Liar & Spy

Nice contemporary story. Not as beloved as When You Reach Me. I think Stead might be known as a "twist ending" author and the twists were more forced than her last book which was like a perfect puzzle coming together. Still, lots to talk about and would be a good choice for a children's book club. ( )

Children's middle-grade fiction (boy-friendly). The story unfolds slowly, in short chapters: Ch. 1: we learn the narrator is in 7th grade. Ch.2: family has recently sold home. Ch.3: His name is George (but spelled Georges, as in Seurat). He gets teased by other kids at school (one in particular), and is not particularly great at sports. Ch. 4: His dad was laid off last year, and mom has been picking up extra shifts at the hospital to help out (he rarely gets to see her).
...And so forth. Utterly charming, and the characters are very imaginative and endearing. I was not a huge fan of Stead's When You Reach Me, but this one I really liked--there is also a mystery to be solved here, but it isn't quite so obvious. ( )

This book....I am not sure. I really tried to put myself into the mindset of the target demographic. I really did. Maybe I am just not very good at it, but something about this book just bothered me.

I liked that the story incorporated some actually knowledge in there, about the Seurat painting, things like that. I like that the story has a real message. I like that it was kind of light and fun, while being serious at the same time. It was well edited, which is usually a pet peeve of mine.

But, see, it just felt flat to me. I thought the premise was cute, but the delivery method just left me, wanting.

While I did not really enjoy this one, I am sure that there are many, many people who did. I intend to pass the book down to my 9 year old, and I am sure he will probably have a very different perspective on the book than I did. It just did not work for me. ( )

A very enjoyable read; the plot twists were so unexpected. ( )

"When Georges moves into a new apartment block he meets Safer, a twelve-year-old self-appointed spy. Soon Georges has become his spy recruit. His first assignment? To track the mysterious Mr X, who lives in the flat upstairs.
But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: what is a game and what is a lie? How far is too far to go for your only friend?"