A Field Guide to Broken Promises - by Leah Stecher (Hardcover)

About the Book

"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?"--

Book Synopsis

In this heartfelt follow-up to her critically acclaimed novel The Things We Miss, 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.

Review Quotes

"Magical and heartbreaking! You will read this book in one gulp." --Jennifer L. Holm, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish

"THE THINGS WE MISS is a remarkable book. It has big questions, hard truths, and powerful magic...and it's also a great story. It is a book that will make you think, a book that will make you feel, a book that will make you cheer, a book that will make you cry, a book that will keep you turning the pages. Do not miss THE THINGS WE MISS." --Dan Gemeinhart, New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Children and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

"This book is both heartbreaking and magical. I couldn't put it down; I had to know the characters I grew to love would be okay." --Stacy McAnulty, author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl and Forever Twelve

"Balancing deeply authentic day-to-day moments with an element of unexpected magic, Leah Stecher offers a thoughtful meditation on how we must choose to live fully in a difficult world, even when it hurts us. This is a book about how friendship binds us to ourselves and reality, and why we fight for it." --Laurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island and My Jasper June

"An emotionally resonant story that deftly blends fantasy and reality. Readers will see themselves in the smart, likable protagonist as she learns to embrace all experiences, even the most challenging." --Barbara Dee, author of Maybe He Just Likes You and Unstuck

""[An] earnest novel peppered with fast-paced mystery elements." --Publishers Weekly

"Friendships are broken and tested as Evie navigates her Jewish heritage, duties as an eldest daughter, and absent parents.... Will resonate with tween readers." --Booklist

About the Author

Leah Stecher was born and raised in Southern California and currently lives in coastal Maine. By day, she edits policy papers for an environmental nonprofit; by night, she writes middle grade fiction. She has strong opinions on tea blends, chocolate chip cookie recipes, and action movies. She is the author of The Things We Miss.
@leahstecher