Original, Imaginative, Intriguing, Funny, Courageous
Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead
Published by Wendy Lamb Books an imprint of Random House Children's Books, Copyright 2012
Georges isn’t very excited about moving into a
Brooklyn apartment building. To make things worse his dad recently lost his
job, his mom is always working at the hospital, and Georges is the victim of a
bully at school. Soon after he moves into the apartment building he is
recruited into the Spy Club run by twelve-year-old Safer. Georges is happy that
he has a new a friend, but quickly has second thoughts about the spy games that
Safer is making him play.
Grade level: 4
Lexile Measure: 670L
Description: Fiction
Suggested delivery: Independent read
Electronic Resources:
Book Summary Video
Students can watch
this video which includes a book summary and analysis to gain background
knowledge about the book before reading. They can also use it to make their own
book trailers after reading.
Students can visit Rebecca Stead's website to learn about the author through a short biography and interviews. They can also read summaries of all of her books including Liar and Spy to find new reading material if they like this book.
Teaching Strategies
Key vocabulary:
·
Premonition
– a feeling that something is going to happen when there is no definite reason
to believe it will
·
Furtive
– secretive
·
Espionage
– the things that are done to find out secrets from enemies or competitors
·
Modicum
– a small amount of
·
Morality
– beliefs about what is wrong behavior and what is right behavior
·
Stamina
– great physical or mental strength that allows you to continue to do something
for a long time
Before
reading: Have a class discussion about bullying. Ask students to share examples
of bullying that they have experienced and what they can do about it. Explain
how the character in the story is often bullied in order to help students
relate to Georges and see from his perspective as they read the book.
During
reading: Have students create a storyboard as they read, mapping out important events
that occur in chronological order.
After
reading: Have students create their own book trailer for the book using https://animoto.com/. They can follow these guidelines
from readwritethink.org:
Writing
activity: In the book Mr. Landau is teaching the class about taste and asks
them to write an essay using a metaphor of taste, or an experience from their
life that they may describe with that taste. Georges is assigned bittersweet. Have
students write an essay that Georges may write at the end of the novel that
expresses his understanding of bittersweet.
Stead, R. (2012). Liar & Spy. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.
As bullying is a severe and ongoing issue that occurs in school systems, I really think it is wise of you to have an open discussion about bullying as it relates to the book before reading. Great thinking!
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