A review by hannahbisbis
The Spy with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke

adventurous emotional funny sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Maybe I’m just not used to reading young adult lit, but there were so many cringe moments in this book between the needless commentary, overly descriptive sexual tension scenes, and the not-actually-funny one liners that try too hard to be edgy (“tell your mama you got punched by a queer Jew,” “time to punch some Nazis” — although I’m obviously anti-Nazism). It wasn’t very well written and parts of the story were left undeveloped or rushed. I was ready for the book to be over well before the 355 page mark. Certainly no Hunger Games, but maybe that’s an unfair bar to set.