Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Billy And Ant Lie: Lying: Billy Growing Up, Volume 4 is a fiction book for children, grades 4-6 written by James Minter and illustrated by Helen Rushworth. At first, it was a typical school morning for Billy and Ant. Billy rode his bike up to the bus stop across the street from Ant's house and executed one of the best skids ever -- he admired the black tire mark he had left. Best of all, Ant had seen him do it. When Ant came out, he noticed a one-pound coin in the gravel that had been displaced during Billy's skid. Billy thought Ant should share it as his skid helped reveal the coin, and the two boys decided to spend it together on candy. They’d have just enough time to buy it before getting to school on time. When they got to the garage's convenience store entrance, however, the glass door exploded outwards as a robber made his escape. Ant fell into the flower stands and the robber knocked Billy into a car that was getting gas. They ended up being late for school, and Miss Tompkins was waiting for them. Ant lied and told her that he had gotten a flat, and Billy, who was embarrassed by the lie, began to blush. But Miss Tompkins trusted the two boys and accepted their story. All-too-soon, the police checked the CCTV feed, and Billy and Ant were identified. The police thought they might be able to identify the robber. Billy and Ant weren't in trouble for anything to do with the robbery, but their lying about that morning was another matter entirely.

James Minter's fiction book for children, Billy And Ant Lie: Lying: Billy Growing Up, Volume 4, illustrates the almost inevitable problems that happen when one lies. While Billy seems not entirely comfortable with Ant's inventive tale of the flat, he's likewise guilty in going along and not speaking out. The effect of Billy and Ant's lie is compounded by the trouble they cause for Miss Tompkins, whom they both like a lot. This engaging and at times exciting tale clearly shows how both Billy’s and Ant's lives get awfully complicated because of what seemed at first like a harmless and convenient lie. Lying is hard enough on the adults who do so, but for a ten-year-old, the consequences can be pretty scary -- as evidenced by their meeting with the policeman and parents at Billy's granddad's house. Billy And Ant Lie: Lying: Billy Growing Up, Volume 4 makes it very clear that lying is never the best or easiest option, and it does so in a non-preachy and non-judgmental fashion. Rushworth's illustrations are filled with detail and add to the excitement of the robbery and the ensuing police investigation. Billy And Ant Lie: Lying: Billy Growing Up, Volume 4 is most highly recommended.