I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Carter, Ally. 2006. I’D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 1423100034 [Suggested Grade Levels 7-12]

REVIEW
Cammie Morgan is a typical fifteen-year-old, if a typical teenager can speak fourteen languages and kill a man in seven ways. Being raised by spies, it is only natural that a daughter would follow in her parents’ footsteps. And to do so, Cammie is being trained at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. The name of the school is no lie, all of the students are geniuses and score record breaking highs on aptitude tests, but the name of the school does not reveal its true intention. Gallagher Academy is a school for spies.

Cammie and her friends are in their sophomore year and are taking Covert Operations, their “first exposure to real spy stuff.” When Cammie meets a boy, however, the training in the classroom is nothing compared to the secret mission being performed by the girls. Cammie Morgan may know how to defend against an “attacker” and break into someone’s house (both of which she does while researching her crush), but she hasn’t the first clue when it comes to liking a boy and having him like her back.

CONNECTIONS
Ask readers to imagine life as a spy. Would they want to be behind the scenes like Liz or in the action like Bex? What qualities do they have that would make them good potential spies? What qualities would need to be improved? What type of missions would they want to partake in?

RELATED BOOKS
Other books about girls trying to fit in:
Calonita, Jen. SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE. ISBN 0316154423
Cohn, Rachel. POP PRINCESS. ISBN 0689852053


By Mary D. Buckalo