book with me and my son！ 。。。more
Abigail Singrey
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This middle grade mystery is filled with heart。One night， three friends went into the woods。 When Max got scared and ran， he had no idea something awful was going to happen to his friend Will。 Now Will's unconscious and Joey's not speaking to him。 The more Max hears， the more everyone's stories don't add up。 He begins digging， pushing to uncover the truth， no matter what the consequences。The mystery provides tension without getting too dark。 While Max's family has their struggles， they also prov This middle grade mystery is filled with heart。One night， three friends went into the woods。 When Max got scared and ran， he had no idea something awful was going to happen to his friend Will。 Now Will's unconscious and Joey's not speaking to him。 The more Max hears， the more everyone's stories don't add up。 He begins digging， pushing to uncover the truth， no matter what the consequences。The mystery provides tension without getting too dark。 While Max's family has their struggles， they also provide loving if quirky adult characters。 Max's dad uses the family as test subjects for his spicy granola ideas， while Max's uncle Cal drops by to live in his van in the driveway。 Each relationship helps Max come to some realizations about himself and the world。This book provides valuable representation for kids with ADHD。 The insights into Max's thoughts， worldview and challenges will resonate with many kids。 While Max sometimes struggles to fit into a world that isn't built for him， and his therapist provides coping mechanisms to help him succeed， the book never looks down on him for his differences。 Instead， it shows Max finding valuable friendships with people who accept him just the way he is。 Max also identifies an adult in his life who possibly has undiagnosed ADHD。In the end， it turns out Max was the perfect person to find out what happened to Will that night。 Thank you to NetGalley， the publisher and TBR & Beyond Tours for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Stacey DeCotis （Reading in the Middle Grades）
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A beautiful story about friendship and the effects of a tragedy。 Written so real - not enough books touch upon these topics or make boyhood friendships so genuine！！
Mary
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Nothing bad ever happens in the town of Oakwood， New Jersey—so when something bad does happen， everyone is understandably on edge。 Just before the start of the school year， Max Greenberg and his friends broke the rules and visited a forbidden site in the middle of the night， leaving Max’s friend Will in a medically induced coma。 But Max is not able to recall exactly what happened， and neither Will nor anyone else is talking。 As Max struggles to come to terms with both what happened and its after Nothing bad ever happens in the town of Oakwood， New Jersey—so when something bad does happen， everyone is understandably on edge。 Just before the start of the school year， Max Greenberg and his friends broke the rules and visited a forbidden site in the middle of the night， leaving Max’s friend Will in a medically induced coma。 But Max is not able to recall exactly what happened， and neither Will nor anyone else is talking。 As Max struggles to come to terms with both what happened and its aftermath， he must balance his own ADHD with the myriad events taking place around him。 Through patience， perseverance， and learning to forgive himself， Max becomes stronger and more mature while discovering the truth about his friend’s injury。This intriguing contemporary fiction novel begins with a mystery that is only revealed in pieces as the story progresses。 Will is in the hospital already， and readers make the journey along with Max as he works to remember exactly what happened that fateful night。 Since it is written in the first person， this book gives a clear look into Max’s mind through his ADHD; the plot jumps around frequently， and readers must pay close attention to interlock the puzzle pieces as they appear。 Max’s feelings are palpable， especially as he feels ostracized by his community due to his towering height， his ADHD， and his involvement in Will’s accident。 Max’s honesty throughout the story is refreshing， and readers will grow a deep sense of compassion for Max from the very first pages。Middle grade readers will empathize with many of Max’s struggles， even if they do not find themselves in the exact same circumstances。 Feeling apart from others is common in sixth grade， and Max models positive ways of working through the challenges he faces。 Though he is not perfect， Max finds people he can trust to help him， and he has developed tools to mitigate the complicated feelings he manages every day。 There is no shame in any of Max’s actions， and readers will hopefully discover ways to accept themselves more openly after reading Max’s story。 Unique in its design， this book is one that will connect with a wide range of middle grade readers and will help them better understand their classmates and companions in the process。 This is an important addition to middle grade library collections。 。。。more
Mrs Heidrich
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4。5 rounded up to 5！！
Kayla Phaneuf
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Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book。 I loved this！ I went into this not knowing what to expect， and was pleasantly surprised by the story and characters。 I have ADHD， so I'm always looking for great ADHD representation in books。 I thought that it was represented very well here。 I also think it's especially interesting watching Max work through his recent diagnosis and showing how it isn't。 always going to be perfect， but having ADHD isn't a bad thing。 The mystery was exciting a Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book。 I loved this！ I went into this not knowing what to expect， and was pleasantly surprised by the story and characters。 I have ADHD， so I'm always looking for great ADHD representation in books。 I thought that it was represented very well here。 I also think it's especially interesting watching Max work through his recent diagnosis and showing how it isn't。 always going to be perfect， but having ADHD isn't a bad thing。 The mystery was exciting and this sort of felt like a very young version of a Stephen King novel to me。 My biggest gripe is with the pacing toward the end of the book。 I felt like the mystery wrapped up super fast and the climax was a little lackluster compared to the rest of the book。 That being said， I still gave this 4。25 stars and think a lot of kids will enjoy it！ Especially good for kids who are into mysteries or thrillers。 。。。more
Rebecca
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I’d like to start by saying I have not heard of this author， as her 3 books focus on pre-teen and teens。 I chose this book solely for my son （9 going on 13） as he loves mysteries and this sounded right up his alley。 We read this book together， each taking a couple chapters at a time。 4。5⭐️This book has phenomenal representation！！ My son felt seen and understood our protagonist’s at-times， complex emotions and actions。 Max has ADHD and he’s also the tallest kid in the class。 Either label by itsel I’d like to start by saying I have not heard of this author， as her 3 books focus on pre-teen and teens。 I chose this book solely for my son （9 going on 13） as he loves mysteries and this sounded right up his alley。 We read this book together， each taking a couple chapters at a time。 4。5⭐️This book has phenomenal representation！！ My son felt seen and understood our protagonist’s at-times， complex emotions and actions。 Max has ADHD and he’s also the tallest kid in the class。 Either label by itself can be daunting to a kid at school…but to be both is down right miserable for his self esteem。 Sometimes Max just wants to crawl under the table。 Pile on top of that， his best friend Joey isn’t speaking to him and he doesn’t know why。 We find out very early on that Will， another friend of his， is in the hospital。 He feels like it’s his fault but at the same time can’t remember what happened after a bunch of them went into the woods one night。 And then to keep piling it on， his home life is complicated， too—his smarty pants sister is just floating along with life， his mother’s troublemaker brother came to town and their troubled relationship puts a strain on the family…and his dad is busy with a big pitch he has to make to a company…Max just needs to focus right now but the world around his has become really noisy。 When the police start questioning local families about Will’s predicament， but aren’t getting anywhere with mixed stories， Max feels so helpless。 So he teams up with his friend Sam and they take it upon themselves to figure the mystery out。 Along the way， Cal （his mom’s brother） becomes a sort of mentor to Max and is an excellent supporting character， helping him in more interpersonal ways。 Max recognizes things about his uncle that even his mother didn’t see and develops a wonderful relationship with him。 Sam is also a perfect friend for Max， as she keeps him focused on the tasks at hand。 As they get closer to the truth， more trouble arises， more questions need answering and the author does an excellent job of keeping you guessing for quite a while… Just when you thought you had it figured out。 （And this happened for us on more than 2 occasions， we kept saying， “but WHAT happened to Will？！？”）Overall， this was a well thought out mystery for this age group。 The representation was top notch， realizations were recognized thoughtfully， lessons and morals are learned， and you have to wait patiently for the HEA （happy ever after） to be revealed。 I took 。5 stars off just for the simple fact as an adult， the reveal felt a bit like I was watching Scooby Doo， “if it wasn’t for those pesky kids…” Also， some of the story felt a tad long or drawn out。 Otherwise， well done！Thanks to #NetGalley and The publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 This book is available on store bookshelves now。 。。。more
Gina Adams
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Review will be up on my bookstagram as part of a book tour next month！
Tina
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This is a Middle Grade Mystery。 I loved the main character in this book。 I loved the ADHD parts of this book。 I really loved this mystery in this book。 This book did a great job with the family drama and the mystery in this book。 This book keeps me wanting to finish it， and I loved all the messages in this book。 I really enjoyed this book， and I think it is a great middle grade book。 I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher （Little， Brown Books for Young Readers） or author （ This is a Middle Grade Mystery。 I loved the main character in this book。 I loved the ADHD parts of this book。 I really loved this mystery in this book。 This book did a great job with the family drama and the mystery in this book。 This book keeps me wanting to finish it， and I loved all the messages in this book。 I really enjoyed this book， and I think it is a great middle grade book。 I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher （Little， Brown Books for Young Readers） or author （Melanie Conklin） via NetGalley， so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book。 I want to send a big Thank you to them for that。 。。。more
Leah
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Thank you to Netgalley， Little， Brown Books for Young Readers and TBR Tours and Beyond。 I absolutely loved the ADHD rep in this book。 This is a well written book and suspenseful a story。 A Perfect Mistake is certainly the type of book I wish I had available to me when I was in school。 I hope this book helps shine light on what is like to live with ADHD。 Thank you to Melanie Conklin for writing such a beautiful middle grade novel。
Kristi Housman Confessions of a YA Reader
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RTC for blogThank you to Little Brown for my arc。
Ms。 Yingling
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E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusMax has been struggling in fifth grade。 Between being very tall and dealing with his ADHD， he was glad to work with a therapist over the summer to develop coping strategies to help him be able to concentrate so that he can be more successful in school。 Unfortunately， right before school starts， his friend Will is in a medically induced coma after he， Will， and their friend Joey went to an abandoned round house in the woods with Joey's brother Jared。 Max got scared E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusMax has been struggling in fifth grade。 Between being very tall and dealing with his ADHD， he was glad to work with a therapist over the summer to develop coping strategies to help him be able to concentrate so that he can be more successful in school。 Unfortunately， right before school starts， his friend Will is in a medically induced coma after he， Will， and their friend Joey went to an abandoned round house in the woods with Joey's brother Jared。 Max got scared and ran home， leaving his friends behind， but Will ended up in the yard of a neighbor who had a lot of dogs。 The police are asking lots of questions， but not coming up with all of the answers。 Max is also dealing with his uncle Cal， who has shown up in his beat up van。 Max's mother doesn't seem thrilled to see her brother， but agrees to let him stay for a while he earns some money。 Max's father， who is struggling to find employment as well， arranges for him to do some cabinetry work at the local bakery， owned by the father of one of Max's classmates， Sam Bovella。 He's never hung out with he before， but she is interested in what happened to Will， and he finds it easier to talk to her than to anyone else。 Jared is weird， his mom cries a lot， and while it's good to talk to his therapist， she's not around every day。 Sam and Max investigate what happened， and come to some startling conclusions。 Strengths: For me， the big draw of this one was the depiction of Max's struggles with ADHD and being really tall。 Middle school has such a wide range of sizes， but outliers do often feel very alone。 There are a lot of students struggling with ADHD， but there are few depictions in the literature， especially ones that are as positive as Max's。 I love that he has strategies， and that 504 plans are mentioned， and it makes sense that these strategies are interrupted by the problems with his friend。 I loved his language arts teacher， and appreciate that Conklin is POSITIVE about her cat shaped buttons; all too often， "teacher dress" is derided。 The best part of the book was Cal， with his van and his alternative lifestyle， and his own possible undiagnosed ADHD。 Weaknesses: The cover is okay， but the title doesn't seem to have much to do with the story。 What I really think: This isn't one that will fly off the shelf， but will be very successful with the right readers。 It's much more interesting and upbeat than this author's other titles。 。。。more
Jennifer Hottinger
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Mystery， friendship， choices and Max in the middle of an investigation but he does not remember what happened。 Is his ADHD part of it？ Is his friend in the hospital because of him？ Can he figure this out？ Wonderful characters students can relate to throughout。 Mystery， friendship， choices and truth within the pages:）。
Jo Marie
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A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin is a fabulous MG novel with a main character many middle grade kids will identify with。 Not only is Max tall for his age， but he’s also struggling to learn how to manage his ADHD。 When a terrible tragedy leaves one of Max’s best friends in a coma and his other best friend won’t talk to him， Max is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to their friend。 It’s the perfect setup for a thought provoking and mysterious story。 Add an awesome middle school A Perfect Mistake by Melanie Conklin is a fabulous MG novel with a main character many middle grade kids will identify with。 Not only is Max tall for his age， but he’s also struggling to learn how to manage his ADHD。 When a terrible tragedy leaves one of Max’s best friends in a coma and his other best friend won’t talk to him， Max is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to their friend。 It’s the perfect setup for a thought provoking and mysterious story。 Add an awesome middle school teacher and a quirky uncle with a supervan （yes， a SUPERVAN！） and A Perfect Mistake becomes a perfectly delightful novel。 I highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Briana
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Source: Publisher for reviewInitial Thoughts: Engaging。 A bit of a mystery intertwined with the protagonist's personal struggles。 A fun English teacher。 Source: Publisher for reviewInitial Thoughts: Engaging。 A bit of a mystery intertwined with the protagonist's personal struggles。 A fun English teacher。 。。。more
Janet
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What a fun （and insightful） book！ A Perfect Mistake begins with Max starting 6th grade。 One best friend is in a coma in the hospital， and his other best friend isn't speaking to him。 Max desperately wants to find out what happened that night in the forest when Will turned up unconscious。 With the help of a new friend， Sam （Samantha）， he sets out to put the pieces together and hopefully remember something that just might break open the case。This book is a twisting mystery as Max and Sam work to f What a fun （and insightful） book！ A Perfect Mistake begins with Max starting 6th grade。 One best friend is in a coma in the hospital， and his other best friend isn't speaking to him。 Max desperately wants to find out what happened that night in the forest when Will turned up unconscious。 With the help of a new friend， Sam （Samantha）， he sets out to put the pieces together and hopefully remember something that just might break open the case。This book is a twisting mystery as Max and Sam work to figure things out， but this book is so much more than that。 Throughout， Max is dealing with his newly diagnosed ADHD。 He struggles to not feel like a failure when he just can't function the way his mom thinks he should。 Everyone in his family seems perfect， except for him。 But sometimes things aren't always as they seem。I appreciated the glimpses into some of the methods that Max uses to cope with his ADHD， and I also appreciated the idea that no one is perfect。 Just because we can't see someone else's struggles， doesn't mean they aren't there。The characters are all well-developed， and this book does such a great job of building empathy for all of them-even the characters you don't want to like。 The world needs more of that。 I recommend this book to all lovers of adventure， lovers of mystery， lovers of middle grade， and lovers of a plain old good， well-written book。 。。。more
Linda Williams Jackson
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I really enjoyed this book。 The main character Max reminded me of my own son， who has a few "quirks" of his own and also grew very tall at age eleven。 While I was happy to see my son's growth spurt， it never occurred to me how it might have affected him， until I read this book。 My son's voice also changed at age 11， which made him feel uncomfortable in his own body。 I think readers will be able to identify and sympathize with Max。 And I also know they will enjoy the mystery of A Perfect Mistake。 I really enjoyed this book。 The main character Max reminded me of my own son， who has a few "quirks" of his own and also grew very tall at age eleven。 While I was happy to see my son's growth spurt， it never occurred to me how it might have affected him， until I read this book。 My son's voice also changed at age 11， which made him feel uncomfortable in his own body。 I think readers will be able to identify and sympathize with Max。 And I also know they will enjoy the mystery of A Perfect Mistake。 One of my favorite things about the book is when Max says， "Imagine you。。。。" This is also something my son does a lot。 This book will make a great read for middle grade kids and also for any adult who wants to better understand them。 。。。more
Kathie
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Thank you to the author and publisher for sending me an ARC of this book which releases on July 6th。 This is a middle-grade mystery about a group of boys who go out one night， but one ends up fighting for his life in the hospital。 Max ran away from the woods when things got intense， but now he wonders what really happened to his friend， Will， who was found unconscious。 He blames himself for leaving Will behind， but his attempts to talk to the other boys who were there that night result in threat Thank you to the author and publisher for sending me an ARC of this book which releases on July 6th。 This is a middle-grade mystery about a group of boys who go out one night， but one ends up fighting for his life in the hospital。 Max ran away from the woods when things got intense， but now he wonders what really happened to his friend， Will， who was found unconscious。 He blames himself for leaving Will behind， but his attempts to talk to the other boys who were there that night result in threats for him to shut up。 Max takes it upon himself to solve the mystery along with a budding young journalist， and as the facts slowly come to light， he discovers a web of lies and secrets。What I enjoyed most about this story was I couldn’t predict everything involved in the mystery of Will’s injury。 The story moved quickly as new facts continued to appear and kept the reader engaged。 I also like how the author handled Max’s new ADHD diagnosis and the strategies and therapist recommendations that she was able to incorporate without sounding preachy。 As someone who has a child with ADHD， I often noticed Max’s impulsivity and how his choices contributed to pushing the investigation forward when told to leave it to the police。 There is a need for more stories with a male protagonist focusing on male friendships， and the in-depth look at Max’s inner world adds depth to the story。This would be an excellent addition to any middle-grade collection， and I certainly plan to purchase it for my library。 。。。more
Leigh
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