Cecily Sawyer: How To Be a Spy
Published on 19. June 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-0-00-864445-1 (ISBN)
Description
A thrilling, mysterious and very, very funny new adventure from the award-winning author of EINSTEIN THE PENGUIN, with brilliant illustrations from bestseller David Tazzyman.
Cecily Sawyer has spent the evening in the attic, training her pet mouse, Mrs Maple-Syrup - an unusually intelligent mouse, in Cecily's opinion - when her parents disappear.
Luckily, Cecily is more than ready to investigate such a thing. She has wanted to be a spy her whole life, and has all the spy handbooks, manuals and code-cracking kits a girl could need.
But soon, Cecily discovers several very strange things in her city. She's not the only spy out there - far from it, in fact. And Mrs Maple-Syrup is not the only unusually intelligent mouse...
Cecily Sawyer has spent the evening in the attic, training her pet mouse, Mrs Maple-Syrup - an unusually intelligent mouse, in Cecily's opinion - when her parents disappear.
Luckily, Cecily is more than ready to investigate such a thing. She has wanted to be a spy her whole life, and has all the spy handbooks, manuals and code-cracking kits a girl could need.
But soon, Cecily discovers several very strange things in her city. She's not the only spy out there - far from it, in fact. And Mrs Maple-Syrup is not the only unusually intelligent mouse...
Reviews / Votes
'With so many undercover agents vying for attention, the choice can seem daunting - but Cecily Sawyer: How to Be a Spy, a delightful new adventure by Iona Rangeley, shows the detective formula working at its best ... Rangeley is a witty, beguiling writer - and what follows is a neatly plotted adventure, in which each clue forms part of a puzzle which the reader can piece together as the narrative rips along.' - The Telegraph'Whip smart, absolutely hilarious and full of charm.' - Laura Noakes, author of Cosima Unfortunate Steals a Star
'A fabulous book' - Zohra Nabi, author of The Kingdom over the Sea
'A charming and elegant corrective to the notion that 10 year-old girls and mice have no role to play in espionage.' - Luke Jennings, author of Killing Eve
'I firmly recommend this book. A very good start for those who want to join the profession or who just want a good read.' - Sir John Scarlett, former Chief of MI6 (really)
Praise for EINSTEIN THE PENGUIN:
'Funny, intriguing and utterly heart-warming ... Wonderful' Booktrust
'A delight' Sunday Times
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 8 to 12 years
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 196 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
216 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-864445-1 (9780008644451)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Iona Rangeley grew up in Norfolk and studied English at Oxford, where she developed a love of children's books. She has wanted to be a writer since her debut novel, Sam and the Pig, which she wrote when she was five.
David Tazzyman is an internationally acclaimed award-winning illustrator.
David Tazzyman is an internationally acclaimed award-winning illustrator.