Beneath 12-year-old Oliver Watson’s bumbling persona lurks the mind of a supervillain—cold, devious and focused on winning a middle-school election. In his attempt to corrupt the democratic process, Oliver blackmails the other candidates, meddles with a burgeoning relationship and stages an African coup, all with the help of his loyal dog, Lollipop, and his front man, Lionel Sheldrake. Gross-out humor, heavy machinery and a periphery romance will appeal especially to male readers. Oliver is calculating and humorous, quickly engaging readers as they learn about his extravagant plots and immense empire. The incompetent adults that populate the pages are elevated only just above stock characters but are ideally suited to the narrative. Though Oliver’s conflict with his father is layered and well crafted, the saccharine resolution cheapens it slightly. Similar to Artemis Fowl but without the supernatural element, Lieb’s creative and twisted first novel gets a positive vote. (Fiction. 10-14)
