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

School Library Journal Best of Children's Books 2012

Publishers Weekly Best of Children's Books 2012

Kirkus Reviews Best of Children's Books 2012

Starred Review, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2012:
“Readers will sympathize with Georges and Safer as they negotiate various familiar obstacles, but it’s the celebration that will leave them exultant.”

Starred Review, School Library Journal, September 2012:
“The ending twists readers’ entire perception of the events and creates a brilliant conclusion to an insightful novel.”

Starred Review, The Horn Book, September/October, 2012:
“Stead’s spare and elegant prose, compassionate insight into the lives of young people, wry sense of humor, deft plotting, and ability to present complex ideas in an accessible and intriguing way make this much more than a mystery with a twist.”

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, June 11, 2012:
“Chock-full of fascinating characters and intelligent questions, this is as close to perfect as middle-grade novels come.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2012:
“[A] big-hearted, delightfully quirky tale…. Georges resolves his various issues in a way that’s both ingenious and organic to the story….Original and winning”


From the Hardcover edition.