Book picks similar to
World's Greatest Liar by Barry Hutchison
middle-grade
netgalley
fiction
funny-stories
A Face Like Glass
Frances Hardinge - 2012
They create wines that can remove memories, cheeses that can make you hallucinate and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer even as they slit your throat. The people of Caverna are more ordinary, but for one thing: their faces are as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned. Only the famous Facesmiths can teach a person to show (or fake) joy, despair or fear — at a price.Into this dark and distrustful world comes Neverfell, a little girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. For Neverfell's emotions are as obvious on her face as those of the most skilled Facesmiths, though entirely genuine. And that makes her very dangerous indeed...
Cogheart
Peter Bunzl - 2016
Her father is missing and now silver-eyed men stalk her through the shadows. What could they want from her?With her friends—Robert, the clockmaker’s son, and Malkin, her mechanical fox—Lily is plunged into a murky and menacing world. Too soon Lily realizes that those she holds dear may be the very ones to break her heart...Murder, mayhem and mystery meet in this gripping Victorian adventure.
The Unteachables
Gordon Korman - 2019
Bixby’s Last Day.The Unteachables are a notorious class of misfits, delinquents, and academic train wrecks. Like Aldo, with anger management issues; Parker, who can’t read; Kiana, who doesn’t even belong in the class—or any class; and Elaine (rhymes with pain). The Unteachables have been removed from the student body and isolated in room 117.Their teacher is Mr. Zachary Kermit, the most burned-out teacher in all of Greenwich. He was once a rising star, but his career was shattered by a cheating scandal that still haunts him. After years of phoning it in, he is finally one year away from early retirement. But the superintendent has his own plans to torpedo that idea—and it involves assigning Mr. Kermit to the Unteachables.The Unteachables never thought they’d find a teacher who had a worse attitude than they did. And Mr. Kermit never thought he would actually care about teaching again. Over the course of a school year, though, room 117 will experience mayhem, destruction—and maybe even a shot at redemption.
The Secrets We Keep
Nikki Lee Taylor - 2021
Living and working in isolation with only the company of her dog Miss Molly, Sophie agrees to take on a job reviewing the manuscript of an up-and-coming writer. But this isn’t any story. It is one that unearths old secrets and to discover the truth, Sophie must find the courage to embark on a search that will change her life forever.On the outside, Love Mommy blogging queen Madelyn-May has it all. To her online community she is the perfect mother. She has a successful husband, perfect twins, and an idyllic life. What they don’t know is Madelyn-May also has a secret. When her past collides with the present, Madelyn-May is forced to make a choice that could destroy everything she loves.Would you risk destroying a family, if it meant healing your own heart? Would you tell the truth, if it meant losing everything you love?The Secrets We Keep is a confronting look at the complexities of family and lengths a mother will go to for her child.
The Pudding Problem
Joe Berger - 2017
Most of his lies are harmless; tall tales and the product of an overactive imagination. So when Sam is summoned to explain a strange discovery—a ping-pong ball in a jar of peanut butter—and denies involvement, no one believes him. Then more seemingly unrelated peculiarities emerge, and Sam categorically denies any knowledge of those, too. In between these mysterious accusations, and with evidence mounting against him, Sam ruminates on the different sorts of lies he has told using examples from his past. Meanwhile, two pounds of potatoes wind up in the washing machine. Sam comes to a decision: he decides it is time to come clean about this latest tangled web. He gathers his family to hear the truth. The whole truth. Or is it? Could it be that this final “truth” is, in fact, another lie?
Hamish and the Worldstoppers
Danny Wallace - 2015
if the whole world just stopped? Yes the WHOLE WORLD. Birds in the air. Planes in the sky. And every single person on the planet - except you! Because that's what keeps happening to ten-year-old Hamish Ellerby. And it's being caused by The WorldStoppers and their terrifying friends The Terribles! They have a PLAN! They want to take our world for their own . . . Oh, and they hate children. Especially if you're a child who knows about them. Hang on - You know now, don't you? Oh dear. Can Hamish save us from the WorldStoppers? Only time will tell!
Jennifer Lawrence: Star of the Hunger Games
Katherine E. Krohn - 2012
Fans of The Hunger Games had hotly debated which actors would bring their beloved characters to life in the upcoming movie. The movie's director, Gary Ross, had finally selected the lead character, Katniss. His pick: Jennifer Lawrence. Jennifer started acting professionally in 2004 at age fourteen. But she quickly proved her major talent. For the 2008 movie The Burning Plain, she earned a best new young actress award at the Venice Film Festival. And for her performance in the 2010 movie Winter's Bone, Jennifer received nominations for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. The Hunger Games's author, Suzanne Collins, celebrated the selection of Katniss. "I never thought we'd find somebody this amazing for the role," she said. And Jennifer—who is a huge fan of the books—was thrilled to play such a complex character. Did she pull it off? Fans will be the judge!
The Glass Bird Girl
Esme Kerr - 2014
But what Edie uncovers instead is a dangerous mystery that only the girls themselves can solve.
The Bad Guys: Episodes 1 & 2
Aaron Blabey - 2018
and they even smell like the Bad Guys. But Mr Wolf, Mr Piranha, Mr Snake and Mr Shark are about to change all of that — whether you want them to or not! For the Bad Guys' first good mission, the gang are going to break 200 dogs out of the Maximum Security City Dog Pound!
The Creakers
Tom Fletcher - 2017
Chaos descends as the children in Lucy's town run riot. It's mayhem. It's madness. To most kids, it's amazing!But Lucy wants to find out the truth. Lucy lost her dad not long ago, and she's determined not to lose her mum too. She's going to get her back - and nothing is going to stop her... except maybe the Creakers.
Lavender, Loss & Love at the Villa des Violettes (Villa des Violettes #3)
Patricia Sands - 2020
Ancestry, intrigue, and lessons in friendship are part of the narrative. As summer draws to a close, an urgent call sends Kat and Philippe back to Sainte-Mathilde where the family gathers to support each other in an emergency situation. From the splendor of the lavender season through to the changing landscape of autumn and the festivities of the grape harvest, the Love in Provence characters face challenges, make memories and attempt to maintain their usual joie de vivre!
Click Here to Start
Denis Markell - 2016
So when his great-uncle dies and bequeaths him the all so-called treasure in his overstuffed junk shop of an apartment, Ted explores it like it’s another level to beat. And to his shock, he finds that eccentric Great-Uncle Ted actually has set the place up like a real-life escape-the-room game!Using his specially honed skills, Ted sets off to win the greatest game he’s ever played, with help from his friends Caleb and Isabel. Together they discover that Uncle Ted’s “treasure” might be exactly that—real gold and jewels found by a Japanese American unit that served in World War II. With each puzzle Ted and his friends solve, they get closer to unraveling the mystery—but someone dangerous is hot on their heels, and he’s not about to let them get away with the fortune.
Prisoner of Ice and Snow
Ruth Lauren - 2017
Demidova’s prison for criminal children is exactly where she wants to be. Valor’s sister Sasha is already serving a life sentence for stealing from the royal family and Valor is going to help her escape . . . from the inside.Never mind that no one has escaped in three hundred years. Valor has a plan and resources most could only dream about. But she didn't count on having to outsmart both the guards and her fellow prisoners. If Valor’s plan is to succeed, she’ll need to make unlikely allies. And if the plan fails, she and Sasha could end up with fates worse than prison.
A New Pet in the Family
John H. Carroll - 2011
Aimed for readers age five to ten, Bookata’s books allow the users (parents and children alike) to change in a few minutes the whole content, from illustrations to text.
The Woman, the Mink, the Cod and the Donkey
Margerie Swash - 2021
It's warm and safe in here, which you will have guessed already because it's about a human and three animals. You might not be able to remember the animals or the order they fall within the title, but that doesn't matter. The pictures will remind you that the story is about a woman, a mink, a salmon and a donkey. COD, not salmon, sorry - it's a cod.The woman is embarking on an important journey. She does not know her destination, but she knows what she'll find when she gets there: an open pub. It has been a long time since she has been in one due to a strange, sad region of yester-year called 'Lockdown'. On her travels she bumps into the mink, the cod and a donkey who inexplicably resembles Donald Trump, and together they discuss their most valued life lessons, such as the value of travel insurance, and why it's always important to wear breathable pants.