Praise for War Stories:
* "This weave of perceptive, well-told tales wears its agenda with unusual grace." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for Restart:
* "A fresh approach to the familiar topic of bullying, kept credible by believable characters and events, with typical Korman humor and just the right touch of mystery." — School Library Journal, starred review
Praise for Slacker:
"Upbeat, inspiring, and full of Korman's signature sense of humor." — Publishers Weekly
"Korman makes comedy look deceptively easy." — Booklist
Praise for Swindle:
"Scary, funny, and hysterical adventures!" — Chicago Tribune
"Pure fun from top to bottom." — School Library Journal
Praise for The Hypnotists:
"Fast-paced... an entertaining mix of intense action and goofy fun." — Publishers Weekly
Praise for Ungifted:
"A gem for readers looking for a book where the underdog comes out on top." — Voice of Youth Advocates
"Funny and insightful." — Publishers Weekly
Praise for Schooled:
* "This rewarding novel features an engaging main character and some memorable moments of comedy, tenderness, and reflection." — Booklist, starred review
12/13/2024
Gr 4–8—Twelve-year-old Trey Whitfield—no, wait, now he's Trey Kirkwood—has a problem. His father's business as a high-rolling con man means that Trey and his younger sister are always one disappearing act away from leaving their newly made friends and home. When the marks start getting suspicious, Trey and his family pull a Houdini, dump their current identities, create new lives, and move on to the next big job. Trey has always been okay with his dad's schemes because they only target the super-rich who will not miss the money anyway. But are all the marks really uber-wealthy? While the ground is being laid for the next con, Trey begins to question his dad and his swindling ways. A teacher helps him think about the ethical issues involved in his family's line of work; isn't what the family does just sophisticated stealing? They are taking the life savings of friends and neighbors who will be destitute. This is a highly readable, slightly dated middle grade book with a predictable ending. Trey is a well-developed character, but most of the secondary characters are flat. The minor love story between Trey and a classmate is very contrived. VERDICT This will be popular with Korman's many fans, but it is not one of his best.—Lisa Crandall
2024-04-05
A con man’s son yearns for a different way of life.
Having helped his single dad fleece wealthy marks since kindergarten, Trey is adept at spotting their rich offspring in each new school he attends and cultivating them until the time comes for a quick getaway. Now that he’s 12, though, the urge to make real friends and put down some roots has become insistent—particularly since he’s drawn to Kaylee, a new classmate in his latest middle school. How can he convince his dad, who’s in the midst of luring local investors into a fantastically lucrative scheme involving a fictive electric car, that it’s time to bag the family profession and settle down? Korman goes more for ironic humor than the physical or stand-up sort in this book, as shown by Trey’s enrollment in an ethics class that forces him into some decidedly hypocritical stances. Much like Trey himself, instant new bestie Logan and his parents turn out to be not at all who they seem. And though there are no bullies or real baddies in the cast on the way to the story’s rosy but implausible resolution, Trey’s malign, high-strung, and wildly reckless huckster of a little sister from hell definitely adds both conflict and suspense to this provocative outing. Main characters read white.
Glitzy glimpses of life on the make, lightened by a focus on alternatives rather than consequences. (Fiction. 9-12)
