ReadOn Book Review by Mrs Sylaprany:

Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead, is about a seventh-grade boy named Georges who has just moved from his large, comfortable house to an apartment with his father and mother. Georges’ father has recently lost his job as an architect so his mother, who is a nurse, has been working night shift in the intensive care ward. Upon moving to the apartment, Georges and his father come across an old dusty sign in the basement advertising a ‘Spy Club’. Georges dismisses it initially but curiosity gets the better of him and Georges meets some of the apartment’s other residents, homeschooled ten-year-old Candy and her aspiring detective brother, Safer. Georges days are divided between school (where he has to deal with bullying and the loss of a close friend to the ‘cool’ kids group), writing notes to his mother (who he never gets to see as she is working night shift at the hospital), setting up their new home with Dad and going to the local Chinese restaurant (frequently) for dinner and a few hair-raising adventures with Safer culminating in the investigation of Mr X (another resident of the apartment block).

If you like books that are amusing, clever, with lots of dialogue and unexpected surprises then you will enjoy this book. This is a story with layers. For most of the novel, readers will feel like they are being entertained. However, it is not until you reach the end of the novel that you will pause for a moment to reflect on what you have finally discovered.

If you like books by Meg Cabot and Ally Carter you might like this book too.

It’s a great read for Years 7 and 8 students (but also highly recommended for older readers and adults too).

Favourite quote – there were many lines and scenes that made me smile so it’s difficult to single out one line or lines but here’s one – “My parents are a little unusual, Georges. My mom is into table manners. But other than that, they’re not vey bossy.”

I give this book 4/5 ReadOn Stars.