Author Kristin Mahoney wrote a gem with Elfie Unperfect. All the things you hope to be in a realistic fictional story, she included–starting with great characters who are believable and relatable. The main character, Elfie, can’t grasp the fact that not everyone is like her or wants the same things as her. It’s great to see how she grows and develops throughout the story, and Elfie is surrounded by kind and patient people who help her in this process. We also meet several characters who are dealing with difficult things; we’re reminded that people are often dealing with situations that we aren’t aware of. Besides including great characters and some important lessons, Mahoney adds some real emotion to the story from humor to heartache and pain. This is the kind of story that will be loved by male and female middle-grade audiences and would be a great book to read as a family as it brings up several great topics for discussion.

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  2 religious exclamations; 1 anatomical term.

Violence/Gore: Two incidents including a character imagining getting kneecap scooped out; young characters reference having watched ants fight, one killing and eating the other.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Divorce; cancer; character burps and another character has a burping ringtone.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None