A Field Guide to Broken Promises

Ages 8 to 12

In this heartfelt middle grade novel, acclaimed author Leah Stecher explores the pressure of living up to perfection.

When Evie Steinberg’s family moves right before seventh grade, she promises her dad that she’ll make sure everything goes perfectly. Maybe if she keeps her promise, he’ll finally forgive her for accidentally ruining the biggest moment of his cryptozoology career last spring.

Perfect means taking care of her little sister, fitting in at her new school, and never complaining or causing problems. Perfect definitely doesn’t mean being bullied by a girl who’s turning the whole school against her and failing math class.

Evie needs to fix her life before anyone finds out she’s struggling. When she uses her cryptozoologist skills to figure out the real reason her bully decided to target her, Evie realizes that she holds the key to fixing everything. She just needs proof. But how far is Evie willing to go to reveal the truth?

This tender and imaginative middle grade novel combines a fast-paced plot and reluctant reader appeal with explorations of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and bullying.

About the Author

Leah Stecher was born and raised in Southern California and—after spending nearly a decade in New York City—currently lives in coastal Maine. By day, she edits policy papers for an environmental nonprofit; by night, she writes middle grade fiction and eats lots of dessert. She is also the author of The Things We Miss. @leahstecher