Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

Lorraine Douglas is the youth services co-ordinator at the Winnipeg
Public Library.

Zoe Bent, who is in Grade 3, is always lying. When she is late for
school and the pledge of allegiance, she makes up a wild story about
meeting a famous movie star. At home, she flushes the principal’s note
to her father down their nuclear toilet. Her father catches her and
explains that when he was a child he made up all sorts of stories. But
at school nobody believes Zoe, even when she is telling the truth. Then
Michael comes to visit her home and realizes that she was telling the
truth about the eagle in her back yard and the nuclear toilet.

Suitable for first-chapter-book readers, this light story is not as
humorous as some of Korman’s novels for older readers, such as Losing
Joe’s Place. Its attractive layout and zany illustrations will please
readers. Little “in-jokes,” like having Nodrog Namrok as a trainer
of Ninjas will also appeal to children who like Manus Pinkwater

and Mordecai Richler’s Jacob-Two-Two series. Recommended.