School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-7-Kevin Spencer is back in another humorous outing. This time, having gained the "World's Most Beautiful, Most Perfect, Best-Smelling Girl" as his official girlfriend, he's determined to impress Tina enough so that she will stay with him. When he learns that his nemesis, the ultra-handsome Cash Devine, is running for class president, Kevin decides that throwing his hat in the ring (and winning the presidency) would be the perfect way to impress his girlfriend. How can he lose? In this first-person narration, he assures listeners that he knows all of the ins and outs of campaigning and clearly has the makings of a true leader. Of course, he must first conquer his intellectual rival Katie, who is serving as Cash's campaign manager. Although there may be some doubt that an eighth-grader would be quite this savvy about the world of politics, the humor and likable nature of the main character should win over many listeners. Jesse Bernstein steps up with an appealing voice for Kevin. His pacing fits well with the energetic, humorous nature of the story and he provides some solid variation for the supporting cast of characters. While this title (Random/Wendy Lamb, 2013) may not be quite as strong an entry as some of the other titles in Paulsen's series (Liar Liar, Flat Broke, Crush), fans of Kevin and those new to the stories will find plenty of fun in this audio presentation.-Deanna Romriell, Salt Lake City Public Library, UT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.