Faker (Gordon Korman)

 

In the midst of the American election fall out, this has been a really interesting read. With a majority of Americans choosing who they did in the election because he will bring them more money, this book was really timely. 

It was our Grade 3 Book Club read. I felt like it was a little old for our students and too difficult a read for many - but a few enjoyed it. It will make some good discussion questions about honesty and priorities, for sure!

I'm also reading this for my adult Children's Lit Book Club. It will be interesting to compare the discussions!

Book club activity ideas: "

• debate a topic in the book
• p.86 ...Robin Hood. You know, who lived in Sherwood Forest with his band of Merry Men. And they battle the evil Sheriff of Nottingham in the name of King Richard the Lionheart." "Robin Hood was the guy who stole from the rich to give to the poor," I put in
  "Exactly. So I ask you....was Robin Hood a good person?"
  "Of course," Kaylee replies. "He helped the needy. That's charity."
  "Yeah, but he steals," Teresa counters. "That's always wrong."
  "But where's he going to get the money if he doesn't steal it?" Logan argues. "The guy lives in a forest. Like my mom always says, money doesn't grow on trees."
  That gets a few Snickers, but mostly groans.
  "So now you see how complicated ethics can be," Mr. Novak announces. "Giving to the poor - great. Stealing - not so great. Is it ever okay to do something wrong n order to do something right?" 

• p. 100 In social studies, Mr. Novak has divided us up into teams so that we can debate ethical issues. For the first, we watched part of Disney's Aladdin - the scene near the beginning, where Aladdin is caught stealing a loaf of bread. Question: Is the theft justified because, without that food, his family might starve?

Notes (warning....full of spoilers!):

p. 190 I thought I'd sleep better once I learned the identity of I.C.All. Scratch that. Maybe I know more now, but the dilemma is the same. Arianna is just a younger, more extreme version of Dad. Our family is a runaway train chugging relentlessly toward a broken track over a cliff, yet we keep shoveling in more coal because that's all we know how to do.

p. 193 I guess my father is'nt the only con man who always "knows a guy." The Romanox know one too - an art forger, and a pretty good one at that. I think back to the ictures I took of the artwork in Logan's house back on the very first day Mona Lisa wandered up my driveway. Dad's art guy couldn't identify a single piece as fake.

p 206 Listen to yourself! Don't you understand what this means? You're just a kid! You'd be turning yourself into an orphan - a ward of the state for the next six years!"

The fact that he's speaking as my dad rather than a professional con man trying to wriggle out of a tight corner makes this ten times harder for me. But Ican't back down. Somehow I know that if I don't take this escape hatch now, I'll never get out.
...It's worth it. Even if you take away the Houdinis and the moving and the lost friends, it would be worth it to be able to look at myself in the mirror and see an honest face looking back at me."Goodreads says:

The story of a family of liars... and the son who wants to break the family tradition.

Trey knows the routine. His dad gets him into a school full of kids with rich parents. Trey makes friends, and his dad makes connections. Soon, there's the con, where Trey's dad suckers the other parents into investing in one of his schemes. Once the money's in the bank, Trey, his sister, and their dad are on the run... until they set up somewhere else and start again.

Trey believes his father when he says no one's getting hurt. After all, these parents have money to spare.

But Trey's starting to get tired of running... and lying... and never having a friend for longer than a few months. But how do you get your family to stop lying when your lives depend on it?