Frederick Frederickson has a food-chain theory about life. There are lions, like the school bully. Gazelles, like the bullied kids. There are meerkats, and the fleas that live on the butts of meerkats. Frederick's a flea. Fifth grade is off to a terrible start when Frederick is sent to a disciplinary camp for troublesome boys. His fellow troop mates―Nosebleed, Specs, The Professor, and little-yet-lethal Ant Bite―are terrifying. But in between trust-building exercises and midnight escape attempts, a tenuous friendship grows between them. Which is lucky, because a Category 5 hurricane is coming and everyone will have to work together―lions and fleas alike―to survive! Kate Beasley outdoes herself in this hilarious, whip-smart tale of brotherhood, survival, and what it really means to be a friend. *Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Winner* "Beasley follows her acclaimed debut, Gertie’s Leap to Greatness (2016), with a winning story that matches earnestness with humor... transformative read."― Booklist starred review "Beasley ( Gertie’s Leap to Greatness ) writes with ease, engaging readers quickly with hapless but hopeful Frederick’s sincerity. His struggles with popularity and self-confidence make him a relatable, realistic protagonist readers would want for a friend...straightforward message about self-acceptance and true friendship will leave readers smiling. ― School Library Journal "Beasley's sophomore novel...is chock full of zany, nicknamed characters (Frederick shares a cabin with Nosebleed, Ant Bite, Specs, and the Professor) coming together in a story of friendship among boys...A fun coming-of-age romp." ― Kirkus "Ms. Beasley does something admirable with her food-chain metaphor: A bit like Chekhov’s gun, the metaphorical lion from the first act turns into a real one at the end, adding a moment of unexpected bite. Otherwise tender at heart and laugh-out-loud entertaining, the tale of Frederick’s misadventures and Dan Santat’s exuberant illustrations will charm readers ages 8-12." - The Wall Street Journal Kate Beasley holds a Masters in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives with her family in Claxton, Georgia, with two dogs, one parrot, lots of cows, and a cat named Edgar. Gertie's Leap to Greatness is her first novel. Dan Santat is a children's book writer, a commercial illustrator, and the creator of Disney's animated hit, The Replacements. He lives in California with his wife, two kids, a rabbit, a bird, and a cat. www.dantat.com Lions and Liars By Kate Beasley, Dan Santat Farrar, Straus and Giroux Copyright © 2018 Kate Beasley All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-374-30263-4 Contents Title Page, Copyright Notice, Dedication, 1 • The Lion, Gazelle, Meerkat-Butt Theory of Life, 2 • Hurricane Hernando, 3 • And Then It Came Unattached, 4 • Are You There, God? It's Me, Frederick, 5 • Dashiell Blackwood, 6 • Nosebleed, the Professor, Specs, and Ant Bite, 7 • For Whom the Bell Tolls, 8 • Ding-a-Ling, 9 • The Dead Zone, 10 • A Little Horse's Toothbrush, 11 • The Constellation Fleaus Tinyus, 12 • A Failure to Communicate, 13 • Dodgeball, Again, 14 • Frederick, Victorious, 15 • The Real Dash Blackwood, 16 • The Rock, 17 • The Kudu, 18 • The Letter, 19 • Tim Howard, 20 • The Water Is Lava, 21 • Teeth of the Storm, 22 • The Stupid Ending, 23 • Four Months Later, Author's Note, Also by Kate Beasley, About the Author and Illustrator, Copyright, CHAPTER 1 The Lion, Gazelle, Meerkat-Butt Theory of Life Frederick Frederickson was thinking about strawberry daiquiris when the dodgeball slammed into his face. The pale pink frost, too thick to come up the straw. The toothpick umbrella. The maraschino cherries, speared on a tiny plastic saber. The delicate cartilage in Frederick's nose crunched, and his knees hit the ground. " Ahhh! " he wailed. The vision of the daiquiri vanished, and water sprang into his eyes. Frederick was ten. He did not cry, but if a dodgeball hit you directly in the nose, your eyes automatically released water. So, when Devin Goodyear came to stand over him, Frederick wasn't crying. His eyes were automatically releasing water. "Jeez, Frederickson." Frederick could tell from the tone of Devin's voice that the other boy was shaking his head. "You better not tell anyone we were playing dodgeball," Devin warned. " I wobe, " Frederick said. He was trying to say I won't, but between the automatic release of eye water and the blood pouring out of his nostrils, he sounded like he had a head cold. " I wobe tell." Frederick was kneeling behind a set of bleachers that blocked him from view of the recess monitors. The students weren't allowed to play dodgeball. Every year the teachers told them the story of how one time, a group of kids had been playing dodgeball, and how Candace Licky had gotten hit in the head so hard that she was knocked unconscious and she fell on the gro