The award-winning 1982 novel Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! is by Stephen Manes, an American author, journalist, columnist, and screenwriter. It was adapted to film in 1984 as part of a series called WonderWorks on PBS. Manes has published more than 30 children and young adult books, including this novel’s bestselling sequel, Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday!” (1996). One of his more recent books is a nonfiction exploration into the workings of a ballet company titled Where Snowflakes Dance and Swear: Inside the Land of Ballet (2011), which garnered positive critical attention. Together with his portfolio of children’s books and technology journalism, highlights Manes’s diverse literary talent. A native of Pittsburgh, Manes moved to Seattle later in life.

The paperback novel used for this study guide was published in 2018 by Cadwallader & Stern.

Plot Summary

Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! tells the story of Milo Crinkley, a young boy who accidentally comes across a book written by Dr. K. Pinkerton Silverfish. A scruffy, strange looking man, Silverfish promises to make Milo perfect in just three days. The book falls on Milo’s head while he is in the library looking for monster stories, painfully getting his attention.

Intrigued, Milo takes the book home. The book lays out a series of tasks that must be fully completed to achieve true perfection. Milo diligently follows Dr. Silverfish’s three-step program, which must be completed over a three-day period. Day one involves wearing a stalk of broccoli around his neck for an entire day. Milo weathers the humiliation he faces at school and learns that he has the courage to stand up to bullies, who eventually lose interest in mocking him. Milo completes the second step, not eating anything for 24 hours, which makes him appreciate the strength of his willpower. The final step is to do nothing at all for 24 hours, not even sleep. He is allowed to sip weak tea and silently sit still. Milo tries his best, but his excitement for achieving perfection fades as he realizes that being “perfect” is boring. Milo falls asleep just before the 24 hours are up, failing the final test but achieving a better understanding of himself and the true meaning of perfection. With his new perspective on individuality, Milo is able to embrace his unique qualities, as well as those of his family and friends, allowing him to worry less and enjoy living a good, imperfect life.