Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire

by Gordon Korman, JoAnn Adinolfi (Illustrator)

Not wanting to lie but fearing she will have nothing to say if she fails to add color to her stories, Zoe Bent finally discovers a unique talent that helps her break her bad habit. Reprint.

Genres: Childrens, Juvenile, Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

About the author

Gordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Reviews

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went looking for a book by Korman to read to my MH class. I found this one & think it is perfect. It is a delightful tale about telling the stories or the truth... and determining if its okay to be you... or if you need to be someone else.

LOVE IT!

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to my group of 3rd graders, and they loved it! We especially laughed about the nuclear toilet, and when Zoe said "Check it out...". The ending was a good place to stop, and even though I have some storytellers; they learned it's okay to tell the truth.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in 25 minutes while working out. It is a cute book and I would definitely use it with my lower reading-level students. (3rd Grade Reading level).

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a possibility for my summer reading class I'm teaching but it might be too easy for 3rd-5th graders. Cute story though, with a good lesson learned at the end.

[J.E. Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

We laughed out loud several times, and it has a good lesson too. :)

[Chance Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think it's bad. I think the story is ok.

Cover
Man this cover. I don't get this cover.
I don't quite get why Britney and the fish is on the cover.
I guess Michael and Britney are on the bottom with Zoe on the top. What's with the fish on the cover? The art is not similar to the interior in the slightest and I think it's a bit disappointing.

Interior
Story
At it's core it's about low self-esteem coated with a lesson about the consequences about lying. It's short and it mostly gets to the point. The lying can get rough to get through especially in the middle of the book where it really hits the limit of how many lies you can jam into a book and it can wear on my patience for the other shoe to drop. It does go through some pretty obvious motions as a book about lying. Understandably.
Something I did miss was that almost every time she lies she say's "Check it out." It's an interesting touch since naturally everyone has tells when they lie whether they are verbal or expressional tells. Only when she's with the principal it appears to break the routine.

Illustration
The art style is far beyond me. I don't even know what to say about the illustrative direction. Each chapter has a nice foreshadowing picture off to the side. Patricia Storm did a good job it's just that I expect this style of art more at Art Shows and Shops than in children's books very unique direction. I know there is a name to this art style I just can't place it.

After Thoughts
I think the one biggest things that I would have changed would be the act of bulling. While it's her lying that gets her picked on I think it would have hit harder if they acted not so brutish but not as friendly as Michael. I think if they tried to push her away verbally more than physically would have made more of an impact.
While I get it that even the teacher is tired of hearing her going on and on she really didn't control the class making it a neutral space for everyone. Letting the entire class get jabs in to poke fun at her time and time again. While it's understandable it also like, Really?

I have to say reading about Korman and learning that the Atomic Toilet was a real thing is really funny and considering how well that it fits and is incorporated multiple way into the story was brilliant.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book for getting kids to discuss identity and being accepted. Zoe is a 3rd grade liar, and not a very good one at that. She gets called out by her principal, her teacher, and her peers and she still continues to lie. In desperation for her classmates to accept her, she lies and tells them there is an eagle's nest in her backyard. When her classmates call her bluff, she uses her mom's electric wok to create a fake eagles nest rather than fess up. With the help of her dad and one friend who sticks by her side, she learns "you can't just lie whenever you want to impress somebody. Remember, its what you've got inside that makes people like you" and eventually accepts her identity as a creative storyteller instead of a liar. The book does have some references to VCR and getting film developed for a camera. There is also a reference to when she is 30... in 2018! It seems this book could be historical fiction! Though it has dated references, it would make a good book for students of today. It's a good text for determining character traits and exploring character motivation. The theme is easily identifiable and children can make connections to their own lives.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe Bent is a liar, and finding life in the 3rd grade very hard. Soon her fibs have turned her whole class against her, and she is feeling frustrated. It has reached a point that even when she tells the truth no one believes her. But she lies because she thinks she has nothing to say; other children wear better clothes, are great at art, are stronger, and she thinks telling big tales will be the only way she can get attention. However, she soon realizes that fibbing is making her life more and more complicated.

This is a great book for young children, in part because children do not need to be taught to lie - most just do it at some point. But this book will teach them the implications about becoming known as a liar. It also teaches them that what matters most is what is inside them not what they say or do. Therefore it is a great book with a valuable lesson.

[Meleah Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a great book to read to students at different times throughout the year. It implies the lesson on lying and treating others properly.

[Ameyalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed my ass out at some lines, I can't lie.
I really had some deep flashbacks from elementary school.
I enjoyed this little story big time ☺️

[Rae Longest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use sometime for Saturday Mornings for Kids
Teaches a valuable lesson about lying

[Maureen Cavanaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe Bent is always a liar! Jerry Paradise calls her names. Brittany wears designer clothes. Kevin is good at sports.

[Heidi Stallman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book out loud to my 2nd grade twin boys. It held their attention and they thought it was very funny. I would recommend this story for read aloud (or alone) for K- 3rd graders. However, it would probably not hold the attention of most adult readers. Most of my enjoyment of the story was because my kids were enjoying it.

[Shelby Olszewski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zoe is a third grader who has a very large imagination, making her reputation at school a liar that no one believed, or liked. The story starts off with Zoe coming to school late. When she walks into her classroom her teacher asks why she is late. Zoe says she saw a famous person on her walk to school, while getting caught up in her lie and making it bigger and bigger; her teacher finally gets fed up listening to her and sends her to the principals office. Her principle gives her a stack of pencils to sharpen while he begins writing a letter for her to take home, he tells her to only show it to her father, because the principle had him when he was younger. The principle tells Zoe she is just like her father; he used to stretch the truth all the time. On Zoe’s way back to class she realizes that the class is watching a movie today. She is very upset to find out the movie is over by the time she gets back. Her class is supposed to draw a picture of the movie they watched on the eagle’s nest. Zoe’s teacher tells her that she can draw anything because she misses the video. But again Zoe lies and says she knows what an eagle looks like because she has one that lives in a nest in her back yard. At the end of the book Zoe learns that she cannot lie all the time. She is special in her own ways she does not have to lie to have friends or be popular.

[Jashan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK book. I mean, I like books of Gordon Korman. This one was just a bit, well, KIDDISH. I think counterparts of it like Ungifted (text italicized) and Swindle (text also italicized) worked a bit better for me. Then again, this WAS published when Mr. Korman was a newer author, so I can't really judge that much. My point is, I didn't really like this book because of its targeting towards younger audiences, and the unrealistic kid power that just fails to get into my mind properly (if any of that makes sense.)

[Alixandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when i was a kid

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book! It was very funny.But it didn't have very good illustrations. You couldn't really see the picture, it was kind of blurry.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about how lying is not ok, and what can learn from it.

[Nayeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liar,Liar pants on fire is a funny book because the little girl lies alot to her friends and family.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whenever Zoe tells a lie, she starts out with, "Check it out."

Title: Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire
Author: Gordon Korman

[Taylor Pettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a great moral to the story! Students would love this book and also realize why lying is a bad idea.

[Mara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably funnier if one is actually a second grader.