The Good Liar

by Gregory Maguire

Book Overview

"First published in 1995 by The O'Brien Press Ltd., Dublin, Ireland." This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395906970
• ISBN13: 9780395906972
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.7" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 10 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 7

Customer Reviews

Interesting Recount

Three schoolchildren are in need of materials to report on World War II. Therefore they write to an artist who grew up in France during the time. The whole book is the artist's narration of his family's experiences, dealing with the difficult period. Mr. Maguire's tone and style of writing for this children's literature fit the purpose of an immigrant recounting his childhood. The sentences are short, easy to understand, and the story itself, most of the time funny. And, at the end the reader finds out who is the best liar of all.

A Great Book for Kids and Their Grown-Ups

Great book for adolescents interested in history. This is a suspenseful and fast-moving story of a young French boy who is learning to live with the German occupation. As the title and the book jacket reveals, the theme of the story is lying - whether thats means lying about your homework, or hiding Jews in the attic, it all (at first) seems a game to the protagonist. Well written tale. Provides some historical insight into the war and the Nazi persecution of the Jews in Europe. I read this it aloud to my son and he loved it (I did too). Well done. Great suspense story for young adults with a good dose of historical insight.

The Good Liar

If you ask me I would rate this book a 7 out of ten. It's a good book but I think the author skips through things to fast. For example, It barely mentioned the fact that Marcel's the main character, family was hiding Jews. It mentioned it once then not again until the Jews ran away. Also, the author could have done a better job explaining how tough times were back then. He never mentioned why his family only had one bike or why there wasn't much food. Over all it was a pretty good book

The Good Liar a review by Alec

Picture yourself in WWII. Would you think you could have a friend that was a German solider? In The Good Liar by GregoryMaguire, not only can you have a German friend, but even lyingcan be a good thing. One event that happens in this adventurous story is that the boys always lie and get in trouble for it. One time they lie to their mother and tell her that they are going to play, but they reallygo and meet up with their German friend, who they are notsupposed to be around. René, the protagonist, tries to jump into thelake and ends up breaking his leg. The German solider has to carry him home. The mother stood in shock when she recognized the new playmate. The boys were in a lot of hot water then! A second event that happens in the story is when their momhides some Jewish friends in the attic of their house. Life goes on as usual, because the boys think the Germans had killedthese friends. There does seem to be less food around the house, but the boys think it's just because the war has created hard times for everyone in France. They never heard a sound from upstairs in all the time the family was hiding out. When the mom finally brings them out of the attic, the boys are so shocked they are like statues. It takes them awhile to put the pieces of the puzzle together and realize what has really happened. In conclusion, this story is very exciting and keeps the reader guessing what will happen next. You will enjoy reading thisbook and finding out who is the best liar.

French occupation told from child's point of view

Heads up: The Booklist review above reveals far too much of the plot! Written in short chapters, this is a World War II novel that will be accessible to young (9-12) readers. In response to a request by some girls who are doing research for a school project, the narrator recalls his life as a boy under the Nazi occupation in France. He details the ordinary mischief young boys get into, especially his and his brothers' talent for telling outrageous lies, and the consequences imposed by their strict mother. Living under conditions of war, the boys' basic values are shaken as they develop a tentative friendship with a young German soldier. They must face the complexities of truth and honesty, loyalty and friendship. The characters are portrayed as ordinary, imperfect people whose humanity elevates them to the level of extraordinary heroes. For even younger readers, see The Butterfly, a picture book by Patricia Polacco which also depicts the French occupation.