PERRY HOMER RUINS EVERYTHING

The summer after eighth grade, Perry Homer is focused on entering a prep school where he can turn over a new leaf.

Perry learned about “the rush” from his father—it’s that feeling that you’re above the rules. From Uncle Manny he learned to maximize loopholes and, from his mom, to watch for tells. But Perry longs to leave his con artist family behind, and with the help of a supportive teacher, he sets his sights on winning a scholarship to New York’s Ithaca School for Scholars, where he can be “Good Perry” from now on. Unfortunately, the Homer family must pull a few more swindles to get back home to Pittsburgh from their summer vacation, and Perry, desperate to get back in time for the interview, is quickly drawn in. A pawnshop deception and a hotel room scam keep Perry engaged in the family chaos. While the Homers are lying low at a wildcat sanctuary, Perry observes his family members finding their own measures of honest contentment. Yet he feels empty, so he sets about apologizing to the people he’s wronged. As summer ends, Perry takes off for a last-ditch chance at the scholarship interview. The Homers are antihero protagonists, and even well-intentioned Perry’s actions can seem questionable. Serious themes sometimes feel awkwardly dropped in amid the over-the-top antics, although they do support Perry’s growth. Most main characters are cued white.

An amusing story that asks readers to engage with moral gray areas.