Reasons I Love Summer Reading: A Guest Post by Gordon Korman
The author of Linked, Ungifted and more is back with another wonderful middle grade adventure in Faker. A story about a young boy on the run with his family of professional grifters and con artists, Faker is a touching tale about honesty and what it means to stand up for the right thing, no matter what. Read on for an exclusive essay from Gordon Korman on his latest novel and what he loves about summer reading.
Hardcover $17.99
Faker
Faker
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Hardcover $17.99
When Gordon Korman puts out a new book, we read it. The author of Mixed Up and Restart takes us on the run with a reluctant boy and his family of con artists.
When Gordon Korman puts out a new book, we read it. The author of Mixed Up and Restart takes us on the run with a reluctant boy and his family of con artists.
One of the reasons I love summer reading is this: It’s a great opportunity to try on a life other than your own and take it out for a test drive. So how about … professional criminal?
Ever since he was little, Trey has known that he’s growing up in a family of con artists. But it’s only lately that he’s coming to understand that he’s his father’s main partner in crime.
The plan usually works something like this: Trey’s dad gets him into a school full of kids with rich parents. Trey makes friends; his father makes connections. Soon, there’s the con, where Trey’s dad suckers the other parents into giving him money for one of his schemes. Once the money’s in the bank, Trey, his sister, and their dad go 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.
Still, Trey’s getting tired of running. And lying. And never having a friend longer than a few months.
Most of all, he’s starting to toy with the idea that their “family business” is just plain wrong. He was born into this lifestyle. It’s all he’s ever known. He’s never considered himself an actual crook … but what else could you call it?
I don’t have a dishonest bone in my body. I speak up when the banker hands me an extra two dollars change playing Monopoly. But as I started writing FAKER, I let myself slide into Trey’s family’s “operations.” And I have to confess: I got hooked. The fake show dog, the peacock eggs in the bathtub, the earthquake insurance, and at last, the incredible scheme that could change everything. Trey’s dad has always talked about the Big Kahuna – that one big score that could make the family rich, once and for all.
On the other hand, Trey’s finally found a town he’d like to settle down in, a school he loves, a friend group he feels like he’s truly a part of. But now that the finish line is so close that they can practically reach out and touch it, can he really ask his father to drop out of the race and go straight?
Writing FAKER was a wild ride – AND I hope it’s also the kind of story that will make readers think: Where are the boundaries between right and wrong when issues like lifestyle and loyalty and survival are thrown into the mix?
How do you get your family to stop lying when your lives depend on it?