Georges, age twelve, has just moved into a new apartment building in New York City. His father has lost his job and his mother is working double shifts at the hospital to try to make up some of the family income. On one of their first days in the new building, Georges’s dad notices a sign posted in the basement for a meeting of a Spy Club, so Georges shows up to see what it’s about. The only two members of the club, he learns, are a boy his age, Safer, and his little sister Candy, both of whom are homeschooled. Safer begins training Georges to be a spy, and they set their sights on one mysterious resident in the building, a man whom Safer calls Mr. X. Before long, Safer is asking Georges to do things that make him uncomfortable, such as going into Mr X’s apartment when he’s not at home. But it turns out that many things aren’t what they seem in Rebecca Stead’s novel, which ultimately reveals the ways two kids deal with their very different, very real fears by constructing alternate versions of the truth through the stories they share. Does this make Georges an unreliable narrator? Is Safer an unreliable friend? There’s plenty for readers to discuss, including a subplot involving bullies with a feel-good resolution that seems unlikely but welcome, just like dimensions of the stories Georges and Safer shared. (Ages 9–12)

The instant New York Times bestseller from the author of the Newbery Medal book When You Reach Me: a story about spies, games, and friendship. Seventh grader Georges moves into a Brooklyn apartment building and meets Safer, a twelve-year-old self-appointed spy. Georges becomes Safer's first spy recruit. His assignment? Tracking the mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the apartment upstairs. But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: what is a lie, and what is a game? How far is too far to go for your only friend? Like the dazzling When You Reach Me, Liar & Spy will keep readers guessing until the end.

Praise for Liar & Spy

   • A Junior Library Guild Selection
   • A New York Times Bestseller
   • An Indie Bestseller
   • Kirkus Reviews starred review
   • Publishers Weekly starred review
   • The Horn Book starred review
   • School Library Journal starred review
   • The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books starred review
   • Autumn 2012 Kids’ Indie Next List
   • Nominated for the Best Fiction for Young Adults 2013
   • Kirkus Reviews Best of Children’s Books 2012 List
   • Publishers Weekly Best of Children’s Fiction 2012
   • School Library Journal Best of Children’s Fiction 2012 List
   • The Horn Book’s Best of 2012 List
   • Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2012 for Kids List
   • Amazon’s Best of the Year, Middle Grade (#3)
   • A New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of 2012
   • Holiday gift guides: Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times
   • NPR Outstanding “Backseat” Reads for Ages 9-14, NPR’s Backseat Book Club
   • One of The Atlantic Wire’s 25 favorite middle grade and young adult book covers of 2012
   • The Wall Street Journal’s Best Children’s Books of 2012
   • The Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2012
   • The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 2012 Blue Ribbons List