Carter, Ally. 2006. I’d tell you I love you, but then I’d have to kill you. New York: Hyperion Paperbacks. ISBN-13 978-142310004-1Meet Cammie Morgan, aka The Chameleon. Cammie is a 15-year old student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, but this academy is no ordinary girl’s private school, and Cammie is no ordinary high school student. Gallagher Academy is an undercover spy training school for girls, and Cammie is a spy-in-the-making. Since Cammie’s mother is the Headmistress of the Academy, and Cammie’s father died in the line of duty as a spy, Cammie is a legacy student who is under pressure to make the grade in spy school. Unfortunately, Cammie’s sophomore year has some unexpected complications. First, she has to deal with her new Covert Operations teacher Mr. Solomon, who does not seem to like her. Throw in an unexpected romance with clueless civilian boy Josh Abrams, and watch Cammie’s sophomore year of school turn into a balancing act as she attempts to lead a double life as a spy and as a regular girl with hottie Josh Abram as a boyfriend. Will Cammie successfully be able to pull this venture off and still pass Covert Operations 101? Read I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter and find out.
Ally Carter’s I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You is a fun adventure story for YAs. If you are the type of reader who enjoys light-hearted spy capers, then this is the book for you. This book clearly falls into the adventure genre. Like the YA Adventure-Mystery genre, this book expects you to suspend disbelief to a high degree. Probably the most appealing elements of this novel are the fun capers that Cammie and her friends embark on as they train to be spies and sneak Cammie out of Gallagher Academy to rendezvous with her new boyfriend Josh. Author Ally Carter also presents the storyline in a clever way by having Cammie narrate the story in first person, but also ever so often making the reader believe that Cammie’s narration is part of an Operations report that will be read by her mother, the Headmistress of the school. Pop culture aficionados will chuckle at Carter’s allusions to pop culture, such as a recurring allusion to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. An August 2006 School Library Journal review says this book has a “unique plot, snappy dialogue, and Cammie’s wry asides maintain the interest” of the audience. However, if you like your books with some depth, fully developed characters, and high-levels of suspense, this is not the novel for you and may leave you feeling unsatisfied after the read.
This book would work well for tweens and teens, 11 years on up. The target audience for this book is most likely 11-15 year old girls. I recommend this novel for those who like spy-adventure, light romance types of stories, and teachers and librarians (school and public) should recommend this book for independent reading. Book talks and trailers would be a good way to introduce this book and author to a bigger audience.
Review Excerpts
- A Publisher’s Weekly (May 2006) review says this is an “entertaining novel” with “fun details,” and “Readers will eagerly anticipate the next installment.”
- A School Library Journal (July 2006) review says that Cammie’s “double life leads to some amusing one-liners, and the invented history of the Gallagher Girls is also entertaining, but the story is short on suspense,” but “the novel has been optioned for a film and will likely attract readers who enjoy lightheared, frothy tales and squeaky-clean movies.”
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