Vote

March 15, 2013
Kevin knows the buzzwords that will surely get him elected student-body president; it's unfortunate that he's running for the wrong reason. Kevin's gotten into trouble before (Crush, 2002, etc.). In this fourth, funny outing, he navigates the mostly self-created obstacles of eighth grade. This time, having achieved a first date with his new girlfriend, Tina, he realizes that a new student, good-looking Cash Devine, is running unopposed for student-body president--and capturing lots of attention in the process. That just doesn't seem right to Kevin. After all, he's the one with all of the natural leadership ability, and he knows, somehow, all of the ins and outs of campaigning. However, he might not know quite as much as Cash's campaign manager, Kevin's clever rival, Katie. The strength of this effort comes from the surfeit of hyperbole that Kevin effortlessly churns out in his rarely self-critical but frequently amusing first-person narration. Each chapter title offers yet another pithy rule for aspiring politicians: "The True Politician Deftly Sidesteps Problems That Might Arise from an Overabundance of Truth," for example. Many of these "rules" seem unlikely to arise from the brain of an eighth-grader however, making this a little less credible than others in the series. Still, especially for kids who have watched recent elections, Kevin's brand of campaigning is readily recognizable. (Fiction. 10-14)

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August 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-Fourteen-year-old Kevin Spencer finds himself running for student-body president against handsome Cash Devine. He hadn't planned to, but now that he and Tina Zabinski, the world's best-smelling girl, have had their first date, he wants even more to impress her. If Cash wins, she may just realize that he is amazing and that Kevin is a dud. Unfortunately, Kevin's nemesis seems always to be a step ahead. A funny addition to the several books about Kevin, Vote is filled with lessons and commentary about today's political system, with subtle jibes that kids are not likely to notice. A good book for reluctant readers and fans of Paulsen's "Lawn Boy" (Random) series.-Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix, AZ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2013
Grades 5-8 Kevin Spencer returns with a new plan to impress beautiful Tina Zabinski: he will run for student body president! Paulsen's latest entertainment, a companion to Liar, Liar (2011) and its sequels, is set over the course of five days while Kevin contests handsome Cash Devine for the empty seat. Thanks to Kevin's older brother's ideas, and the maneuvering of the two girls managing the campaigns, it begins to look like he could actually win. However, though he usually has an exaggerated opinion of his abilities, Kevin is self-aware enough to know that he is not really right for the job. Those who started this four-book series at the beginning may sense that our protagonist is maturing a wee bit, but not so much as to dampen the humor for fans or newcomers, both of whom will pick up enough of the backstory to recognize the 14-year-old's delusional tendencies. Fast-paced action and Kevin's penchant for getting into ridiculous situations make this the perfect book bait for not-so-eager readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)