Review by Booklist Review
With his allowance suspended as a result of the antics in Liar Liar (2011), Kevin has to expand his horizons in order to get some pocket money and impress his infatuation, Tina. With the same zealousness he applied to crafting an intricate web of deceit in the first book, he rips through a few business books and sets his sights on nothing short of becoming a mini Trump. A whatchamacallit, a financial empire, was not out of the question if I worked hard enough. He plays his friends and family for all they're worth, skimming a cut off the top and diversifying his portfolio from poker games to dealing caffeine and sugar to stressed-out college kids and emptying neighborhood garages. If the unnamed narrator of Paulsen's Lawn Boy (2007) is the plucky entrepreneur who skyrockets to riches, Kevin is the wannabe mogul who sees an angle a mile away but trips over his own sky's-the-limit aspirations. A glib, quick read to launch a thousand MBAs.--Chipman, Ia. Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-Wildly confident, Kevin is back in Gary Paulsen's humorous follow-up (2011) to Liar, Liar (2011, both Wendy Lamb Books). This time, Kevin has lost his allowance (for all the lies in the first episode) and needs to find a way to raise some funds so he can impress Tina Zabinski, the girl of his dreams. He determines he should become "filthy rich" at the age of 14. However, when his big plans hit even bigger walls, he once again finds himself looking for a way to avoid disaster. Joshua Swanson, who also read the first title, provides another solid performance, pulling readers in with his convincing portrayal of Kevin and his excellent comedic pacing. Those familiar with the first title will applaud this sequel, while those new to the series will want to go back and find out how Kevin got into all of this trouble in the first place.-Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
After his previous comedy of errors (see Liar, Liar, rev. 3/11), middle-school entrepreneur Kevin has had his allowance discontinued as punishment and is now desperate for money -- mostly to impress Tina Zabinski, a girl he can barely talk to but who he's convinced is the love of his life. Kevin sees himself as kingmaker: he'll create projects for others and take a cut of the profits. These include a beauty advice business for his sister, a tutoring venture for a classmate, a catering enterprise with his friends, and a couple of floating poker games where he's the house. Kevin's naive self-confidence more generally reflects that of a younger boy, but his enthusiasm for fame, fortune, and free enterprise is infectious. When Kevin's ventures spiral south, his parents remind him, "Getting out of trouble is a whole lot more of a hassle than staying out of trouble." Yes, but probably not as much fun. This is an undemanding read with a nicely underplayed moral, a solid investment for reluctant readers. betty carter (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A 14-year-old greedily launches himself headlong into the entrepreneurial world, with amusing consequences.In the sequel to Liar, Liar (2011), Kevin's parents have taken away his allowance to punish him for his creative lying. Never impeded by misfortune (or a guilty conscience or the advice of everyone wiser than he), he decides it's a great time to make money. First he provides the perfect venue for poker games, even though some of his hapless player-victims begin to lose more money than they have. With the gambling business running admirably, he starts cleaning neighbors' garages, not worrying that depositing the trash in store Dumpsters is illegal. Then he begins "borrowing" a golf cart to sell cookies and coffee to college students. But he steps on too many people on the way up, inevitably leading to his downfall. Kevin's good-naturedif oversimplifiedview of the world is pretty funny, and while readers will anticipate problems long before he does, it just adds to the fun. Chapter titles taken from a fictitious book on making money"The Successful Person Has Vision That Others Lack," for examplecontrast nicely with the disastrous outcome of Kevin's grandiose plans. That his droll first-person account only lightly sketches other characters hardly matters.A jocular, fast-paced voyage into the sometimes simple but never quiet mind of an ambitious eighth grader. (Fiction. 9-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
