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A review by pussinbooks
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
2.0
Georges and his parents have just moved into a new apartment after losing their house when his dad lost his job. Mom works double shifts at the hospital where she is a nurse, while Dad spends nights trying to wrangle up clients for his upstart architecture business. Georges doesn't have any friends at school. The cool kids make fun of the spelling of his name by calling him Gorgeous. His best friend has ditched him for the cool kids, but Georges lets everything roll off his back. Mom tells him to look at the bigger picture, and that's what he does.
When Georges gets roped into joining the Spy Club run by a weird kid named Safer, he surprises himself by lying to his father about the existence of Spy Club while taking lessons from Safer on how to be a good spy that involve breaking and entering. Safer and his family are like no one he has ever met. Safer and his little sister Candy are home schooled, they take turns cooking dinner for their parents and older brother Pigeon (home schooled until he recently chose to go to school), and don't worry about social rules like what constitutes a cool kid. In fact, they're happy to throw rules out and create their own.
Georges navigates the confusing world of being Safer's friend and the monotonous world of school until both are turned inside out. Georges is happy to rewrite the rules at school with the help of some other loners and unpopular kids. But when something crucial about Spy Club is revealed, he questions his friendship with Safer and his own guilt when it comes to keeping secrets.
Liar & Spy was a solid 4-star book until the two reveals at the end, which shot the book down to a 2-star. The characters are fun and quirky, the city feels like home in Stead's hands, and the story is full of everyday joy and laughter that paint the picture of a full life. All was well until I found out I was being lied to. The big lie wasn't done in a clever way, leaving clues for the reader. It was just a huge lie that revealed a character weakness too far into the story to be compelling. Instead, it felt like a betrayal, and as a result I ended up liking neither Georges nor Safer. I would rename this book Lying Coward & That Little Jerk Upstairs were I being brutally honest.
Read this book for the funny characters, the lessons in science and friendship at Georges' school, and the interesting family in Safer's household. Just be aware that you're being lied to, and you won't have much time to sympathize with the characters before you reach the final page.
When Georges gets roped into joining the Spy Club run by a weird kid named Safer, he surprises himself by lying to his father about the existence of Spy Club while taking lessons from Safer on how to be a good spy that involve breaking and entering. Safer and his family are like no one he has ever met. Safer and his little sister Candy are home schooled, they take turns cooking dinner for their parents and older brother Pigeon (home schooled until he recently chose to go to school), and don't worry about social rules like what constitutes a cool kid. In fact, they're happy to throw rules out and create their own.
Georges navigates the confusing world of being Safer's friend and the monotonous world of school until both are turned inside out. Georges is happy to rewrite the rules at school with the help of some other loners and unpopular kids. But when something crucial about Spy Club is revealed, he questions his friendship with Safer and his own guilt when it comes to keeping secrets.
Liar & Spy was a solid 4-star book until the two reveals at the end, which shot the book down to a 2-star. The characters are fun and quirky, the city feels like home in Stead's hands, and the story is full of everyday joy and laughter that paint the picture of a full life. All was well until I found out I was being lied to. The big lie wasn't done in a clever way, leaving clues for the reader. It was just a huge lie that revealed a character weakness too far into the story to be compelling. Instead, it felt like a betrayal, and as a result I ended up liking neither Georges nor Safer. I would rename this book Lying Coward & That Little Jerk Upstairs were I being brutally honest.
Read this book for the funny characters, the lessons in science and friendship at Georges' school, and the interesting family in Safer's household. Just be aware that you're being lied to, and you won't have much time to sympathize with the characters before you reach the final page.