Perry Homer Ruins Everything

by Beth Vrabel

A boy and his con artist family’s rascally ways keep them on a never-ending vacation full of rip-offs and schemes, leaving him to wonder if it’s too late to change his fate in this funny, hijinks-filled middle grade romp.

Perry Homer is bad news, just like the rest of his troublemaking family. His parents skip out on restaurant bills. Uncle Manny uses his legal training to get free stuff. Perry’s cousins use their coding skills to scam people. On a disastrous vacation to Lindsborg, “the nicest town in America,” Perry’s siblings steal their new favorite toys from local businesses and set the town’s whimsical Swedish decorations ablaze. The Homers are worthy of the nickname the local news gives them—the Bad Family—and they’re having a blast.

Perry thinks he could be good. His favorite teacher, Miss Penelope, recommended him for a scholarship at the prestigious Ithaca School, and it’s his chance to change things. He just has to get home from Lindsborg and show up for the interview.

Still, that’s easier said than done. After the Homers get kicked off their plane, Perry comes up with one last scheme to keep them pointed toward home. But can Perry really make it to Ithaca—or is it his fate to ruin everything?

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Humor

304 pages, Hardcover

Published June 18, 2024

About the author

Beth Vrabel is the author of Cyblis-nominated Caleb and Kit, ILA award-winning A Blind Guide to Stinkville, JLG-selection A Blind Guide to Normal, and The Reckless Club and Pack of Dorks series. She can't clap to the beat nor be trusted near Nutella. Beth loves traveling around the country to meet with young readers and writers, sharing a message of grit, resiliency and heart.

Reviews

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Perry Homer DOESN'T really ruin everything... but his family does a good job at it. His parents, his dishonest lawyer Uncle Manny, his triplet cousins, his siblings Riley and Pauley-- they are all willing to take advantage of any situation, no matter how it impacts others. Recently, Manny won a trip to Lindsborg, Kansas, where various members of the Homer clan set fire to things and generally left havoc in their wake. Perry thinks he will finally get home to Pittsburgh, where he will reunite with his favorite teacher, Miss Penelope, and attend an interview at the Ithaca School for Scholars in New York. This, he thinks, could change his life. Instead, the family is thrown off the plane and placed on a "no fly" list. Struggling for money, the group pulls a scam in a local pawnshop, tricking the owner, Seamus Neptune, into giving them $9,000 for a worthless 1944 wheat penny. Manny has to gloat, so Seamus vows to get even with the family. They take off, spend some time in a luxury hotel, go to a carnival, and buy a run down van off of two older artists. Perry thinks they will now head home, but when he wakes up after a snooze, is horrified to find that they are in Florida. The father wants everyone to see the ocean, and while Perry is impressed, he still doesn't want to let Miss Penelope down. We do learn that part of the family's motivation for their peripatetic lifestyle is that the mother battled cancer when Perry was nine, and we get inklings that perhaps this has returned. With Seamus Neptune hot on their trail, problems with the van, and frequent bulletins on the news alerting everyone to a large reward for turning in the "Bad Family", the group ends up at a campground in the woods, and then at Cindy's Cat Sanctuary. Cindy is an irascible and bitter woman who runs a rescue for large cats, having battled for laws that deny (and rightly so) most people the opportunity to own these animals. The Homers settle in fairly well, with the mother cooking (all while usually wearing the unnamed youngest Homer in a front pack; the baby makes frequent appearances), the father helping out, and Home and the triplets doing chores. With a little time to think, and a feeling of helplessness about his trip to Ithaca, Perry goes over his list of people he has hurt, and tries to call a number of them to apologize, with Cindy's support. When Seamus Neptune closes in on the family and their landlord in Pittsburgh is on the news saying they will be evicted, will they be able to wiggle their way out of the charges against them and forge a new life in Florida? And will Perry be able to attend the Ithaca School, where Miss Penelope will be a teacher?
Strengths: Fans of Kinney's The Long Haul and The Getaway will enjoy the Homer's frenetic travels and the highjinks in which they find themselves embroiled. Perry is a much more developed and likeable character than Greg Heffley, and his desire to please his teacher and to be able to have a life where he wakes up in the same bed every day is palpable. He does a good job trying to take care of younger siblings, and he clearly cares about his parents, even though they constantly thwart his desire to make something of his life. The slow reveal of the mother's cancer struggle help the reader to understand why the Homers have chosen the road less traveled. This is generally upbeat and positive, and ends on a fairly happy note, making it stand out from most of middle grade literature. I also appreciated that Perry is heading into high school, since middle grade readers would much rather read about older characters, but can't really turn to the Young Adult books of 2024, which are very mature.
Weaknesses: There is a LOT going on in this book. Vrabel manages to structure this in a way that makes sense, and Perry's desire to get back home provides a connecting thread to all of their adventures, but some inclusions, like one of the cousins deciding to join an Amish community, could have been left out in order to streamline the plot. It bothered me more than it should have that the baby didn't have a name, but this does speak to the turmoil and uncertainty in the family's life.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoy characters who have to deal with difficult families, like Korman's July 2024 Faker or Schreiber's 2015 Con Academy. We could really use a lot more books in middle grade about well meaning grifters, I think. Tweens are perfect for the role of "con man with a heart of gold".

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a summary surprisingly similar to another mid 2024 release, Gordon Korman’s Faker, I was uncertain how Perry’s story would line up with Trey’s but with so many terrific books already under Beth Vrabel’s belt, I shouldn’t have worried. Both con artist/traveler/grifter families are out to get something for nothing, both main characters want something different for themselves and schools feature in each but the way those parts fit together is very different and the end results are equally satisfying. Perry’s family turned “bad” when everything fell apart after his mom’s battle against cancer, however, that catalyst is not made clear until well after readers are likely to dislike dad, mom, and Uncle Manny’s for their conniving and cheating and feel indignant on behalf of the teenage twins, 13 yr old Perry, 10 year old voluntarily mute Riley, spunky 7ish Pauly and the baby that they couldn’t be bothered to name! Some of the family cons are humorous, some unbelievable and others straight out of the news but between all the places they visit and the sneakiness done, the entertainment level is high. Added bonus at the Homers’ final destination is solid information about animal rescue and big cats, in particular. Other readalikes besides Korman’s Faker, either due to travels or terminal illness would include Far From Fair (Elana Arnold), Clean Getaway (Nic Stone), Wrong Way Summer (Heidi Lang) and both Coyote Sunrise books (Dan Gemeinhart) Text is free of sexual content and violence and while the text states or implies that a character or two might use some “vulgarity,” none is actually written out.

Thanks for an eARC, NetGalley.

[Kelly Farnsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always been a fan of Beth Vrabel’s books and have truly enjoyed all of them. I was surprised to learn that I had missed this one being published. The story is about Perry who is trying to escape his family’s bad reputation and to show that he himself can be good despite all the pullback from his family. As his family takes an escape from life and goes on a road trip, his goal is to still make it back in time for his interview and to be accepted in to the school and make a new and better life for himself. The story follows a trail of the family getting in to trouble and always on the move to escape those problems. There is a lot of adventure, humor, and then the unexpected punch of heart where the truth is unfolded. I love the characters in the story, but especially Luis and Cindy who help teach, mentor, and love the family, especially Perry. A tearjerker for me towards the end, which totally caught me off guard. This showed me that despite being an adventurous and fun book, Beth Vrabel can shape the heart of the reader as well and give full meaning on why Perry and his family were on this travel adventure. I absolutely loved this story. Congrats to Beth Vrabel on another well-written book. 5 stars!!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perry's family is on the run. While in a Swedish town in Kansas, Perry's parents, siblings, uncle, and cousins managed to set fire to town landmarks and now they are on the run. They have been labeled "Bad Family" and have even been put on the No Fly list after having been kicked off an airplane. Perry just wants to get back home to Pennsylvania where his favorite teacher is coaching him for an interview for a scholarship to get into the New York School for Scholars. However, every time Perry thinks that things can't get worse and that *now* they will head home... there's another twist.

The reader slowly finds out that the family is in severe financial and emotional straits because Perry's mom is fighting cancer. Things are so bad they haven't even named the baby (who makes numerous appearances) and seems to be 12-18 months old. This book is catalogued as humor but I did not find it funny. The pranks are not funny. The family's situation is not funny. The blustery bad guy is not funny. This is a touching story about a kid who is trying to do the right thing in a tough situation, though.
CW: parent with cancer

[Hope Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perry Homer's family is bad. Literally - everyone says it, even the people on the news. After Perry's mom's cancer diagnosis, the family is sent into a tailspin and packs up to live life as grifters. A discerning teacher befriends Perry and offers him a chance to change the course of his life with the possibility of attending a private boarding school. As Perry tries to prepare for the interview, his family cons the wrong person who sets out to make them pay for the trick.

Simultaneously funny and heartbreaking, the reader follows Perry and his family as they navigate enormous life challenges and try to correct past wrongs. As an adult, parent, and educator, I made many connections with Perry's poor family. I anticipate seeing this title on state reading award lists.

[Michelle Till · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, not my favorite, although some parts did catch my attention. The cover makes it look like a book for littler kids, but it’s made for older teen children. It gets better towards the end but the book drags on. It could’ve ended sooner than it did. Some things don’t explain what they are, and others are unnecessary for the story. To be honest wouldn’t recommend

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

"An amusing story that asks readers to engage with moral gray areas." [Kirkus]