LIAR & SPY by Rebecca Stead

Jacket Art 2012 Yan  Nascimbene

Stead, Rebecca. Liar & Spy. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2012. ISBN 9780385737432

The award winning author Rebecca Stead writes a story about a seventh grader, Georges (the s is silent), who is not popular at school.  He is a little of a geek, but very likable.  His family is forced to move out of their house into a Brooklyn apartment after his father is laid off from his job.  Georges meets a boy named Safer, who has appointed himself the building spy.  He recruits Georges to spy on Mr. X, who leaves the buildings with a large suitcase often and always wears black.  Safer gets more and more serious about spying, and Georges has to decide how far he will go to help out his new friend.

I loved this book and the characters.  You wonder through the entire book, who is the spy and who is the liar.  There are many surprises through the book, you find out things aren't really as they seem to be.  The message is subtle, but a very good message for all ages. Georges learns that sometimes people lie because they are afraid.  There is also quite a bit of humor throughout the book and puns.  Some might be harder for students to understand, but this would be a good classroom lesson.

Liar & Spy in the classroom:

Rebecca Stead makes many references to artist Georges Saurat and the game Scrabble.  Similar to her other books, she gives many opportunities throughout the book to bring in outside conversations about art, literature, and popular culture.  There is also extensive scenes from the science classroom that can lead to other science lessons extending from the book.

The sense of taste is referenced many times throughout the book.  A study of senses, or the five different types of taste buds, would be a great extension of this book.

The artist Georges Seurat is mentioned many times in the book, and Georges' parents have a painting in their living room.  This would be a good chance to collaborate with the art teacher and bring in images of Seurat's paintings.  Students can also learn more about Seurat here.  See Seurat's paintings at this link, then ask students if they can figure out which painting was in Georges' living room from the description in the book. (warning -- there is one nude painting toward the bottom of the page.  Preview before showing in the classroom!)

Awards for Liar & Spy

Bluebonnet List for 2014 - 2015

School Library Journal Best of Children's Books 2012

Publisher's Weekly Best of Children's Books 2012

New York Times Bestseller