38 pages • 1 hour read
Gary PaulsenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Kevin’s social studies project, in which he’s supposed to research and present a topic with a partner, is the reason for his first big lie. He pretends to have a made-up illness and manipulates Katie into doing all the work because he doesn’t want to work with her. Gary Paulsen positions this purely selfish motivation as one example of the major character flaw behind Kevin’s lies—a flaw he must overcome in the course of the narrative. He’s selfish; he puts his own needs, desires, comfort, and convenience above the needs of others. Deep down, Kevin knows lying is wrong, but he avoids feeling guilty by rationalizing his lies. Even though he successfully convinces himself that he’s helping other people when he lies to them, his real reasons are apparent. As the first example of this flaw, the social studies project symbolizes The Selfish Motives and Rationalizations for Lying.
The car that Kevin shares with his siblings, Daniel and Sarah, was a gift from their Auntie Buzz. Though only Sarah currently has a driver’s license, Kevin and Daniel feel she should drive them where they want or need to go.
By Gary Paulsen
Brian's Hunt
Gary Paulsen
Brian's Return
Gary Paulsen
Brian's Winter
Gary Paulsen
Canyons
Gary Paulsen
Dogsong
Gary Paulsen
Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books
Gary Paulsen
Harris and Me: A Summer Remembered
Gary Paulsen
Hatchet
Gary Paulsen
How Angel Peterson Got His Name
Gary Paulsen
Lawn Boy
Gary Paulsen
Masters of Disaster
Gary Paulsen
My Life in Dog Years
Gary Paulsen
Nightjohn
Gary Paulsen
Northwind
Gary Paulsen
Soldiers Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers
Gary Paulsen
The Crossing
Gary Paulsen
The Monument
Gary Paulsen
The River
Gary Paulsen
The Transall Saga
Gary Paulsen
The Voyage of the Frog
Gary Paulsen