Liar, Liar: The Theory, Practice and Destructive Properties of Deception by Gary Paulsen
Reviewed by CindyRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Language: “Hell” as a place was used a couple of times. Diety was referenced once. There is mention of a girl using “curse bombs”. Someone “flipped the bird”. There were some crude words and name calling such as, crap, butt, turd, skanky, monkey butt, moron, booger and farts.
Sexual Content: Kevin sees a cute girl which causes his body to do “stuff that marks the moment a male’s physical maturation begins”. He was, “never so glad to be carrying a math book”. Kevin reads Lady Chatterley’s Lover because he hopes to “find the sex parts” (which he doesn’t find).
Adult Themes: Kevin tries to use lying to his advantage. His parents work a lot, and he hardly ever sees his dad. His family has grown distant and will require counseling. The neighbors next door are getting a divorce which will impact their four-year-old son.
Synopsis:
Fourteen-year-old Kevin has discovered he has quite a talent for lying and manipulating situations to his advantage. He decides to put his skills to the test in order to impress a girl he can’t stop thinking about. All is going well until he begins to see the mess he has created. Kevin must learn to make amends for his misdeeds and accept the consequences of his behavior. Through this experience he discovers what really matters most…people.
This story illustrates the consequences of lying and deceiving others. Lying and deceiving are fairly well accepted in the world today, but the fact remains that people get hurt by dishonesty. I was glad to read a book on this subject. I liked this quote from Kevin, “I don’t know why the popular phrase is truth or consequences, when it’s really more like lies and repercussions”. This book is recommended for a reading level of ages 9 to 12, but I think you need to at least be in middle school to fully appreciate it. I would recommend it for 6th grade and up.