Lions and Liars

by Kate Beasley, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

Frederick Frederickson has a food-chain theory about life. There are lions, like the school bully. Gazelles, like the bullied kids. There are meerkats, and the fleas that live on the butts of meerkats. Frederick's a flea.

Fifth grade is off to a terrible start when Frederick is sent to a disciplinary camp for troublesome boys. His fellow troop mates—Nosebleed, Specs, The Professor, and little-yet-lethal Ant Bite—are terrifying. But in between trust-building exercises and midnight escape attempts, a tenuous friendship grows between them. Which is lucky, because a Category 5 hurricane is coming and everyone will have to work together—lions and fleas alike—to survive!

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Adventure, Friendship, Humor, Fiction, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

First published June 5, 2018

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

10-year-old Frederick likes hanging out with Raj and Joel, but lately, he's been doubting whether they've ever truly been his friends. Sometimes, Joel and Raj make Frederick feel like he's a loser, who could blame Freddie for not wanting to be referred to as a "flea on a meerkats butt?" Just once he'd like to excel at something, even if it's just a stupid dodgeball game with Devin. Unfortunately, things don't go as expected when he takes a ball to the face. To make matter's worse, Fredrick's annual Labor Day vacation, a family cruise, has been canceled on account of Hurricane Hernando. With nothing better to do, Frederick begrudgingly goes to Joel's birthday party, where Joel teases him by offering his dad's motorboat to Frederick as his next cruise ship. Having had enough of Joel's antics, Freddie hops in the boat and pretends to take off. Freddie's prank goes a bit too far when he loses the motorboat engine and oars has to fend off an alligator and then drifts away only to land at camp Omigoshee, a transformative camp for boys.

Lions and Liars has been described as Holes meets The Goonies, I quite like the comparison it drew me to want to read the story. Plus that cover, no way could I pass this up. Yet, I 'd take the counselor's at Omigoshee over Camp Green Lake any day. A lot less work and no digging holes. Well there is swimming and rope climbing, and both head counselors seem to emphasize character and discipline, but at least their methods are different. Frederick is pretty much a lonely but good kid who follows the rules and listens to his teachers. Which makes the story quite amusing when he lands at a camp whose main mission is to transform "bad boys," a fact that Freddie somehow overlooked while he was busy eating pancakes. The first person Freddie encounters while at camp is Benjamin, a counselor who assumes Frederick is Dashiell "Dash" Blackwood, a missing camper. Dash seems to have a troubling past and most of the other campers fear him based purely on him being notoriously bad. Ben's mistake gives Freddie the perfect place to hideout until the trouble awaiting him back home blows over, and gives him an opportunity to reinvent himself as Dash. Freddie doesn't mind his recent popularity and gets along well enough with his cabin mates Nosebleed, Ant Bite, The Professor, and Specs, that is until the real Dash shows up.

I really liked Freddie, what he wants most is to have friends who want to hang out with him, who'd call him over to sit with them at lunch. Freddie's shortfall is that he makes a lot of assumptions about the other boys, that somehow he is the good person among all the bad. A "minnow amongst sharks." He's not the kind of kid who would get into trouble by breaking into the head counselor's office, he thinks that's something only kids like Ant Bite would do. What he comes to eventually realize is that there is the potential for good and bad in everyone, and he never anticipated that he would be the one treating his new friends the same way that his friends back home treated him. The difference now is that Freddie knows the importance of saying you're sorry and asking his friends for forgiveness. Overall, this is a delightful story with a lovely message that with true friends you don't need to prove your worth. I really enjoyed this great bunch of boys with their amusing nicknames, they're so entertaining, diverse and unique. I really wish my review copy had the finished illustrations by Dan Santat, but I will be looking for Lions and Liars after it releases to check them out.

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, 3⭐s for the first half and 4⭐s for the second half. Frederick finds himself at a disciplinary camp after a boating mishap leaves him stranded. Being mistaken for a late camper, Frederick becomes Dash, a late camper with a reputation of epic proportions. Can Frederick live up to the legendary Dash's antics? Can he survive the other campers and an impending hurricane when he finds himself left behind at camp with Ant Bite?
Starting out with one unfortunate situation after another, this story deserved a happy ending. If you like the 'slightly' unbelievable, adventure/survival stories and stories with happy endings, give this a try.

[orangerful · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a ridiculously fun book and probably one I will recommend to 4th-5th grade boys. Gotta suspend that adult part of your brain that knows no kid could just randomly show up at a weekend camp and just pretend to be another kid. LOL. But otherwise, this misadventures of Frederick Frederickson were a quick read and I think the moral of the story, which is mostly about introspection and friendship, work well, without being preachy.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, the first draw to this book is the amazing cover... it is so adorable.

The second thing that drew me to the book was the life lesson that life is unpredictable and worth living no matter where you fall on the food chain. It takes a few hard knocks to teach that lesson to Fredrick "the flea," but he has a whole summer to learn it with the help of his newfound friends at a disciplinary camp when a hurricane hits.

This book, while a bit long is great for middle schoolers, especially boys who are neglected so often in kid lit. I can't wait to give this book to my grandson when he gets a bit older.. he is definitely Dash.

What fun, what excitement, what adventures... what a great book!

5 Stars for Fredrick and Kate Beasley!

Happy Reading!

[Mary Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shh...don't tell the boys that they finally have a book that's about the dynamics of (boy) friendships and the search for (boy) identity. All they need to know is that it's about a kid who wants to be a little less like a flea on a meerkat's butt and a little more like a lion. Or you can tell them that this is a story about a kid who makes a series of really stupid mistakes, finds himself in a weekend disciplinary camp under a false identity, and survives a category 5 hurricane.

[EJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun adventure-style coming of age book underscored by some excellent comedic moments and some tense underlying issues about race and what the world sees when they look at 'troubled boys' and the assumptions they make because of it. Geared toward younger readers, but an enjoyable book for readers of all ages. Will definitely be recommending for purchase!

[Kenya | Reviews May Vary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade book about a boy who is showing off and accidentally ends up in a disciplinary camp testing out his friends theories about how people fit together like the animal kingdom does. A good story about friendship and giving people a chance to surprise you.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! A fun story about Frederick Frederickson who is trying to find his place in his friendship group. He feels like a loser and those around him certainly don’t make him feel any better! In an odd series of events he ends up at a camp for troubled boys mistaken for a boy with a less than stellar reputation. He is finally finding his way and making friends when his cover is blown and a hurricane blows in. His hopes of returning home are drowning with the rising waters! A fun adventure with laugh out loud humor and great messages about true friendship. Loved it!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing in this book is beautiful! Lots to pull from as a mentor text, and the story made me smile and laugh. I’ll definitely be using this as a read aloud this year!

[DaNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always nice to get to cruise.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this in a list of books like "Holes" and I fully agree. Fredrick Fredrickson ends up in a case of mistaken identity that lands him in a summer camp for delinquent boys. It's a humorous story appropriate for kids ages 8-12. I thought it was fun but honestly I wouldn't be too surprised if I completely forget about it by the end of the year.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute 4-5th grade novel about your place in life. Are you a lion, or a flea on the butt of a prey animal.
Frederick\Dash ends up being both, but how you act matters more then your place on the food chain.

I felt the book went a little long, but loved the Dan Santat illustrations.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first sentence reels in any third or fourth grader, then the situational humor and witty word play keeps them there. I can see this being a smart choice to push toward a more, er, reluctant reader at the beginning of the year in my fourth grade classroom. The swift action, relatable characters, aha moments (shout out to Notice and Note fans) and cleverness of some of the conversations ‘Dash’ has would make a reader trust that there are more books like this one waiting in the wings. And that’s what we want to do as reading teachers: set ‘em up and reel ‘em in.

Side note: I’m always interested as an adult reader of middle grade fare when the author chooses to use popular terms or stores in the storyline. Is this a wise choice or a short sighted one?

Thanks to Netgalley for the sneak peek of Lions and Liars...out today!

*what do lions have to do with a boy who feels insignificant, a camp for transforming boys, a category five hurricane, and a kid whose nose bleeds easily? Yeah, that’s what I was wondering. Read the book and find out! 😉

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t love this as much as I wanted to, but I still enjoyed the story. This will be a good recommendation for some of my students, especially the boys, looking for realistic fiction. It’s not overly funny, but definitely a humorous story that reminded me just a tiny bit of Holes😊

[Amanda Workman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stick with this one...it is definitely a book for those kids who love Holes or need the next thing after Diary of a Wimpy Kid. But like The DOWK main character you don’t actually like Frederick/ Dash. But you do grow along with him.
Interesting read aloud for grades 4-5.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frederick just wants to be popular and important. I think many 5th grade students feel like Frederick, but Frederick takes this position to the extreme in this novel. This novel is funny and yet it is serious in sections, as Frederick comes to understand life and who he is.

When his family’s vacation plans get cancelled, Frederick feels as if the world is coming to an end. No longer able to be pampered on a cruise, Frederick attends his friend’s birthday party where a surprise is waiting for him. A humorous gift is presented to Frederick which was supposed to create playfulness and laughter amongst the friends but instead it generates bitterness and friction. Frederick takes his gift, leaving his friends behind, as he tries to make a point with his friends. I soon realize that Frederick is the last person who should be left alone with such a gift but as I laugh my way through this section.

Frederick later finds himself at a camp. This could be his saving grace, as no one knows him but the campers think he is Dash, a boy who was signed up for this camp experience. Frederick accepts this boy’s identity and he is immediately welcomed with open-arms by the other male campers. Dash’s reputation is well-known and now Frederick is popular and he is relishing in the attention of the other campers.

I thought it was funny how Frederick just assumes Dash’s identity without knowing anything about him. The immediate transformation of Frederick was crazy, as he instantly began to shine and I could almost see him walking around with his head up. Frederick thought life would be great when he would become popular and well-liked but when he finally achieves this, he soon realizes other things occur in his life, that need to be addressed. Life does not stand still.

I liked this novel as I felt it addressed some real-life issues that kids face and I liked the way it handled them. I really enjoyed the cast of characters, they were fun and made the book interesting. I think this novel is great for boys and girls and would be a great read aloud. I highly recommend this novel.

[Shaye Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifth-grader Frederick Frederickson is having a rough time. He’s beginning to question his friendships — whether his friends are who he thinks they are, or if they even like him at all. One day, in frustration, he climbs into his friend’s boat with a storm quickly approaching. He intended to just scare his friend by unlatching his boat from the dock, but his plan backfires and his boat is sent bobbing downstream, landing miles away where he discovers Camp Omigoshee, a program created for troubled boys. If things weren’t crazy already, it gets even wilder when the counselors and campers believe him to be the famous Dashiell — a young boy rumored to be scarier than all the other troubled campers combined. This is a funny, but meaningful story about finding your clan and being a true friend, even when faced with crisis. Its “feel good” ending will leave young readers smiling. For this and more #kidlit, #mglit, and #yalit book reviews, please visit my blog: The Miller Memo.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with excellent illustrations aimed at the 4th-6th grade reader of realistic fiction with a bit of humor who can handle nearly 300 pages on an upper 4th grade AR reading level. Frederick Frederickson is a flea in a jungle-themed food chain of middle school, but when a boating mishap lands him in a weekend camp for troubled boys, he is handed a new identity and the opportunity to be a lion in that same food chain. Kate Beasley (Gertie’s Leap to Greatness) peppers the tough, “transformational” camp with funny scenarios and diverse campers and, by the end, leaves readers with lessons on honesty, finding and being a friend, handling difficult life events, and being a team player. Dan Santat of Sidekicks, Are We There Yet and more, does the too infrequent, fabulous, black/white sketch style illustrations that add the perfect touch to the text. I happily promote this Junior Library Guild choice in my 5th grade library and if the budget allows, will also place it at my 4th grade campus library as well. No notes on profanity, violence or sexual content needed on this one.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lions and Liars by Kate Beasley, 288 pages. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2018. $16.

Content: G

BUYING RECOMMENDATION: EL - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Frederick has always been a flea in the school hierarchy - never a gazelle, and certainly never a lion. Then comes the day Frederick finds himself floating down a river adrift; when he lands he is mistaken for a camper at a disciplinary camp -- and not just any camper, but a camper who already has a reputation. As Frederick discovers what it is like to be treated like a lion, he also tries to reach out to the other campers in his group. When the hurricane rolls through, things are bound to get interesting.

I wish there had been more hurricane. And more of all of the boys together during the hurricane. I felt a bit underwhelmed by the development of the relationships. I was hoping for something more like Lubar’s Hidden Talents.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover art by "Caldecott Medal winning" illustrator Dan Santat is not enough to make this more than an adequate book.
There are more illustrations inside, but don't let the credit fool you into thinking this is a graphic novel, or even a multi-illustrated "Wimpy Ki" sort of work.
I'd hand this to a kid who hasn't yet read Holes. Beasley doesn't have Louis Sachar's gift for creating over the top situations and characters, and somehow making them believable, but this is an adequate book, and an easier read.

[Library Lady 📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I listened to this with my son. It was cute. The MC could be incredibly frustrating, as you waited for him to stand up for himself. But I liked how in the end, the author didn't really make him change. He didn't turn into a lion. He remained a flea, and that's okay. Not everyone is a lion. Some of us are fleas. I think that's a good message for kids.

The story had some good moments, and the side characters are fun as you get to know them and their stories unfold. Not a bad book for kids.

[Edwin Loeza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very interesting book this book is about a Boy named Fredrick and how he thinks that the bully's in his school are just like lions cruel and not nice.His trouble started off when he was send to a disciplinary camp for not well be heaved kids and so when he was there he was being bullied by the kids in the camp.So then he wanted to escape because he thought that the treatment he was receiving in the camp was not OK because the kids bullied him for no reason.

[Jenn Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story about accepting who you are and how difficult that is when you are little. It also has mischief and adventure as Fredrick Fredrickson tries to find a way to fit in. With the ARC digital copy (Thanks, NetGalley!) I missed out on Dan Santat's illustrations. Boo. I have to wait until we get a copy at our library.

[Melinda Bender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frederick finds himself known as a flea among the lions and gazelles according to the other boys. Accidentally he finds himself at a disciplinary camp where no one knows him and no one knows him as a “flea”. Things start to change dramatically and the adventures begin. This story shows you can reinvent yourself anytime and not let others define who you are. Great book especially boys.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like most of the fitting in/friend stories feature girls, so it was great to see one with a boy wondering about what friendship really was, how to be a friend, and who his friends really were. Plenty of action including dodgeball and a hurricane. Recommended for grades 3 & up.

[Wendy MacKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delight

[Chelsea Bashore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this would make a great read aloud for my middle schoolers.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this book doesn't make you long for a vacation or understand its appeal, then nothing will. Ten-year-old Frederick Frederickson lives for his family vacation every year since they usually go on a cruise and he can leave his cares behind him. While his concerns might pale next to those of many youngsters, he's starting to realize that he may not amount to much. When his friend, Joel, espouses his theory that the world consists of winners and losers, and Frederick is one of the losers, the boy becomes furious but also concerned that there may be some truth to Joel's theory. After all, it seems that students like Devin Goodyear, the boy who's always bullying him and others, simply exude leadership, and good things come their way. When the threat of a Category 5 hurricane causes the family vacation to be cancelled, Frederick succumbs to Joel's teasing and ends up in his friend's father's boat. The boat strands him at a camp for boys with discipline problems. He is mistaken for another boy with a fierce reputation. At first he plays along, but eventually it is clear that he is no bad boy. Still, some of the campers seem to like him and enjoy hearing about what life is like aboard a cruise ship. He even manages to do well at the dreaded dodge ball. As the hurricane causes the camp to be evacuated, he and Ant Bite, another camper, are left behind. There are several touching moments in this book as well as plenty of passages that made me laugh quite a lot. The text and illustrations capture what such a camp might be like and gently poke fun at some of the techniques intended to "transform" these boys. As for Frederick? He realizes that his assumptions about his fellow bad boys are completely wrong and that he does have the makings of a hero under the right circumstances. This one is a solid independent reading selection or a read aloud for sharing with students who are typically disinterested in reading.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very cute and funny. It was pretty much the same thing as Holes, but still funny enough and clever enough to keep me reading. I disagreed with a lot of what our point was. Frederick's whole journey was to become popular, and instead of learning the shallowness of popularity, he leans he just needed to hang out with the right people.

We seriously confuse this idea of a "good person." Is everyone a good person, except for Dash, because of reasons. Is everyone a bad person because they make mistakes. It kind of dissolves into a "I'm a good person because of my reasons, and you're a bad person because of my reasons." Everyone is a good person, YIPPEE!

It got a little outlandish during the climax, and I struggle with the inept adults, but I've seen far, far, worse.

A three-day disciplinary camp that isn't really for disciplinary kids, takes place after school has already started, and doesn't teach anything but instead lets the kids swim and play games. There isn't even repercussions after the kids destroy the cars. There is no reason, or means, for these kids to transform. They literally just got a sweet three-day camping trip as punishment, but, of course, none of them did anything to deserve punishment . . . then why are they in a disciplinary camp . . . Did our author consider any of these problems?

This book was pretty good, but I'm not sure there is enough here to be any more than another pretty good book for middle school kids. Holes did it first, and does it better.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those middle-grade books with an episodic, slapstick plot--the type that really follows no logic whatsoever, but you don't really care because you're rooting for the characters to get through it.

Frederick Frederickson really wants to go on a cruise. It's, like, his thing. But his family has to cancel their vacation plans due to a hurricane, and he's stuck as home being a "flea" ignored by all the "lions" and other more majestic animals of the middle-school kingdom.Instead of tolerating the constant ribbing by his friends, Frederick takes matters into his own hands and takes his friend's dad's boat out onto the river only to lose the motor and get carried away on the current right to the banks of a boys detention camp where he is supposed to be "transformed" into a good boy during a weekend of team building activities in the wilderness. He's somehow mistaken for a delinquent named Dash and gets put into Cabin 13 where he has madcap adventures with his new cabin mates that may or may not involve dodgeball games, running away from camp, getting caught in a hurricane, and facing off against some real animals accidentally released from the zoo.

My one qualm about the book is that Dan Santat's awesome cover art makes it seem like you're going to get a racially diverse cast of characters, but they're all written as presumed white--the main character is definitely white, and no one else is really given any other identifiers that would make you think they aren't white, too. Seems like a real miss to me.