Published: Wendy Lamb Books, imprint of Random House, August 2012
Recommended Age: 9 & up
In a Nutshell: I have an author crush on Rebecca Stead- this is no secret. When You Reach Me is up there as an all-time favorite, her Newbery Medal acceptance is something I go back to and read all the time (excerpt found here), I'm constantly recommending her books to kids and adults at the library (even my husband recently read When You Read Me in an evening and is now a fan), and I also enjoy checking in on her blog regularly.
You can imagine I was very excited to claim my library copy of her latest, Liar & Spy. The first reader to crack the spine.
Georges (pronounced George, named after the famous pointillist Georges Saurt) isn't the most popular kid at school. Of course a name like Georges doesn't help the situation either. To add to his troubles his father lost his job and his family has to relocate to a new (and let's face it, not as cool) apartment in Brooklyn. The day they move into their new home, Georges meets Safer, an energetic, yet bizarre boy his age who drinks coffee out of a flask. Safer also has a Spy Club. At least he does now that Georges is in the picture. Spy Club and Georges and Safer's friendship starts to evolve as they start to investigate a mysterious apartment tenant, Mr. X. Whether it's the school bullies or Spy Club missions, Georges starts to test his comfort levels and unveil the mystery of his fortitude.
With characters so real I felt as if they lived next door and a story told with such voice and soul, I couldn't put it down. Upon finishing the book at four in the morning, as I did with the middle grade books Wonder and Okay for Now earlier this year, I was not tired. Quite to the opposite. I was alive.
Well done, Rebecca Stead... Well done.
Perfect For: Middle grade mystery lovers, realistic fiction readers, and of course Rebecca Stead fans.
Don't Take My Word For It: Kid Lit Frenzy, Chicago Tribune
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