Stead, R. (2012). Liar and spy. NY: Random House.
When Georges’ dad is laid off, his family is forced to sell their family home and move into an apartment. While him mom is busy working extra shifts at the hospital, Georges and his dad are on their own. Georges quickly finds a friend in Safer, a quirky young boy in his apartment building. They start a spy club together that becomes very real for Georges. When things come to a head, Georges realizes that it was all a game and feels angry with Safer for playing this game with him without his knowledge. Georges is also a target at school for the bullies. In the end, Georges learns to conquer his fears and deal with the difficulties in his life and he helps his friend Safer do the same. As I was reading, I was thinking about Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. The main character in this book could certainly explain the conventional stage. He is very concerned with obeying laws and displays a strong moral code.
This book could be used with grades 5-7
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