It’s always a pleasure to review a book by Gordon Korman, and his latest, “Faker,” is no exception. Korman takes a concept and inserts really likable main characters who are in impossible situations. We really want things to go right, even if we can’t see how that could happen. But then Korman works his literary magic and, by the end, we are thrilled when our main character not only overcomes the problem, but emerges better, happier, and more centered in his world.

In “Faker,” we meet Trey, who has gone by more names than he can ever remember because every time his con-artist father moves them from one scam to the next, their identities change. But no matter their names, his father was, for example, Parker Whitfield II, but went by Junior, just as Parker Whitfield III is known as Trey, they make things easy to remember. No matter their new identities, his father is always a “Junior,” and Trey is always the “third.” Trey’s younger sister Arianna keeps her name but the spelling changes with every move.

Previously, Trey had attended posh private schools where the other wealthy families were fodder for his father’s schemes. The last scheme was selling shares in a huge, handsome great Dane who his father claimed was a champion and would make a fortune in stud fees. In reality, the dog was a rental from a place that provided dogs for movies and TV ads. When too many people invested in the same dog, and Trey’s friends found it suspicious, the family did a “Houdini,” and split. After every job, they went to a vacation island where there was no extradition and waited until Junior thought of another scheme.

This time they head to Nashville, where they rent a house in a tony suburb, and Trey attends the public school. They live in the best part of town, and their neighbors are extremely wealthy. This time the scam is about a car, a prototype that his father has made which is really just a Tesla with a stunningly beautiful body. The mechanic filed off all references to Tesla on the engine parts, and Junior claims it’s a new electric car that will get 1,000 miles on a charge.

While Trey is busy making friends at school, including a kid named Logan whose parents sell fine art, his father is busy explaining about the new company, El Capitan Motors, Incorporated, and how he was lucky to work for the company and get in on buying shares at the start. Soon, everyone wants in on this seemingly extraordinary opportunity to make money. Meanwhile, Trey is taking social studies, and the class is studying ethics. One of the first questions is about Robin Hood and whether he is a good guy or not. And over time, the questions that arise during the study of ethics make Trey reconsider everything he’s been told by his father.

His father always justified what they did because they only fleeced extremely wealthy people who could afford to lose the money that they “invested” in the scams. But Trey is starting to realize that it’s not that simple, and that people who could not afford to lose that money also invested. His father took money from anyone who wanted to be in on the fake investment schemes he proffered, even if losing that money really hurt the families.

The ending is perfect, as are all of Korman’s endings. There’s a twist that some might have seen coming, but the emotions we share as Trey describes leaving friend after friend, knowing that every connection he makes with other kids is based on lies; and that knowledge is as real as Trey’s life is fake. Korman finds a way to turn it all around, thanks to Trey and, in part, to his newfound moral and ethical code, and in part to his realization that all the platitudes and half-truths his father told him were not valid justifications for the lies and thefts.

This book would be a great read aloud if there are any schools where that’s still allowed. The questions about ethics and right and wrong that would emerge could be important discussions that make children reflect about their values. Chalk this up to another Korman novel that will be a huge hit with middle grade readers.

Please note: This review is based on the final, hardcover novel provided by Scholastic Press, the publisher, for review purposes.