Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead (October 2012, Andersen Press Ltd, ISBN: 9781849395076)
Liar & Spy is the long-awaited follow-up to When You Reach Me (which I loved). Set in present-day Brooklyn, it's about seventh-grader Georges (named after Georges Seurat) who has had to move from a house into an apartment after his dad lost his job. His mother is a nurse and works as much as she can.
Georges is bullied at school, not least because of his name; even though the 's' is silent he is often called gorgeous. The book opens with a science lesson and we hear about the taste-test that the class will have at some point - the teacher will give them a sample of a chemical which most people can taste but not all. There is an urban myth about those who cannot taste it - that they will find true love or die tragically - so there's a lot of anticipation.
In his new apartment block, Georges becomes friendly with a similarly aged boy called Safer and his younger sister Candy, and Safer and Georges form a Spy Club. Safer's demands on Georges become more and more morally questionable as they spy on the mysterious Mr X upstairs.
Initially, I though this was going to be a crime novel with the boys solving a mystery but it's not that at all. It's a snap-shot of Georges' life at a turning point - with his family circumstances drastically changed and the feared taste-test coming along; Georges has to make some decisions and take control of his life. He has been following his mum's philosophy of each short-lived moment being a small dot which makes up a whole - as in Seurat's paintings - but his dad reminds him that life is also what's happening now. Georges also has secrets, as does Safer and these are finally revealed leaving Liar & Spy ending on a much happier note than I'd been expecting. Can't wait to see what Rebecca Stead writes next.
Lira & Spy has been longlisted for the Guardian children's fiction prize 2013.
Showing posts with label Rebecca Stead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rebecca Stead. Show all posts
Monday, July 1, 2013
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Review: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

First Line: So Mom got the postcard today.
Review: When You Reach Me has won a whole host of awards in the US, including The Newbery Medal 2010, and I couldn't put it down.
When You Reach Me is set in the last two years of the 1970s. Twelve-year-old Miranda lives with her mum in an apartment in New York and they live above the flat of Miranda's best friend Sal. Miranda and Sal have been walking to school together for forever but when a boy attacks Sal on the way home, Sal begins to avoid Miranda. Then Miranda's spare key is stolen and then the most strange thing of all: a peculiar note appears in her knapsack telling her that the writer is coming to save her friend's life but that Miranda must write him/her a letter detailing all that has happened up to this point and also include the information as to where her spare key is kept.
Miranda is frightened now, but carries on with her usual life, except that the tiff with Sal means she gets to make new friends and also speak occasionally to the odd boy who punched Sal - Marcus. As well as school-life, Miranda helps her mum prepare to go on a game-show to win $20,000. Two more notes appear at intervals, and seem to provide proof for something incredible. Miranda wonders what she must do to prevent the harm to her friend and which of her friends is in danger?
I adored When You Reach Me and I'm trying not to give anything away about the premise. It's a real mystery, with the "what's going on with these notes" factor pulling you from one short chapter to the next. Miranda is a likeable lead who is starting to discover boys and maturing in other ways, such as becoming more considerate of others' feelings. At less than 200 pages, every word counts and though you only spend a few months with Miranda and her family, by the end of the book you feel that you know their future lives as well, which is rather comforting. I can't wait to see what Rebecca Stead writes next.
NB: The cover is brilliant showing many of the key places and items which are integral to the story.
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