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

Book Ally Carter Coming of Age 2006
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Common Sense Media Review

Kate Pavao By Kate Pavao , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 12+

Fun debut of spy school series is OK for tweens.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 12+?

Any Positive Content?

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Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 8 parent reviews

 

 

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age 11+

Based on 73 kid reviews

Kids say this book is an engaging read filled with action, romance, and themes of friendship, making it appealing to both girls and boys. While many readers found it entertaining and relatable, some noted a slow plot and occasional mature themes, suggesting it is best suited for tweens or teens who can navigate its complexities.engaging readthemes of friendshipslow plotsuitable for tweensromance and action
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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 ( 73 ):

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?

Book Details

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