In this funny, hijinks-filled middle grade romp, a boy and his con artist family’s rascally ways keep them on a never-ending vacation full of rip-offs and schemes, leaving him to wonder if it’s too late to change his fate.
Perry Homer is bad news, just like the rest of his troublemaking family. His parents skip out on restaurant bills. Uncle Manny uses his legal training to get free stuff. Perry’s cousins use their coding skills to scam people. On a disastrous vacation to Lindsborg, “the nicest town in America,” Perry’s siblings steal their new favorite toys from local businesses and set the town’s whimsical Swedish decorations ablaze. The Homers are worthy of the nickname the local news gives them—the Bad Family—and they’re having a blast.
Perry thinks he
could
be good. His favorite teacher, Miss Penelope, recommended him for a scholarship at the prestigious Ithaca School, and it’s his chance to change things. He just has to get home from Lindsborg and show up for the interview.
Still, that’s easier said than done. After the Homers get kicked off their plane, Perry comes up with one last scheme to keep them pointed toward home. But can Perry really make it to Ithaca—or is it his fate to ruin everything?