Finding Perfect

Name: Finding Perfect
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Elly Swartz
ISBN: 9781666134025

Author: Elly Swartz

Narrator: Jennifer Jill Araya

Unabridged: 6 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/10/2021

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, Social Themes, Family

Synopsis

A girl deals with friendship, family, and OCD in this classic-feeling, debut middle-grade novel by Elly Swartz.

To twelve-year-old Molly Nathans, perfect is: the number four; the tip of a newly sharpened No. 2 pencil; a crisp white pad of paper; her neatly aligned glass animal figurines.

What's not perfect is Molly's mother leaving the family to take a faraway job with the promise to return in one year. Molly knows that promises are sometimes broken, so she hatches a plan to bring her mother home: Win the Lakeville Middle School Poetry Slam Contest. The winner is honored at a fancy banquet with white tablecloths. Molly is sure her mother would never miss that. Right . . . ?

But as time passes, writing and reciting slam poetry become harder. Actually, everything becomes harder as new habits appear, and counting, cleaning, and organizing are not enough to keep Molly's world from spinning out of control. In this fresh-voiced debut novel, one girl learns there is no such thing as perfect.

About Elly Swartz

Elly Swartz grew up in Yardley, Pennsylvania, where she lived a happy childhood filled with laughs, family dinners, and crooked birthday cakes. She studied psychology at Boston University and received a law degree from Georgetown University School of Law. The mother of two grown sons, Elly now lives in Massachusetts with her husband. Finding Perfect was her debut novel.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Abby on March 27, 2016

Ahh, this book! My heart! So many feelings! Main character Molly will tug at your heartstrings right off the bat. She's incredibly sweet and well-intentioned and I spent most of the book wanting to give her the biggest hug on the planet. I think so many people - kids and adults - will be able to rela......more

Goodreads review by Melanie on April 26, 2016

In FINDING PERFECT, twelve-year-old Molly is the kind of girl that I could be. She likes things neat. Neater than neat--PERFECT. This tendency is increasingly taking over Molly's life, causing her to struggle in friendships and with communication. She doesn't want these behaviors, but she doesn't kn......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on June 18, 2016

This book! I will be sharing this with my students and friends as they all need to meet Molly! Elly Swartz has a way of creating real-life characters and a story that will tug at your heart. I highly recommend this book to anybody who enjoys MG lit. This will make an awesome book to discuss mental h......more

Goodreads review by Colby on December 07, 2016

Wow. This book was amazing.......more

Goodreads review by Tarun on October 14, 2016

To me, one of the most important parts of growing up (and one of the most important themes of coming-of-age stories) is the acceptance that not everything can be perfect. That there isn’t always a “right answer.” That sometimes you’ll work towards that ideal solution that fixes all the problems, whi......more