Review of "Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!"

"Milo Crinkley wanted to be perfect."

     Stephen Manes' Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! is a humorous story for kids about being who you truly are. When a library book promising to make him perfect falls on Milo's head during school, he can't believe his luck. Perfection at last! The author's photograph is a little intimidating--after all, how can a man in zebra-print pants, a palm tree shirt, a mitten, and a clown nose, eating an incredibly messy hot dog, be the leading expert on being perfect? But the first few pages prove just how smart Dr. K. Pinkerton Silverfish really is, and soon Milo is ready to become the boy he never thought he could be...if he can survive the training!

     Although the book is only eighty pages long, it's packed full of tips and challenges that will shape Milo into the person he wants to be. For example: to make him immune to teasing, Milo must wear a stalk of broccoli around his neck for twenty-four hours straight. How crazy is that? But Milo keeps reading, intent on perfection. His parents are fully supportive of his mission, having read the book and knowing how it ends. Dr. Silverfish's mission is ostensibly to make every child as perfect as possible, but his true quest is to make kids realize that nobody is flawless, which is okay because perfection is overrated anyway.

     One of the great things about this book is the writing style. It's obviously written for kids, with its short sentences and simple language, but it's far from condescending. This makes it a great choice for younger readers who may not be interested in books as a general rule. However, teenagers may find themselves wishing for a little more meat around the binding. Manes doesn't bother to mask his moral, but he also doesn't slam the message on the table. It's all very well balanced, with just enough humor and conflict to keep the plot moving.

     Conflict: one of the few ingredients essential for a successful story. Even an eighty-page book must feature at least some form of conflict, and Be a Perfect Person is rich with it. From teasing classmates to an apparently perfect sibling, Milo's life is full of problems. He's clumsy, makes lots of mistakes, and is basically average. He gets lots of negative attention for his perfection boot camp antics, as well. However, despite this Milo perseveres, and readers may find themselves imagining themselves alongside him, cheering him on in his nearly impossible task.

     The downside to Manes' book is the lack of length. Despite its fun, upbeat, and exciting attitude toward becoming perfect and its engaging characters, readers who are used to longer pieces will almost certainly be saddened by the shortness of this story. Older readers may not be very amused by the simple, straightforward humor, but kids--the intended audience--will almost certainly love it. Characters are also very two-dimensional, as there isn't time to develop them over the course of a story so short. However, this leaves plenty of room for the plot to maneuver in, and lets the reader fill in the blanks with their imagination.

     I would recommend this book to any younger reader who wants to be perfect, and any teacher whose class consists of eight- to twelve-year-olds. With its relatable protagonist and easy-to-grasp humor and moral, Stephan Manes' Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! is certainly a must-read for early readers. Although I certainly wouldn't suggest it to a teen or adult, it is a fun story for elementary students and deserves, on that scale, four stars.