The Secret Life of Kitty Granger

by G. D. Falksen

Overview

Sixteen-year-old Kitty Granger has always known that others consider her peculiar. She hates noise and crowds, tends to fixate on patterns, and often feels acutely aware of her surroundings even as she struggles to interpret the behavior of people around her. As a working-class girl in London's East End, she's spent her whole life learning to hide these traits. Until the day when she notices the mysterious man on the bus and finds herself following him, driven to know why he seems so out of place...only to accidentally uncover the location of a Russian spy ring.
When Kitty's keen observation and quick thinking help her survive a dangerous encounter, two secret agents working for Her Majesty's government offer her a job in their espionage operation.
Kitty's first mission pits her against a conspiracy led by a prominent politician?who's also a secret fascist. With help from an unusual team of fellow spies, Kitty must use her wits, training, and instincts to get out alive. And she might as well save the country while she's at it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728404738
Publisher:	Carolrhoda Lab
Publication date:	11/01/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	284
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	11 - 18 Years

About the Author

G. D. Falksen is the author of several novels, including Doctor Cthulittle, The Transatlantic Conspiracy, The Ouroboros Cycle series, and Blood in the Skies. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Writers and Artists Across the Country. Read more at www.gdfalksen.com.

Editorial Reviews

"[T]his rip-roaring tale starring a compelling heroine will satisfy anyone looking for a fun, quirky adventure."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2020-12-10
Curiosity can kill a Kitty in this swinging ’60s spy novel.

Intrigued by irregularities she observes, 16-year-old Kitty Granger stumbles onto a secret world of spycraft in 1960s London. After a brief and brutal encounter with some bad guys, she joins the Orchestra, an untraditional, ethnically diverse, and welcoming group of spies and scientists—or “foreigners and socialists,” according to their critics. White and working-class, a shopkeeper’s daughter from the East End, Kitty is also autistic. Swiftly trained and sent into the field to investigate a fascist plot, Kitty capitalizes on her attention to patterns, ear for accents, and experience with hiding her real self as she is finally allowed to embrace her quirks as assets rather than deficits. But espionage is already dangerous, even without the risk of sensory overload, and Kitty struggles to stay calm and safe amid strange circumstances. With gadgets and gizmos aplenty, daring escapes, last-minute miracles, and cinematic and crisply described action sequences, Kitty’s adventures read like a neurodivergent, female James Bond for the junior set. The secondary characters lack complex development but deliver timely observations such as, “Pretending that prejudice doesn’t exist isn’t the same as not being prejudiced.” Falksen delivers a ripping read that is historically grounded, drawing a direct line from past events to current debates over diversity, immigration, and the eternal peril of fascism.

Nail-biting fascism-fighting featuring an atypical heroine. (author's note, discussion guide) (Thriller. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews