Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
I was a little surprised by how it was better than I expected, since I didn't really like Cross My Hear and Hope to Spy's prequel, which I forgot the title of. The main thing that I like much better is that Cammie is a little more grown up. She still is a little naive, but instead of finding her annoying, I find her endearing now. It would make sense too, since she did something really bad before, and she's also a little older. There still are all the cute things, and I really liked the spying elements. Cammie's friends are super awesome, and there is actual female friendship, which I love! In the first third or so, Cammie and her friends try to figure out what "Blackthorne" means. Of course, they soon find out that it's a boy spy school. Which surprises them, since they though that Gallagher's School for Girls was the only spy school thingymabober.I love their sneaking around and breaking the rules. It would usually annoy in a book how much the main character does reckless and dangerous things like spying on people for no reason, but here, it's totally cool since they're spies. Although Cammie's voice and narration is younger than sixteen, I still appreciate the youthfulness in it. It's so cute, and although I doubt there are actually schools like this, it sure would be cool to go to one. For the rest of the book, boys come over to Gallagher Academy. One of those guys is Zach, who is a super sweet guy. He's not scorchingly hot or anything, but he's so sweet and caring and considerate! I wish all real-life guys were like that. I love what Cammie thinks of him for a lot of the book, that he's a spy for the enemy side. Even though it was super obvious that wasn't so, I still liked this naive part of her. Cammie hasn't spend much time with guys, so it's not like she would have a good understanding. She's just basing her knowledge off her spy skills. Speaking of the romance, I'm not exactly sure if there's a love triangle or not. I mean, there was Josh in the last book, and then there's Zach in this book. The romance was fairly light. I won't spoil it, but I really wasn't sure and it kind of ruined my reading experience. I kind of hope that there will be a love triangle since Josh and Zach are both so sweet, but at the same time, I like how this series relies more on the fluffiness and spy aspects, and I'm afraid that if there is a love triangle, it will override and block out some of those things. Overall, it was just such a fun and cute book! There were some flaws, but it was really enjoyable to read! And just out of curiosity, what kind of uniforms to the Gallagher Girls wear? Is it something like what's on the covers? Because those would be some cute uniforms!
*Review posted on Mundie Moms on August 20, 2011* 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 sitting. 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):tThe 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.t“You in a hurry or something?” the boy asked.t“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.)t“How do you know?”t“Because he said, ‘Meet me at the ruby slipper exhibit.’”t“No.” The boy was smiling, shaking his head. “How do you know you only have twenty minutes? You’re not wearing a watch.”t“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.t“You fidget a lot,” he said.tMake that two things Josh hadn’t even seen.t“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.tAnd then the stranger boy totally knocked me for a loop, because he handed me a bag of M&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.
What do You think about Cross My Heart And Hope To Spy (2007)?
asdfghjkl; these books are so fun! I can't stop grinning and while this didn't get any tears out of me, I enjoyed it a lot! especially the parts where a certain boy was involved (✿◠‿◠) I'm in such a reading groove with this series that I don't have that much time to update here while continuously laughing and turning the pages as soon as possible, but I'm already [almost] halfway done with book 3 and it's really good, too!
—Siiri (Little Pieces of Imagination)
"Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy" is the sequel to the spy novel "I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You." Cammie Morgan is back at school after her uneventful winter break, which consisted of her trying to get over Josh. Once Cammie thinks that everything has calmed down since the events that took place in the first semester, Gallagher Academy is once again hyped up for another reason: Gallagher Academy is hosting a visit from a covert training center for boys, Blackthorne Academy. Soon after the boys' arrival, though, security breeches are happening all over the school and everyone blames Cammie. Can she clear her name and keep her school's top-secret status safe? I love this series. It's simple, funny, and suspenseful. I love the whole spy aspect. It's so funny reading about the covert missions that Cammie and her friends go on to spy on the Blackthorne boys. Cammie is a strong, caring, awesome main character. Bex, Liz, and Macey are great fellow operatives. Zach Goode. Oh my. I have a new book crush!! He is hot, secretive, and sneaky. And he's a spy! Things could totally work out between him and Cammie. I can't think of anything that I didn't like in this book... Time to continue reading this series!!
—Rachel (APCB Reviews)
Before I start, I have to start by saying something extremely vital to my review: JOSH WHO?Agter reading this book, I am infinitesimaly glad that Cammie isn't with Josh. First of all, I've never ever related to him. I didn't like him as a character. I've always found him to be just a distraction to Cammie. I'm glad I didn't need to hear much from him here.Anyways, this book was great, even better than the first one. I found myself passing the pages faster, because I wanted to discover all the secrets that were being kept. Cammie, as usual, has to deal with being a spy in training as well as just being a teenage girl. Reading her inner turmoil made me realize that although she speaks fourteen different languages and can probably kill you with nothing but a stapler, she is just a teenage girl. It was fun seeing all the different new characters presented, as well as new situations where the "spy" aspect of the story could be developed. I love more and more the idea of a school for spies, I'd just love to be part of it.
—Marianne
