"What if you decided to make your own rules?"
Setting: Brooklyn, New York
Main character: Georges 7th grader, named after French pointillist painter Georges Seurat
POV: Georges, 1st person
Themes: Friendships, secrecy, shame, redrawing boundaries,
Plot: Georges moves in to an apartment building and is befriended by Safer--a boy his age who trains (and manipulates) him in the art of spycraft. Together they will discover the "secret" of the mysterious Mister X-a tenant who dresses all in black and carries suitcases. Or will they? Will Georges flunk the taste test in Mr. Landau's class, and will he get the better of the bullies in his class? Will Georges' father find a job and will his mother come home from work? Along the way, mysteries will be examined, secrets revealed, and truths restated.
This story is like a charm bracelet. Each element of the story stands on its own like a bright, shiny object (like Safer's sister Candy loving candy, or "Bob who draws" who can't spell, or the scrabble tile messages Georges exchanges with his absent mother, or the funny fortune cookie fortunes, and the falling gum wrapper), but each of those charms is linked together spelling out the importance of the big picture as well as all those little dots. Stead's craftsmanship is superb. Her prose is pitched to the characters and her audience perfectly. I thought Liar & Spy was distinguished in every way.
From my own blog review of Liar & Spy, here are my thoughts:
ReplyDeleteAt only 192 pages and suitable for grades five and up, one might think that this small book is a quick read - easy contemporary fiction for middle-schoolers; but one must remember that it was written by Newbery Medal winner, Rebecca Stead.
Rebecca Stead requires you to be patient. She requires you to be thoughtful. She requires you to follow her wherever she may lead - even if she may be lying. After all, what is a lie anyway?
Thought provoking and insightful, Liar & Spy touches many topics pertinent to middle school students - lying, bullying, economic downturn, friendship, illness, and family life.