A Perfect Mistake

Max is having a hard time at the beginning of sixth grade. He is the tallest kid in his class by a lot and has been recently diagnosed with ADHD. One of his two best friends, Joey, isn’t speaking to him, and the other, Will, is in the hospital in a coma. Max doesn’t remember what happened, but he feels responsible and doesn’t know how to figure out what went wrong the night Will was hurt. Max makes friends with a girl, Sam, whose brother was there the summer night. Sam wants to be a journalist, and she and Max start doing their own investigation. A lot of people are lying, and Max starts to remember things. Will they ever solve the mystery of what happened to Will?

Melanie Conklin has created a great cast of characters who will challenge readers to examine themes of friendship, loyalty, family, bullying, and much more. This is a rich, complex story told in first-person by main character Max, and Conklin stays true to that eleven-year-old boy. The dialogue is spot on and the representation of Max dealing with his ADHD and other issues is very credible. This is a terrific book.