Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!

by Stephen Manes

Is it possible? Can an ordinary human being really become a perfect person in three short days?

Milo Crinkley thought so. What gave him the idea was a book that fell on his head one day at the library--a book with the impressive title Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! The author, Dr. K. Pinkerton Silverfish, did look kind of weird, but he claimed to be the world's leading authority on perfection.

Milo took the book home and followed its instructions. He liked the idea of being perfect. Perfect people never had their parents nag at them. Perfect people never had to take the blame for rotten tricks their sisters played. Perfect people never needed erasers. Perfect was obviously the perfect thing to be!

Did Milo become a perfect person in just three days? More important, can you?

Do you think we're going to answer all your questions here when we want you to read this hilarious book?

Winner of five kid-voted statewide awards!
California Young Reader Medal
Charlie May Simon Award (Arkansas)
Georgia Children's Book Award
Nene Award (Hawaii)
Sunshine State Award (Florida)

Genres: Humor, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, School, Young Adult, Juvenile

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Stephen Manes (born 1949) wrote the "Digital Tools" column that appeared in every issue of Forbes until recently when he took a break. He is expected to return in the future. He is also co-host and co-executive editor of the public television series "PC World's Digital Duo," a program he helped create.

Manes was previously the Personal Computers columnist for the Science Times section of The New York Times and a regular columnist for InformationWeek. He has been on the technology beat since 1982 as a columnist and contributing editor for PC Magazine, PC/Computing, PC Sources, PCjr, and Netguide. The now defunct Marketing Computers named him one of the four most influential writers about the computer industry and called him "a strong critical voice."

From April 1995 to December 2008, he also wrote the "Full Disclosure" column, anchoring the back page of PC World.

Manes is coauthor of the best-selling and definitive biography Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America. He also wrote The Complete MCI Mail Handbook and programmed much of the Starfixer and UnderGround WordStar software packages.

Manes is also the author of more than 30 books for children and young adults, including the Publishers Weekly bestseller Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday! and the award-winning Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, which was adapted for the public television series Wonderworks. His books include the cult favorites Chicken Trek and The Obnoxious Jerks and have won a commendation from the National Science Foundation, International Reading Association Children's Choice awards, and kid-voted awards in five states. His writing credits also include television programs produced by ABC Television and KCET/Los Angeles and the 70s classic 20th Century-Fox movie Mother, Jugs & Speed.

Manes is currently serving his fourth term as an elected member of the National Council of the Authors Guild, the country's oldest organization of book authors. Born and raised in the hills of Pittsburgh, he now lives in hillier Seattle.

Reviews

[Swankivy]

I made sure this was fiction before checking it out from my library when I was a kid. Even then I was wary of self-help books making specious claims. :)

This is about a kid named Milo who is intrigued by the title of a book called Be A Perfect Person in Just Three Days. He's got a lot of problems at home and would love to become "perfect," but this book keeps ordering him to do weird things (like put a hunk of broccoli around his neck), and he's a little suspicious of the photos of the author (which do NOT suggest the author knows anything about being perfect). But he's also instructed to not skip ahead in the book, so he doesn't know what to expect. Unfortunately even though it's got its funny moments and hilarious images, it doesn't do much but teach little Milo that there's really no such thing as being perfect--especially if you do so just trying to copy what someone else tells you to do. I think when I was a kid I was hoping something cool would happen for him when really the book was kind of just trolling him. But "no one's perfect" is still a good message.

[Amy]

An easy read but the humor went over my 7 yo son's head so not a favorite.

[Ana LibrariAna]

One of my favorite books! A perfect read-aloud and discussion starter as well!

[Naomi]

Spoiler: it involves broccoli.

[Carolyn Doolittle]

Great read aloud!

[Chase]

good for learning.

kind of weird.


Though, I like how it gives students who struggle with being accepted by their peers as well as feeling constantly judged by both family and friends. I did like the humor and can relate to the desire to be perfect. Fun book for various books.

[Chase Sears]

This book isn't anything special at all, or even good at all, but it was super duper short and it gave me some good laughs for the past 30 minutes since I've been sick.

[Erin]

Doesn't the title itself already make you want to read this book? It definitely made me curious right away. Who knew the secret to perfection could be found in a children's book that could be read in less than a day for this year's Battle of the Books? You'll laugh all the way through as you read about Milo's adventures in his quest for perfection.

[Hannaneh]

بد نبود. دلم برای این مدل کتاب‌ها تنگ شده بود انگار رفتم به ۸ یا ۹ سالگیم :)
به نظرم پیامش رو به شکل باحالی به بچه‌ها منتقل می‌کنه.

[Mano]

"Si on ne ratait jamais rien, le baseball serait aussi ennuyeux qu'une tasse de thé."

[Lauri]

Clever and funny in a way that appeals to young kids, but also teaches an important lesson about being perfect. Good tie in to a growth-mindset discussion with emphasis on overcoming fears and doing hard things with perseverence.

[Freya Hooper]

What this book is about:
When Milo gets hit in the head at the library by a falling book, he takes notice. This particular book is written by Dr. Silverfish, and it’s impressive title, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days, is just too good to pass up. Milo follows the instructions, word for word. Does it work? Do you think you could do it?

Why I love this book:
Fun and funny book. Day one is probably the funniest and my third and eighth grader were both laughing out loud. Let’s just say that every time I asked if they wanted one more chapter, the chorus was a resounding “yes!”

The book does have a lovely message which I think parents will appreciate. Also the chapters are just the perfect length with just the right amount of suspense so that kids won’t be able to wait for the next night.

Who this book is for:
Great for elementary and middle school kids who like to laugh.

Final thoughts:
The copy I got from the library had the most horribly dated illustrations. No child will ever pick this one up on their own, but once you start reading it, they won’t want you to stop.

[Alethea Kontis]

I loved this book so much that I had my Mother chase down an out of print copy for me years ago...and it was a movie tie in cover! I had no idea this book had been made into a movie--I wish I'd seen it. What smart young person doesn't strive to be perfect? If such perfection were possible in such a short time, would you attempt it? Even if it meant wearing a giant piece of broccoli around your neck? Sometimes you find books and sometimes, when you really need them, the books find YOU.

[Aiden]

its good, pretty good, i read it in 3rd grade, i guess i would recomend it,

[Sarah]

I remember being all excited to read this book in third grade, but it turned out to be more of a cautionary tale than a manual.

[Scott]

I was thinking about this book as I was reading Conscious Living: Finding Joy in the Real World (not knocking that book at all, but this book is a spoof of self-help books). It was a Youth Hoosier Book Award nominee in 1985-1986, and I heard a lot of oral book reports about it when I was in fourth grade. I also saw the Wonderworks version, which was changed a lot, which was kind of a necessity given that much of the book's premise centers on reading a book, which would be difficult to do for a film unless you went all out Guy Maddin and made a 1920s patuche. The film version invented the balloon chair, and the business of coconuts being used to send messages. I liked how Milo did learn some lessons along the way even though the book is an obvious scam, and how Mr. Crinkley read the book in one sitting (which Silverfish explicitly says not to do) and humored Milo along the way. This was a fast read. I effectively read it in one subway trip (one way).

[Erika Eastman (WR)]

This is a fun book about a boy who starts off feeling, like many kids and pre-teens may feel, that he just can't do anything right. His parents are always correcting him and his sister is a snob who is also giving him a hard time. This makes him feel like there is something wrong with him. One day, while in the library, a book, "How to be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days" falls of the shelf and hits him in the head. It was meant to be--he can't wait to read this book and become perfect in only three days! The author of this book, Dr. Silverfish, is eccentric to say the least, but he seems to be talking directly to the main character, Milo--he seems to be able to predict every move Milo will make including flipping to the back of the book. Despite the bizarre things Dr. Silverfish asks him to do, like wear broccoli around his neck, Milo is determined on his quest for perfection and follows every last step! Of course, we all know that NO ONE is perfect, but you will have to read to find out how Milo learns this lesson--and you may learn a little along the way!

As a middle school teacher, this book is a great read-aloud. It is short and offers a light-hearted look an important lesson that all middle schoolers need to hear--they are all perfect in their imperfections.

[寿理 宮本]

I'm surprised I don't have a listing for this! I *know* I read it recently-ish! ...or, somehow, it's THAT memorable despite having read it a LONG time ago (but also recently-ish, because I read a copy with this cover but then realised it was the same as the one with this cover).

It's actually pretty good as a self-demonstrating article, because what the main character (Milo) learns is just as applicable in real life as it is in the story! A hilarious, short read, especially if you want to be perfect! (Spoiler: NO SUCH THING.)

[Pat Salvatini]

While looking for a good scary monster book, Milo is hit on the head by a falling book. Maybe his brains were scrambled a bit but Milo felt as if the books jumped off the shelf and hit him on purpose. Milo didn’t think the author, Dr. K. Pinkerton Silverfish, looked much like a doctor, but Milo began reading. He decided that being perfect sounded pretty good, especially since he was always getting into dumb accidents and his older sister was always picking on him. But will wearing broccoli, skipping meals, and doing nothing make Milo a perfect person? Manes does a fair job developing the character but the story is slow moving. The original cover art is clown like and does not match the book’s appeal to current readers. An updated copy with new cover art is a must.

[sgabig]

I suppose the point of this book was to encourage readers to not make the perfect the enemy of the good; however, readers might go from one extreme to the other and just settle for mediocre apathy. The main character didn't want to go to his baseball game because he was embarrassed at not being a good player. The how-to book he read encouraged him to stop be embarrassed at not being perfect. A more wholesome suggestion might be to encourage people to train and improve their performance, but to accept that they will make mistakes along the way.

[Sarah Coller]

Another silly book from childhood...

Just as silly as I'd remembered! I do wish there weren't so many negative words in it, though, as I'd like my kids to read it. (Dumb, stupid, etc.)

One nostalgic scene has Milo drinking from the fountain at school and the kids behind him calling, "Save some for the fishes!" I remember thinking that was such a clever line and repeating it every chance I got for years in school.

[Jonathan Connor]

I have talked about this book to my wife for 13 years. I thought it was all in my head because I couldn't remember the title. I had nightmares of being locked into a chair sipping weak tea wishing I'd never finished all 3 days of the book. My childhood brain forgot the ending. I'm glad I found the book again and read it as an adult.

[Bridget]

This short read was pretty entertaining. I'm just imagining wearing a broccoli necklace to school. Ha ha. It does make some excellent points. It's no wonder my 9 year old daughter brought it home from school to read.

[Kaye]

Read to 5th Graders as part of their Battle of the Books. Milo literally gets hit on the head by a book promising he can become perfect in three days. Made the kids laugh and press for "just one more chapter".

[Michelle]

Speaking as a reformed perfectionist I have to say this book is GREAT! I might have even teared up a little bit. Wish I would have read it as a kid, but knowing me I would have needed to read it a few times.

[Daniel Fleisher]

A much needed, fun read to give me some perspective. A perfect read for adults who feel they are engrossed in their professional or personal bubbles. I had forgotten about this favorite until a iend recommended it recently.

[Chelsey]

Milo went through a few long days of trying to become the perfect person. In the end, he found out that being a perfect person was boring and basically impossible. It is great to be imperfect because being imperfect is what keeps life interesting.

Meh. Not a great book. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Nicole Schwartz]

Great story with a perfect message. Anyone who would want to be perfect should read this book.

[Haley Madison]

My childhood fave!

[Adam M]

Great Story for Young Children

I read this book as a youth and loved it. Reading it again with my own children was a joy.