Parents' Guide to

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

By Kate Pavao, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Fun debut of spy school series is OK for tweens.

Book Ally Carter Coming of Age 2006
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 12+

Based on 8 parent reviews

CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
March 12, 2015
age 12+
If Hogwarts were a school for young spies instead of magic, it might look a lot like the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. Fronting as a boarding school for bratty rich girls, it’s really a top-secret training school for spies. The school has hidden passageways, eccentric professors, and a rather unique curriculum, including classes in Covert Operations, Culture and Assimilation, and Protection and Enforcement (kind of like P.E., but way cooler). The heroine of the piece, Cammie “Chameleon” Morgan, is a sophomore and daughter to the headmistress, so naturally, she’s a whiz at spy stuff. When it comes to talking to guys, however, she’s clueless. So what does she do when she’s befriended by a sweet, handsome local boy? She can’t tell him anything about herself (that’s classified!), so she decides to make things up. Before long, the inevitable strains between her new boyfriend and schoolwork begin to form. Can her new beau handle the truth? With excellent world-building detail, sympathetic characters, and a strong heroine, the Gallagher Girls series makes an excellent choice for female teens looking for a new series. Recommended for Ages 13-15.
Natasha Australia
Natasha Australia Adult
May 19, 2012
age 12+

Catalyst

My daughter fell in love with this series. As a result of reading this series she took the initiative to research real life female spies. She found out about Nancy Wake (known as the White Mouse) and started reading books about her involvement in WW2. She even took the initiative to find out what it would take to become an intelligence officer herself. A great series of books that provide strong female characters who make a difference in the world.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Cammie, a student at a secret school for girl spies, has an unusual talent: No one ever notices her. But then nice, normal Josh singles her out when she's on her first covert mission. Cammie decides to keep her spy story a secret and pretend that she's just a normal teen ("All these years I'd thought being a spy was challenging," she muses. "Turns out, being a girl is the tricky part."). But Cammie's actdoesn't mean that she and her plucky friends can't use their spy training to get to know everything they can about Josh, from reading his email to going through his garbage.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (72):

Readers will have fun learning all about the Gallagher Academy. Cammie can speak 14 languages, and the final for one of her classes involves a dangerous mission that leaves her kidnapped and blindfolded. Plus, her school is full of secret passages and cool classes like Covert Operations. Underneath this fun premise, Cammie struggles with a pretty sweet and straightforward teen problem (i.e. she has to learn that being herself is the best way to win Josh over) -- and she's got a great group of supportive friends who are there for her, from sorting through Josh's garbage to rescuing her from a kidnapping. Readers may find that some of the characters aren't fully developed, but they'll find out more about them in the sequels to this fun book.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about series books. Will you read more of the books in the Gallagher Girl series? What's fun about a series, and why do you think they are so popular with teens? What other books would you like to see turned into a series?

  • This book has been optioned by Walt Disney Pictures. Do you think it would make a good movie? Who would you cast in the role as Cammie? Do you like it when books you've read become movies? Are the movies ever as good as the books?

  • The girls in Cammie's friend group are pretty archetypical: There's gutsy Bex, bad girl Macey, and intellectual Liz... Can you think of other books or movies that have these same types? What do you think of reducing characters down to one characteristic? Is it realistic? Does it happen to female characters more than male characters?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate