
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days
by Stephen Manes · Grades 4–6 · Humor
Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes is on US reading lists at grades 4–6. It appears on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists, across 3 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Ages 9–11 · Grades 4–6 · 76 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9780899190648). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Widely assigned — 3 curriculum lists · 3 states
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades 4–6
- Age range
- Ages 9–11
- Pages
- 76
- Reading time
- about 1h 25m (est.)
- First published
- 1982
- Genre
- Humor
- ISBN-13
- 9780899190648
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 3?
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About this book
Book facts and sources (3)
- On award reading lists
- California Young Reader Medal (source: californiayoungreadermedal.org)
- Hawai'i Nēnē Award (source: neneaward.org)
- Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (source: fortsmithlibrary.org)
- Catalog record
- First published 1982 · 76 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
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See all books like Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why widely assigned
This humor title is typically read at grades 4–6. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on humorous stories and behavior; cited on 3 lists: 3 book-award lists.
Themes
Where this book is recommended
California Young Reader Medal
- recommended·3rd grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 1988 winner (Intermediate)
- recommended·4th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 1988 winner (Intermediate)
- recommended·5th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 1988 winner (Intermediate)
- recommended·6th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 1988 winner (Intermediate)
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · Arkansassource: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award — Arkansas's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Arkansassource: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award — Arkansas's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Arkansassource: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award — Arkansas's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
Hawai'i Nēnē Award
- recommended·3rd grade · Hawaiisource: Hawai‘i Nēnē Award (Hawaii Association of School Librarians), winner archive via Goodreads — 1986 Nēnē Award winner
- recommended·4th grade · Hawaiisource: Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) — Hawaii's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·5th grade · Hawaiisource: Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) — Hawaii's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
- recommended·6th grade · Hawaiisource: Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) — Hawaii's statewide children's-choice reading program (grades 4-6): students read the annual nominees and vote for their favorite. Winner list verified from the award's published record.
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Common questions
- What grade level is Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days?
- Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days is listed for grades 4–6. It appears on 3 state book-award lists across 3 states, from grade 3 to grade 6. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days?
- It takes about 1h 25m to read Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days (76 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 85 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days?
- Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal, Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award, Hawai'i Nēnē Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days banned in schools?
- Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally. See the banned books list by state.
- What themes does Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days explore?
- Central themes in Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days include humorous stories, behavior, boys, fiction.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 4–6 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 3 states (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.