Publishers Weekly
08/23/2021
In a comically wry narration, Carl Hemesvedt explains that he desperately wants to be “lookatable” to impress classmate Peggy. But this poses a challenge for the cued-white 12-going-on-13-year-old, whose resourceful but mishap-prone single father believes in living off the grid in a “semi-scroungy” trailer in an industrial area, dumpster-diving for food, and bartering labor for clothes at garage sales. When Carl discovers a puppy-training pamphlet in a marked-down bag of food for the family’s pit bull rescue, he tries applying its tenet of positive reinforcement to persuade his father to adopt more socially acceptable habits, also enlisting the help of garrulous best friend Pooder. Newbery Honoree Paulsen, renowned for his tales of survival, revisits the humor and hijinks found in his Liar, Liar series. Carl’s hang-dog descriptions of having to wear pink overalls and ride an “original creation” bike are funny and endearing, and eternal optimist Pooder is the perfect sidekick to perpetually resigned Carl. And underneath the training mishaps is a sweet story about a kid who figures out that his life—and his dad—may not be so bad after all. Ages 10–14. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Breezy and light, with a grounding touch of tenderness, this is both an entertaining solo read and a solid suggestion for family sharing.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
“Newbery Honoree Paulsen, renowned for his tales of survival, revisits the humor and hijinks found in his Liar, Liar series. Carl’s hang-dog descriptions of having to wear pink overalls and ride an ‘original creation’ bike are funny and endearing, and eternal optimist Pooder is the perfect sidekick to perpetually resigned Carl." —Publishers Weekly
“A comical take on the value of ‘positive reinforcement’ that's as perceptive as it is playful.” —Booklist
“The tall-tale, anecdotal quality of Carl’s story is entertaining with its recitation of disastrous, smelly, embarrassing, dangerous, and misguided moments . . . Funny, sure-handed, wise.” —Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
2021-08-31
Carl tries to change his father’s frugal behavior over the course of a summer.
Narrator Carl, 12, believes that his problem is his relentlessly optimistic, handy dad, who sees their life in a small trailer with pigs (fed partly from dumpster forays), chickens, and a garden as rich and full. But Carl’s heart has been captured from afar, and he believes that being noticed will take an improved kind of being “lookatable.” Carl’s father regards money as stored human energy (and therefore sees energy as a kind of currency)—he “leans well into the concept of being practical and has never been one to honor the cosmetic side of things” and is an accomplished barterer who can’t pass up a garage sale. Carl’s pink, feminine overalls come from a garage sale, and his too-small underwear hails from another bargain source. Carl’s garrulous, singularly imaginative sidekick Pooder (he “has made tangents an art form”) offers color commentary, advice, comic relief, and perspective by turns. Carl takes inspiration from a pamphlet on puppy training in his plan to reward good behavior and ignore less desirable (as in dumpster diving for shoes) in his dad. The tall-tale, anecdotal quality of Carl’s story is entertaining with its recitation of disastrous, smelly, embarrassing, dangerous, and misguided moments. Both father and son turn out to be likable heroes. Characters are assumed White.
Funny, sure-handed, wise. (Fiction. 10-14)
