Lions & Liars

Lions & Liars
Kate Beasley
FSG, 2018 288 pages
Grades 4-8
Realistic Fiction/Humor

Frederick Fredrickson is a flea. Well, really he is a boy, but his friends have a theory that some kids on the social ladder are lions, some are gazelles and some, the lowest of the low, are fleas. Tired of being considered a flea, Frederick decides to change. An unfortunate boating incident at a friend's birthday party lands him lost in the woods. His nose leads him to pancakes, which are being prepared for a camp for boys in need of "transforming". Frederick IS in need of transforming and he decides to take the identity of notorious bad-kid, Dashiell Blackwood and joins his new bunkmates in cabin thirteen. The other guys in cabin thirteen immediate accept and respect him and the group becomes a real team. After competing in a few structured activities, the new friends decide to leave camp to go on a cruise (Frederick's idea). This leads to some serious rule breaking, squabbling, and the desertion of one of their numbers, a boy named Ant Bite. Frederick is about to come-clean about his true identity, when danger looms: a hurricane is headed straight towards the Florida camp--and Ant Bite is still missing. It is up to Frederick to find him before it’s too late. But will Ant Bite and the rest of the guys still like him, once they know that he is really a flea?

Kate Beasley's sophomore effort after the popular Gertie's Leap to Greatness, takes her in a very different direction. Similar in theme, yet lighter and less clever than Holes, Lions & Liars will appeal to the same audience. Boys especially will enjoy this story and it is a perfect choice for reluctant readers. Beasley keeps the action moving and throws in interesting and exciting plot points such as the boat catastrophe, the hurricane, escaped zoo animals, and an office break-in. Illustrations, contributed by Caldecott winning artist, Dan Santat, will increase the appeal and the cover is certainly eye-catching. All of the boys have different personalities and distinctive nicknames, making them easy to distinguish from each other. Frederick learns that people aren't simply black and white and can't be put into labeled boxes. We are all a little good and a little bad. Sometimes we are fleas and sometimes we are lions and if you tend to be a flea more often than a lion, it can be okay. Most of all, he learns to accept himself for who he is and discovers the importance and power of friendship. The ending is a bit over-the-top happy and unrealistic, but it will satisfy young readers, which is what matters the most. A sure-fire crowd pleaser.