Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

Part 2 of this review

I am now up to page thirty-nine and things just get better and better.

Georges and his dad spend the day moving into their new apartment. Georges sees a boy with two dogs heading down a door to the basement. He will meet this same boy in a few pages.

I am enjoying the small observations Rebecca Stead makes such as when Georges is standing by the main door to the apartment building supposedly to hold it open but actually it is being held open by a door wedge "a scratched up wooden triangle that reminds me of the blocks in pre-K."

When Georges and his dad take the recycling down to the basement after unpacking all the kitchen bits and pieces they see a sign : "Spy Club Meeting - Today!"  Georges' dad takes a pencil and writes "What time?"  When Georges goes back to the basement a few minutes later the sign says "1.30?" and when Georges goes to the meeting at 1.30 he meets the boy with the dogs - who is called Safer and a girl called Candy - who oddly enough loves to eat Candy.  He also finds out about Mr X.

I have a little better insight in to why they have moved.  Dad has lost his job and is now working for himself as a freelance architect. The family have downsized. Dad sounds like he has great ideas.  Georges' old bedroom had a real fire escape built in with his bed right at the top.

I mentioned those tiny details.  Here is another one as they unpack their books and place them onto the shelves in the living room : "Dad is looking at the bookshelves, deep in thought, deciding exactly where book should go where.  Once, Mum came home from work and discovered that he had turned all the books around so the bindings were against the wall and the pages faced out.  He said it was calming not to have all those words floating around and 'creating static."

One more thing I know how Georges got his name.  The family own a print of a famous painting by Georges Seurat.  I have included it on this post.  On with the reading!