Liar, Liar

"If you ask me, people who say honesty is the best policy are just terrible liars."

"Kevin has a big talent. Some might call it compulsive lying. He calls it common sense. Kev doesn't mean to cause trouble by lying all the time; he's just trying to make everything easier for everyone (and himself). And, of course, a few harmless, um, falsehoods are crucial to his plan to convince Tina that he's the perfect boyfriend for her."

In Gary Paulsen's new book, Kevin is a fourteen-year-old who is determined to become the boyfriend of Katrina Marina Zabinski (kah-TREE-nah mah-REE-nah zah-BIN-skee). Even her name sounds like music to Kevin's ears. Kevin devotes most of one week spinning lie after lie in order to move closer to Kevin-meets-Tina status.

However, as the week continues, things begin to unravel both at school and at home. Kevin's lies eventually get the better of him; Kevin needs to make amends and make them fast!

Can Kevin apologize to everyone harmed by his lies? Will everyone accept his apologies? Will Kevin learn any life lessons along the way?

In Liar, Liar, Gary Paulsen has written a book reminiscent of The Amazing Life of Birds (The Twenty-Day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leach). See my review HERE. Both books are full of middle grade boy humor. Really. They. Are. Perfect for mature sixth graders and older middle school readers.

If Liar, Liar meets the bill, make sure to check out the companion book coming out in July called Flat Broke. Kevin is "back for another round of mayhem and misunderstandings in this financial comedy of errors."

Happy Reading!
Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Lawn Boy Returns

Happy Summer! There is no better way to start my summer reading! My first book this summer is Gary Paulsen's sequel to Lawn Boy...Lawn Boy Returns.

"The summer I was twelve, mowing lawns with Grandpa's old riding mower turned into big business. With advice from Arnold the stockbroker, I learned all about making money.

Six weeks and hundreds of thousands of dollars later, life got more complicated. You see, the prizefighter I sponsor, Joey Pow, won a big fight. And a TV interview made me famous. As Arnold says, "Capitalism plus publicity equals monster commerce." Even my best friends wanted a piece of the action. Meanwhile, some scary guys showed up at Joey's gym..."

Lawn Boy is a success! His business is growing and that creates a whole new set of problems for this twelve-year-old entrepreneur. Will Lawn Boy get control of his business empire or will it be the ruin of a young boy?

If you enjoyed Lawn Boy, you just can't pass up this short 101 page follow-up!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. T

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!

Woods Runner

My mind is still reeling from this book. My breath is shallow, and I feel as though every sense in me is heightened. I am wired. I have just finished reading Gary Paulsen's new book Woods Runner. It has been a while since I have read a book so real, so heartbreaking, so disturbing. I have chosen to post the following blurb from Amazon as I tried and tried myself to put words to this story. However, I either found myself at a loss for words--still feeling the story--or found myself wanting to tell you the entire story of Samuel.

"Samuel, 13, spends his days in the forest, hunting for food for his family. He has grown up on the frontier of a British colony, America. Far from any town, or news of the war against the King that American patriots have begun near Boston.

But the war comes to them. British soldiers and Iroquois attack. Samuel’s parents are taken away, prisoners. Samuel follows, hiding, moving silently, determined to find a way to rescue them. Each day he confronts the enemy, and the tragedy and horror of this war. But he also discovers allies, men and women working secretly for the patriot cause. And he learns that he must go deep into enemy territory to find his parents: all the way to the British headquarters, New York City."

I was enthralled by Samuel's story. I could not put this book down even for a second! I know that this book will be loved by readers who like the outdoors, who like to hunt, who have knowledge of firearms, who have an interest in historical fiction and war stories.

Gary Paulsen writes this novel alternating the fiction with historical segments that he feels are essential for the reader to know. For example, before the chapter when Samuel's family is visited by a man carrying a slip of paper with news about the war, Paulsen gives a page of information about 'Communication' in the year of 1776. There are other historical segments such as 'Frontier Life', 'Weapons', 'War Orphans', and 'Civilian Intelligence'.

Don't pass this one up if you are looking for a riveting book that will keep you turning the pages and which will most certainly leave you haunted with the horrific realities of war.

Happy Reading!

Mrs. T :)

P.S. Reading is like breathing chocolate air!