Review: A Perfect Mistake

Written by Melanie Conklin

Little, Brown and Company, 2022. Fiction. 265 pgs.

Middle school is hard for everyone but it is especially tough for Max who at age 11 is almost 6ft tall and struggles with ADHD. One summer night right before school starts Max and his best friends, Will and Joey, make a bad decision. They decide to go into the nature preserve, which is off limits, and now Will is in the hospital in a coma and Joey isn't talking to Max anymore. The last thing Max remembers about that terrible night is being scared, running home and leaving his friends behind. Max blames himself for the accident and when the police don't seem to be finding any answers Max decides to solve the mystery and find out what really happened that night.

This is an excellent book with a fast paced plot and a story that I think kids can relate to. Max is a great character who is learning to navigate middle school and changing friendships as well as learning to deal with his ADHD. I liked learning more about ADHD and the different strategies Max used to help him cope with his ADHD. A true to life story that I think middle grade readers will enjoy reading.

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog