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Spy Runner
Living in Tucson in 1953 at the height of the Red Scare, 12-year-old Jake is just as caught up in the anti-Communist fervor as everyone around him. Jake, who is white, doesn’t remember his dad, who never came home from World War II and is believed to be in a Russian prison camp. When Jake’s mom takes in a Russian boarder, Shubin, Jake’s sure Shubin must be a Russian spy. It doesn’t help that Jake and his best friend are obsessed with a comic called Spy Runner; they believe it’s an instruction manual for how to expose Russian spies. It also doesn’t help that after Shubin’s arrival, Jake keeps seeing a mysterious man with gold teeth, is followed by a black car, and is even visited by two FBI agents who give him their cards. Determined to expose Shubin, Jake engages in a series of increasingly risky acts in this over-the-top novel with a comic book sensibility and flair. Occasional grainy back-and-white illustrations reminiscent of spy photographs, and essential to the plot, appear throughout an action-packed story full of unbelievable tasks of daring—a comic book without comics—that also offers insight into paranoia and false patriotism. ©2020 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-13
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
20th Century
Action/Adventure
Cold War
Mysteries
Politics and Political Systems
Spies and Intrigue
U.S. History
Publishers:
Godwin Books, Henry Holt
Publish Year: 2019
ISBN: 9781250120816
CCBC Location: Fiction, Yelchin