Mundie Moms

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Book Review - Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

Written by: Ally Carter
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Release Date: October 2, 2007
Source: Purchased
Purchase from: IndieBound | Barnes and Noble | amazon
5 stars - This book is beyond a Must-Have; it's a Run-Out-and-Get-Now.

Synopsis: Cammie Morgan may have a genius IQ and attend the best school in the country, but as she starts the spring semester of her sophomore year there are a lot of things she doesn't know. Like will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists? And how much trouble did she really get in last semester? And, most of all, exactly why is her mother acting so strangely?




All Cammie wants is a nice, normal semester, but she's about to learn her greatest lesson yet—that when you go to a school for spies, nothing is ever as it seems.

I love discovering a series that has a number of books out already. But the problem? Well, I seem to be devouring them in one day. I tried to slow down my reading of Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, but I couldn’t seem to stop turning pages. For starters, I wanted to know what Cammie’s mother was hiding and what was that new construction in the school all about?

Then in a countersurveillance exercise with the always fun-to-read Mr. Solomon, I smiled when a new character was introduced as he walked into an elevator with Cammie during that very exercise (page 71-72):
   The elevator seemed to move slower and slower as the clock in my head ticked louder and louder, and I thought about how Mr. Solomon might make us walk back to Roseville if no one achieved our mission objectives.
   “You in a hurry or something?” the boy asked.
   “Actually, I’m supposed to meet my teacher at the ruby slipper exhibit. I’ve only got twenty minutes, and if I’m late, he’ll kill me.” (Not a lie, but maybe an exaggeration—I hoped.)
   “How do you know?”
   “Because he said, ‘Meet me at the ruby slipper exhibit.’”
   “No.” The boy was smiling, shaking his head. “How do you know you only have twenty minutes? You’re not wearing a watch.”
   “My friend just told me.” The lie was smooth and easy, and I was a little bit proud of it, happy that I didn’t have to think about how in forty-five seconds, this boy had noticed something that Josh hadn’t seen in four months.
   “You fidget a lot,” he said.
   Make that two things Josh hadn’t even seen.
   “I’m sorry,” I said, but I wasn’t. “I have low blood sugar.” Lie number three. “I need to eat something.” Which wasn’t really a lie, since…well…I was hungry.
   And then the stranger boy totally knocked me for a loop, because he handed me a bag of M and Ms. “Here. I ate most of them already.”

And in that second, I forgot all about Josh. I’m not going to spoil this for you, Mundie Moms; I will say this – get the series. Get all of them. Trust me when I say, you will love the way Zach (that’s the boy in the quote) says the word, “Spy.” His snarky attitude and ability to best Cammie made for the best kind of reading. The kind where there’s a smile plastered on your face. Just for the record, page 235 contained one of my favorite last lines ever.

If you haven’t picked this series up yet, please do. As for me, I’m moving on to the third book, Don’t Judge a Girl By Her Cover and yes, I’m still grinning.

5 comments:

  1. I agree! I love this series. Zach is so cute. I'm constantly laughing out loud like an idiot while reading these books.

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  2. My daughter adores this series! I guess I need to sit down and read it too. Glad to see you enjoyed it ;)

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  3. Kathryn - Zach is ADORABLE. And so is Cammie. I was laughing really hard at one point and swooning at THAT other point. ;D

    Patti - Love your blog title, btw. And OMGosh, grab those books off her shelf. I liked the first one a lot BUT this one, I LOVED. Sorry, shouty caps. You get the idea, I'm sure. Ooops, overdramatic fangirl moment is over. For now.

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  4. It really is such a great book and series as well. I loved the first one but Zach was just an awesome addition to Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy that it was even better! I've read every single one and I've actually read the 1st and 2nd twice. I can't wait until GG5 comes out because if they're in my new high school library then I will be reading all 5. :D READ THE OTHER BOOKS lol

    The series are total 5 star reads, Ally Carter is a genius :)

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  5. Toni - You'll be happy to know that this Mundie Mom may be at a pool with her kids right now, but in my hands is a copy of Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover. ;) Love the series. Can hardly wait until my girls are old enough to really get into them. And yes, they are well worth a re-read. :)

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