Faker

Grade seven student Trey, his sister Arianna, and their father live a life on the run, moving from one town to the next to ingratiate themselves with rich locals and swindle them out of their money in one scheme after the next. Moving to Boxelder, Tennessee, they concoct a scheme to sell shares in an up and coming electric car company, disguising a Tesla in a futuristic body as a prototype. But Trey’s doubts about their chosen way of life keep adding up, from his involvement with Kaylee, who is leading a protest to protect a polluted local pond (the site of the fictional car factory), his class on ethics with teacher Mr. Novak, his friendship with neighbor Logan, and mysterious messages from someone who seems to know that the whole thing is a fraud. When Logan disappears after telling Trey that his family, too, are fraudsters (selling fake art), Trey tells his father the FBI are investigating the Logans’ house and their own operation may be in danger. He also refuses to leave with the family until they put things right. Concerned for his family, his father agrees to reimburse the local investors and use the profits to finance a cleanup of the pond.

Faker is classic Korman—an unlikely series of harebrained schemes that manage to showcase the authentic voices and believable behaviors of modern young people. Trey’s voice is full of the excitement, regret, and longing to belong that the story needs. His fleeting friendships on the run are both typical and tragic, and his concerns run from wanting to just have fun to wanting to preserve his family intact, from yearning to be a full partner in the family “business” to doubting that it is victimless, from jealousy of his sister to a sincere desire to help Kaylee’s cause. The plot is relentlessly structured to keep the reader’s interest, with intriguing clues all adding up to the climax, such as the constant presence of a cable TV van on the street (the FBI investigators). In the end, the entire thing is a highly entertaining little morality play, the edges softened by adventure and typical middle-school fun, with a conclusion that is both positive and satisfyingly imperfect: Trey’s dad continues to dream about new schemes even as he takes up a real job in Boxelder. A perfect book that makes you think while enjoying the ride.