Lions & Liars - Paperback

by Kate Beasley (Author), Dan Santat (Illustrator)

Holes meets The Goonies in the highly anticipated second middle-grade novel from the author of Gertie's Leap to Greatness!

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!

Kate Beasley outdoes herself in this hilarious, whip-smart tale of brotherhood, survival, and what it really means to be a friend.

Praise for Lions & Liars:

"Beasley follows her acclaimed debut, Gertie's Leap to Greatness (2016), with a winning story that matches earnestness with humor. . .transformative read." --Booklist, starred review

"Beasley's sophomore novel. . .is chock full of zany, nicknamed characters (Frederick shares a cabin with Nosebleed, Ant Bite, Specs, and the Professor) coming together in a story of friendship among boys. . .A fun coming-of-age romp." --Kirkus Reviews

Author Biography

Kate Beasley holds a master's in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her first novel, Gertie's Leap to Greatness, was a Junior Library Guild selection, an Indies Introduce Selection, and a multi-region Indie Bestseller. The New York Times Book Review called it "breathlessly, effortlessly fun." Kate lives with her family in Claxton, Georgia, with two dogs, one parrot, lots of cows, and a cat named Edgar.