Review: Liar and Spy

12-year-old Georges (the s is silent) moves into a new apartment building and sees a sign for a “spy club meeting.” It is there where Georges meets Safer, the self-appointed spy, and the adventure begins. They start staking-out the mysterious Mr. X who dresses all in black and carries suitcases (full of what?) out of his apartment. As the stake-outs grow more intense, Georges starts to question Safer’s intentions and questionable methods. A great book about friendship and confronting your fears.

What I liked: the characters are fabulous. The main character Georges is so believable as a 12-year-old making a new friend. I liked being in his head and seeing all the characters through his eyes. The two families are also great. Each character is so completely different and interesting, it made me want to meet them in person.
What I didn’t like: the first half of the book is so slow. It was a struggle for me to plow through the beginning, but then, once it picked up, it was interesting (and the ending was great). But, the struggle was real. I almost didn’t finish it, and that is bad.

3.5 out of 5 stars