Cecily Sawyer How to be a spy by Iona Rangeley illustrated by David Tazzyman

"My name is Cecily Sawyer and I'm investigating the disappearance of Emmeline and Peregrine Sawyer. I know this city's mice are being used as spies 

and I know who kidnapped my parents."

Publisher blurb: Cecily Sawyer has spent the evening in the attic, training her pet mouse, Mrs Maple-Syrup – an unusually intelligent mouse, in Cecily’s opinion – when her parents disappear. Luckily, Cecily is more than ready to investigate such a thing. She has wanted to be a spy her whole life, and has all the spy handbooks, manuals and code-cracking kits a girl could need. But soon, Cecily discovers several very strange things in her city. She’s not the only spy out there – far from it, in fact. And Mrs Maple-Syrup is not the only unusually intelligent mouse…

I am not sure if this is a book that young readers aged 9+ will stick with - it has such a large cast of characters and I found the motivations of the adults, who used to belong to one organisation but who have now formed several spy agencies, very confusing. In the end I was also a little bit lost about who were the baddies. I did admire the perseverance of young Cecily and the way she used her knowledge gained from reading a large number of books about working as a spy. It was fun to read the scene when Cecily used the telephone box to transport herself to another place - you have probably seen this in a movie or on the television program Get Smart. In fact, the slapstick style of this book reminded me of a little of that show especially all of her gadgets such as a fire shooting pen and exploding cactus plant.

The organisation names were also a little confusing:

The Espionage Collective

The Intelligent Institute of Espionage and Counterespionage

The Counter Espionage Collective

The Nightcrawler Network

The United League of Reconnaissance

Cecily's books:

Espionage for School-aged Children

The Little Girl's guide to Forging your identity

Code-Breaking for beginners

The Little girl's guide to faking your death and evading your enemies

Manipulation and Intrigue

Surveillance made simple

The Little Girl's G

Thuide to scaling buildings and crossing borders

The Little Girl's Guide to plotting, meddling and coniving

The Little Girl's Guide to infiltration of a Crime Ring

The Little Girl's Guide to Common household poisons

The Little Girl's Guide to starting fires and winning them

So you're assembling a new spy organisation: What next?

You can read story sample here. This book is the first in a planned trilogy. 

Iona Rangeley is the author of this series:

In some ways the tone and format of this book Cecily Sawyer How to be a spy reminded me of this series. These are the newer covers but I do prefer the original ones:

Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz

Max is an only child living in Berlin with his parents - his father is a watchmaker and his mother takes in clothes that need alterations and repairs. They are not wealthy but they are happy.  But this is a Jewish family, the year is 1939 and it is clear they are all in danger then comes the dreadful night - the event named Kristallnacht. His mother and father have been negotiating to send Max away and now this is urgent. Max absolutely does not want to leave his parents but they take him to the train and he sets off to England. He is taken in by a wealthy Jewish family, the Montagus, so culturally things feel slightly 'normal' but all Max wants to do is to find a way back home.

Max is a child genius. He can solve complex problems and he is an expert with radios. At school he has a problem with horrid bullies - he solves this using his brain. Also at school he is expected to take part in a brutal rugby game - again he solves this using his brain - I adored what he did to avoid this match. Over time his actions come to the attention of the uncle in his adopted family. Uncle Ewan is actually a Lieutenant Commander who works for British Naval Intelligence. He is the person who takes Max to a set of houses and a mansion owned by the wealth Rothschild family and this is the place where his training begins. Max is being trained to be a spy - to go back to Berlin and potentially do something involving radios - we don't know much about this in the first installment. For now, Max just has to pass this training in fact he has to be extraordinary.

Spoiler alert- I devoured this book in just one day BUT I have to give a huge warning. The final page is a total cliff hanger - Max arrives outside Berlin after being dropped from a plane on a parachute but his guide is lying dead on the ground. Luckily there are only two books in this series so I anticipate things will be resolved in the next installment and hopefully Max will be safe and (do I dare to hope for a fairy tale ending) reunited with his Mama and Papa. While we are in a spoiler paragraph here, I should also mention Max does meet Winston Churchill - this is another scene that is so well written. 

The suggested age range for Max and the House of Spies is 8-14 - that in my opinion is ridiculous. I highly recommend Max and the House of Spies for mature readers aged 11+. Notice the label 'Magical Realism'. Max has two little characters on his shoulders - you can see them on the cover. The reviewer at the School Library Journal explains them this way: Berg is a kobold (from Merriam-Webster: an often mischievous domestic spirit of German folklore) and Stein is a dybbuk (from the Jewish Virtual Library: an evil spirit which enters into a living person, cleaves to his soul, causes mental illness, talks through his mouth, and represents a separate and alien personality).To me they represented optimism and pessimism, and also at times they feel like a way to hear Max's own thoughts. Whatever their role I loved the way they added humour to some incredibly tense and dangerous situations. 

Australian children will enjoy the inclusion of a kangaroo (yes this will be a surprise) but we would want her to eat vegemite not marmite but I guess there would not be any vegemite in the UK in 1940.

This book is a hilarious page-turner that successfully raises, but does not solve, the problem of evil. It’s also a well-researched historical novel that eventually sends Max to British spy school. He’s trained for undercover work in Nazi Germany, smuggled back to Berlin… and then something truly awful happens, leaving the reader hanging. Historical Novel Society

Fun, fact-filled, exciting, and unafraid to ask the tough questions, dip deep into this one when you can. Then get ready to want to read the next one immediately. Fuse 8 Betsy Bird - read this whole review Betsy gives some really great insights into this book. 

True to its title, this is a book about spy craft and espionage during World War II. But it's also a book about figuring out who you are and about being true to that person once you do. This is a book about history, antisemitism, bullying and the dangers of group think. It's about friendship and families: those you are born into and those you choose. But most of all, Max In The House of Spies is a book about love. Library Girl

Check out my very recent post about the Kindertransport. 

Here is the sequel to Max in the House of Spies - and YES I will begin reading it tonight because I just cannot leave Max stranded in that field near Berlin.

The House Trap by Emma Read

Claude and his sister Amity are moving to a new part of the country. Claude was Deliah's best friend but over the last year while they were both in Grade seven things have changed. This is so confusing for Deliah. Now Claude seems to be friends with an awful bratty boy named Sam. 

On the day the story begins the four kids are sent out of the house to 'play' but with the added warning not to go into Badwell Woods. Of course anyone who has read a book with a premise like this will expect the kids will ignore this warning and go into the woods. Somewhere deep in the forest they find an old mansion. It looks neglected on the outside but the inside is very strange. There is even a container of ice which holds drinks but clearly no one is home. Then the door slams shut and the four of them are trapped. This house is full of tricks, puzzles and danger. These four children have to find a way to mend their relationships and solve a series of puzzles and yes, at times, it feels like their lives are really in danger. Along the way they meet a young ghost named Hypatia. It was her father who made all the traps and puzzles back in 1930. In subsequent years other kids have also been trapped in this house. Claude, Deliah, Amity and Sam meet two of them who have been stuck in the house for twenty years. The other kids have all disappeared.

Read an extract on the Chicken House webpage. Here is the very brief blurb: Deliah, Sam and Claude follow little sister Amity inside a mysterious mansion. But no sooner have they found her than the floor beneath their feet starts to twist and turn: the house rearranges itself like a giant Rubik's cube. To escape, they must solve the puzzle and the century-old mystery of a girl who disappeared ...

Reviewers liken this book to Jumanji and in fact that famous book is mentioned at one point. I did know all the kids would be safe but there are moments in this story where the dangers they encounter are truly terrifying. I suggest this book for readers aged 10+. Oh and these are modern kids from 2020 but conveniently they all have to leave their mobile phones at home. Sam smuggles his in his pocket but mysteriously it does not work in this strange house. 

A fabulous twist on a timeless haunted house adventure ... (It's) Scooby-Doo meets The Mysterious Benedict Society via Escape Room. Full of friendship, teamwork and logic versus instinct - all wrapped up in a book with thrills, heart and bags of atmosphere. Perfect for readers aged 9 and up. GLORIOUSLY SPOOKY AND UTTERLY SPLENDID.' Hana Tooke, author of The Unadoptables. Reading Zone

Emma Read's no holds barred use of descriptive language allows the reader to see, hear and even smell the malevolence of Manvers Hall. Many female readers will relate to the main character, Deliah; she loves maths and riddles but is often mocked and considered 'nerdy'. It's wonderful, therefore, that Deliah's penchant for puzzles is the group's salvation; a powerful embodiment of feminism and a strong reminder to be happy in the skin that you are in. Reading Zone

Here is the website for Emma Read.

Companion books:

Floors

Her Perilous Mansion

Small Change for Stuart

Out of the Wild Night

The Parker Inheritance

Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library

The Great Fox Illusion

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Missing Piece by Jordan Stephens illustrated by Beth Suzanna

Sunny loves to work on and complete jigsaw puzzles. 

"Every piece was connected and every piece was important."
"Whenever Sunny finished a puzzle she would feel a warm, honey-tickle of happiness in her chest."

One day Sunny asked her grandmother what happens when she runs out of puzzles. Grandma is so wise. She gives Sunny a 1000-piece puzzle but what Sunny does not know just yet is that one piece is missing. This puzzle has been shared with many of their neighbors so Sunny has to go door knocking to ask if anyone has the all-important puzzle piece. Each house she visits is different:

"The Jack family's house smelled of warm bread and looked like milky tea."

"The Patel house smelled of spices and looked like a waving candle."

"The Stephens house smelled like an ocean breeze and looked like a coral reef."

So, Sunny meets Violet, Ravi and Gabriel and along the way she finds three new friends and discovers just how wise her grandmother truly is. 

Image source: Bloomsbury

Have you guessed about the missing puzzle piece - yes Grandma had it all along in her pocket.

There are two covers at the top of this post because the paperback edition has changed the colour of the cover to yellow - I wonder why? 

Luckily, I did not know this is one of those 'celebrity books' and that Jordan Stephens is a writer and performer best known for being one half of pop duo Rizzle Kick. I have deep reservations about 'celebrities' who write children's books. Read what my blogger/review hero Betsy Bird has to say about this phenomenon. 

The Missing Piece has much to tell us about friends, family, and learning new truths about ourselves. The concept behind the book works well on both a realistic and a metaphorical level and could be read aloud in class or form part of a class library for children to browse through independently. Just Imagine

The author’s late grandmothers were his inspiration for this beautiful debut picture book story that contains a powerful message about empathy, opening our hearts and minds to what life’s journey has to offer, and the importance of family and friends. I love his descriptions of the various homes Sunny calls at and positive responses she receives from the young residents. Equally uplifting and heart-warming are debut illustrator, Beth Suzanna’s bold, bright scenes of Sunny’s learning journey as she searches for wholeness. Books for Keeps

Awards:

• Shorlisted for the Inclusive Books for Children award 2024
• Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2023

Of course you will want to read this book too:

Jigsaw: a puzzle in the post

Here is a companion book which also demonstrates the wisdom of a grandmother who can see that her grandchild needs to find a friend. This is a very old book and long out of print but it might be in a library.

I previously talked about What you need to be warm by Neil Gaiman. I was delighted to discover one of the contributing illustrators is Beth Suzanna.  

William Wenton and the Liridium Thief by Bobbie Peers translated by Tara Chace

 

The opening scenes in this book reminded me of The Graveyard book by Neil Gaiman. Do you remember the scene where the assassin arrived to murder the baby? In my book today William Wenton and his family are living in hiding in Norway. Young William is a skilled code breaker, but his parents have banned him from all codes and puzzles and also told him he must keep a low profile. He even has to remember his new name at school. But William reads in the newspaper that there will be a one-day exhibit at the local museum of the Impossible Puzzle. William is desperate to see this object which has been touring the world and luckily his class are going to the museum on an excursion. The exhibition is too full for the children to visit but William finds a way inside and amazingly he finds himself on the stage with the puzzle - and yes, also amazingly, he solves it. Oh no - he has drawn attention to himself and now his family are in grave danger.

"Suddenly he spotted a large shadow, which moved along the wall then disappeared. William was about to call out, but he was interrupted by his father who suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, "WILLIAM GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! RUN! RUN! William stood on the landing, completely paralyzed. He heard his father wail and then his father shouted again. "RUN, WILLIAM, RUN!"

William does escape only to be captured moments later and then the roller coaster ride of this thrilling story begins. William's grandfather has been missing for many years. He was a famous code breaker, and he also founded a school called the Institue for Post-Human Research and this is where William is taken. He is told his mother and father are safe and so William settles into school life - a school which is perfect for his intellect and abilities BUT William is a curious boy and he really needs to know about his missing grandfather and so the adventure takes on another enormous plot twist with William searching disused railway tunnels searching for the cryogenically frozen body of his grandfather. Little does he know he is heading straight into danger because it is William's own body that holds a secret and the evil Abraham Talley will stop at nothing to get the precious liridium (of the title) and this means William will need to be killed.

If you are in need of a page turner, then this is THE BOOK for you! I started this in the morning and finished it later that night. In fact, I was visiting friends and I had to ask them to stop interrupting me so I could keep reading. I now see this book is part of a series but luckily this installment has a good ending and so I have not been left hanging around waiting for book two or three. Book one of the William Wenton series has also been issued with a different title. [9781481478267]

I also need to mention there are fabulous robots in this story. I will say that again - fabulous fabulous robots! I think this series will be enjoyed by fans of Harry Potter (of course) and fans of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. I also recommend look for The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards.

Bobbie Peers is a Norwegian author film director and screen writer.  

Bobbie Peers made his mark on Norwegian film history when he won a Palme d’Or in 2006 for Sniffer, written and directed by Peers himself. The award became the first of many milestones in the London International Film School graduate’s career as a director and film writer. The first book in the William Wenton series, William Wenton and the Luridium Thief was published in 2017, has been translated into over 30 languages.

Here is the original cover of The Liridium Thief.

This novel received the Norwegian Ark Children's Book Award in 2015. Peer's imaginative and intense cybernetic world add excitement and danger to William's dangerous quest for the truth, and this would make an exciting class novel for Upper Primary students. Read Plus

Here is the Reading Time review.

It also won the Box Hatcher Award 2017 (Bokslukerprisen award) which is a Norwegian children's choice award. This award uses an interesting form:

Middle school pupils will vote for their favourites based on excerpts from an anthology with excerpts from 10 books for the target group.

Use Google translate to read the text extract the students read as they judged this book their winner. 

Awards:

• Shortlisted for the Fantastic Book Awards 2018-19 UK 2019
• Parents’ Choice Award recommended title US 2017
• The Bokslukerprisen Award Norway 2017
• Children’s Book Award Norway 2016
• Book of the Year Norway 2016
• The Ark’s Children’s Book Award Norway 2015

Here is the German cover:

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

QUESTION

BELIEVE
CHOOSE TO LIVE, CHOOSE TO LOVE

KNOW WHAT YOU COME FROM
SEEK TO LEARN
UNDERSTAND THOSE YOU LOVE
TREASURE YOUR LIFE

Elise is eleven and has moved up to middle school. Middle school is a whole different world. Elise does have a very special friend - Franklin - but now some of the things they do together somehow seem childish. On the first day of the new school Elise is given her locker buddy. She is a wretched, mean, bully girl named Amanda. 

Who can Elise turn to? The homework from school is out of control. The teachers seem disinterested and even unkind. Franklin seems slightly embarrassing yet he was once her very best friend. 

When she was just born Elise's mum died and only a few years later, her father died too - from cancer. Elise lives with her beautiful Aunt Bessie and Uncle Hugh. Bessie is a wonderful cook and Hugh has so much patience and wisdom but really Elise needs time and trust in her friends and family to work out all her life problems. The delicious food in this book reminded me of the food from the previous book Love, Aubrey. 

Adding to all of this Elise finds a key with her name on the tag. In their barn, on the top floor, there are eight doors. Over time Elise finds eight keys and discovers so much about herself, her father, her mother and life in general. The rooms are rather like a puzzle and have been set up long ago by her father for when the time was just right. The different things revealed in each room is a useful story device and one which I think readers aged 10+ will really enjoy. And yes there are only seven words in the list at the start of this post - you need to read this book to discover the eighth key.

This book was published in 2011 but it is still available however here in Australia the paperback is quite expensive so perhaps you will find this book in a library. Here are three other cover designs. I am not sure I especially like any of them but, as I said with Suzanne's first book (Love, Aubrey) I would be very happy to put this book (Eight Keys) into the hands of a sensitive reader especially one of the cusp of moving to high school.

Just over two years ago I read Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. I ordered it because I absolutely adored two other books by Susanne LaFleur - Beautiful Blue World and Threads of Blue. At a recent charity book sale I spied this book - Eight Keys - another book by Suzanne LaFleur and this morning I picked it up to read. After an outing later in the morning I came home and finished the whole book of 214 pages. This was just what I needed - to read a whole book in a day. Lately I have laboured over several 'heavier' books which I am struggling to complete. It is so satisfying when a book just sweeps you along and you want to read and read and read until you reach the end. Oh and I also love books that make me cry (just a little).

Here is an interview with Suzanne LaFleur.

In this one, small, sweet book, everything in the world that's important is revealed. It's a book about relationships: losing them, finding them, and fixing them. Dickens library

I would pair Eight Keys with these:

Things seen from Above

Are you there, Buddha?

Aster's right good things

Pieces of Georgia

Hound Dog True

If you want to book talk Eight Keys I suggest using the scene where Elise visits her parents graves. It is sad, yes, but also uplifting and healing from the end of chapter 9 and beginning of chapter 10. 

"Is it my fault you're here?' Cold stone never answered anyone. 'Well, it probably wasn't worth it. I'm bad at everything and nobody but our family likes me. I can't even keep one friend.' I wiped my nose on my sleeve. 'I'm really sorry.' I lay down on the grass, a little closer to them.  ... (That night) I didn't dream at all. That was nice. When I woke up I felt rested ... I was thinking about Franklin. I felt so much better today, and maybe what happened really wasn't his fault. We could try again." 

The Great Fox Illusion by Justyn Edwards

I thought I might explain the plot of this book using dot points:

• A crazy millionaire sets up an almost impossible competition filled with seemingly impossible magic tricks (these amazed me)
• Time is ticking - this is all very urgent and every move is being controlled and filmed
• Our hero Flick's dad is missing but she is sure he is still alive
• Only Flick can save the day
• Someone is blackmailing Flick and she knows her mother is in danger
• Flick needs to find a mysterious magic trick invented by her dad, possibly the best ever developed, before it gets into the wrong hands
• Flick has a quick mind and terrific problem solving skills
• Flick also has a disability - she only has one leg - and her shocking pain as she runs through the puzzle house, desperate to win, adds so much to the tension in this story
• Luckily her father has passed on important information about how magic tricks work
• The other team in the competition are cheating and they regularly bully Flick and her friend Charlie. The reasons for their dreadful behaviour and high tech gadgets are also part of the mystery.
• Working to solve the puzzles set by the competition organisers, Flick discovers two heads are way better than one (thank goodness)
• Eating ice cream at midnight does seem like a terrific idea

Publisher blurb: Thirteen-year-old Flick Lions has won a place on a new television show, in which young people compete to win the legacy of the Great Fox, one of the world's most famous magicians. But Flick isn't interested in uncovering the Great Fox's tired old magic tricks – she's after something much more important. The magician destroyed her family, and this is Flick's only chance to put things right. Inside the Fox's house is a secret that will change the world of magic for ever, and Flick will go to any lengths to find it.

A story about hope, family, loyalty and courage there is also a sense of mystery throughout the story and the answers are there the whole time but I didn’t spot them… until I had finished! Little Blog of Library Treasures

This brilliant debut novel will leave readers scratching their heads trying to figure out what just happened. The Great Fox Illusion is a magical story brimming with adventure, illusion, and friendship ...  Reading Time

At the end of this book enough things are resolved to satisfy readers but the way is also open for a possible sequel. Take a look at the Walker Books UK trailer. Here is the web site for the author. It also contains a game. This book was published in April, 2022.  Huge thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy. This is one of those books that really surprised me.  I thought I would dip in and read the first chapter and a couple of hours later I found I had read the whole book!

This book is perfect for fans of Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library.

You could also look in a school library for these:

Small Change for Stuart

Tricky Nick

Disappearing Act

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Parker Inheritance

Look for all the books in this series which now have very different covers

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

 

I was reminded of a multigenerational story idea—a story that tracks a family’s experience with racism from the early 1900s to today—and I realised that this was the story that I needed to pair with the puzzle. Varian Johnson

I like to think of The Parker Inheritance as a mash-up: part contemporary fiction, part historical fiction, part mystery— even part middle-grade novel and part young-adult novel. That being said, I’m proud of the historical parts of the novel. I think it’s important that we write historical fiction—we don’t want to forget the sacrifices that others made in the past to make the world a better place for us today. Varian Johson

Candice and her mother have moved to Lambert, South Carolina. Her grandmother has left Candice a letter which contains a puzzle. From the letter Candice learns there might be a huge amount of money hiding in this small town but to find it Candice will need to solve a complex puzzle and make some discoveries about some very disturbing events from the past. Luckily Candice has made a new friend - the boy who lives across the road called Brandon. He is good at puzzles too.

Varian Johnson uses alternating voices - Candice from the present and characters from the past beginning with 1914 and progressively moving through time. It feels a little as though each character takes a microphone to share his or her role in the mystery.  Take a minute to read this wonderful review by Elizabeth Bird in the School Library Journal. She sums this book up by saying: Come for the puzzle, then. Stay for the biting glimpse of America’s intolerant past.

We are in lock down here in Sydney and so it was good to have an absorbing book to read yesterday. I started and finished The Parker Inheritance in just one day and it is 337 pages of fairly small print. The two covers above are the paperback edition (top) and the hardcover edition. I prefer the hardcover one - which one appeals to you? Listen to an audio sample from Chapter two. The Parker Inheritance is a Coretta Scott King Honour Book. Here are some teaching notes.

The town of Lambert brims with intrigue, keeping readers entranced until the very last page. A candid and powerful reckoning of history.  Kirkus Star review

When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding the letter-writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. So with the help of Brandon Jones, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfil the letter's promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?  Social Justice Books.

The puzzle aspect of this story reminded me of books by Blue Balliett and the issues of racial prejudice reminded me of The Watsons go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis and Stella by Starlight by Sharon M Draper. 

I enjoyed the way US History especially from the 1950's was woven into this story. Before reading this book here in Australia a reader aged 11+ will perhaps need to do some background reading about segregation; Brown v. Board of education; and civil rights.  In the US this book is listed for 9+ but in my view that is way too young. There is one very violent scene in this book which might disturb a younger reader.

This book refers to The Westing Game (1978) by Ellen Raskin which I have not read but have added to my 'to read' list.