Spy Runner

by Eugene Yelchin (Author) Eugene Yelchin (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Set in 1953 during the Cold War, this noir mystery by Newbery Honoree Yelchin ("Breaking Stalin's Nose") follows a 12-year-old boy as he stumbles upon a secret that jeopardizes American national security. Illustrations.
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Hardcover
$21.99

Kirkus

Starred Review
An imagined adventure turned nightmarishly real leads to exciting, life-changing results. 

ALA/Booklist

The action never stops, and readers will be gripped as the narrative thunders to a satisfying conclusion.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

As Americans are told to do their part against Communism during the cold war, 12-year-old Jake McCauley is called to action after his mother invites a Russian boarder to rent his father's attic office. Jake sees his mother's choice as the ultimate betrayal, given that his father has been MIA from the U.S. Air Force since "the old war, the big one, the one with the Nazis." Jake is certain that the boarder, Mr. Shubin, is hiding something, and he'll stop at nothing to uncover the Russian's secrets--even if they're closer to home than Jake ever could have imagined. Yelchin, a Russian-born author and artist, expertly deploys subtle hints about Shubin's ties to Jake's family, foreshadowing the impending reveal, but some details may seem obscure to readers at the young end of the stated range (when Shubin first arrives, Jake returns home to find his mother, shoes and purse abandoned, "barefoot, laughing, her hair a mess"). Steeped in the paranoia and propaganda of the era, the noir tale draws parallels to the current political and social climate, nationalistic prejudices, and media-disseminated misinformation. Black-and-white pixelated images, like a trench coat-clad man's reflection in a shined shoe, add to the sense of time and place while challenging readers to question both their validity and Jake's suspicion of Mr. Shubin. Well-plotted and -paced, Yelchin's thriller will be a favorite among readers who have an interest in history and intrigue. Ages 8-12. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Steeped in the paranoia and propaganda of the era, the noir tale draws parallels to the current political and social climate, nationalistic prejudices, and media-disseminated misinformation. . . Well-plotted and -paced, Yelchin's thriller will be a favorite among readers who have an interest in history and intrigue." —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Spy Runner

"The action never stops, and readers will be gripped as the narrative thunders to a satisfying conclusion." —Booklist on Spy Runner

"an escalating whirl of chases, crashes, threats, assaults, abductions, blazing gunplay, spies, and counterspies—along with revelations that hardly anyone, even Jake's mom, is what they seem." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on Spy Runner

"Yelchin's grainy black and white photo illustrations cast ominous shadows and will surely draw browsers into the text." —The Bulletin on Spy Runner

Eugene Yelchin

Eugene Yelchin has illustrated several books for children, including Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? and Won Ton. He lives in California with his wife and children.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250120816
Lexile Measure
900
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Henry Holt & Company
Publication date
February 12, 2019
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV016150 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | United States - 20th Century
Library of Congress categories
Historical fiction
Spies
Cold War

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