Spying on Miss Muller [Mass Market Paperback]

Eve Bunting (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996 | Age Level: 9 and up

"A GOOD STORY WELL TOLD . . . Bunting shows the confusion and hysteria that wartime brings to the lives of the young, and in the process paints a true-to-life and often very funny picture of boarding school life in a more innocent era."
--Kirkus Reviews
Jessie and her best friends in boarding school have always loved their teacher, Miss Müller. Half-German and half-Irish, she's as beautiful as a movie star. But ever since their country, Ireland, went to war with Germany, they don't feel the same way. In fact, the girls now think there's something very strange about Miss Müller.
One night Jessie sees Miss Müller walking by herself in a part of the dorm that is off limits. When she tells her friends, they get really suspicious. But they will soon find out that appearances can be deceiving--and that judging someone can be downright dangerous. . . .
"Readers will be rewarded with a suspenseful story that includes family secrets, a first romance, plans of revenge, and an unforgettable friendship."
--Publishers Weekly Pick of the Lists

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A nostalgic look at life in a Belfast boarding school during WWII sweetens the impact of this heartfelt examination of the meaning of loyalty. Miss Muller, the language teacher whom all the girls once worshiped, is now the object of their suspicions. It's bad enough that she's German, but her furtive late-night walks seem to coincide with enemy air raids?could Miss Muller be a spy? Against her kinder instincts, the narrator, Jessie, gets caught up in her classmates' clandestine investigation. Also involved is Greta Ludowski, a vindictive Jewish refugee from Poland. Because Bunting makes such a persuasive case for looking below the surface, it's especially disturbing that the novel's one true villainess turns out to be Greta, whose single-minded, nearly cartoonish vengefulness ("You have no right to be in the company of decent people") is almost glibly passed off as the result of her having "been through too many horrors. Still, there is much to enjoy here, not least the boarding school ambience deftly conveyed in numerous quirky details ("The most embarrassing thing was to have a space between the top of your stockings and the elastic of your knickers," Jessie confides at one point). An author's note gives a clue to the authenticity of the atmosphere: Bunting herself attended a school in Belfast that "strangely resembled" the one here. Ages 9-13.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7?A story set in a Belfast boarding school during World War II. What starts out as a routine school story ends up as a sympathetic portrayal of the tensions and deep friendships formed under the pressure of communal living. Jessie and her close friends are suspicious of a half-German teacher who supervises their dormitory. Their suspicions about Miss Muller grow when they experience their first air raid on the same night that Jessie spots the woman going out late at night. The use of telling details defines the girls and the faculty members so that the fast-moving plot has an inevitability that rings true. The tension is relieved throughout with welcome threads of humor peaking with a scene in the air-raid shelter during which the girls and boys, who are usually kept firmly apart, find themselves in very close quarters indeed. This entry is a welcome addition to the growing list of books about children during the Second World War.?Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449704556
• ISBN-13: 978-0449704554
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.4 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,397,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eve Bunting has written more than 200 books for children, many of which can be found in libraries around the world. Her other Clarion titles for very young readers include My Big Boy Bed, which was also illustrated by Maggie Smith, and Little Bear's Little Boat, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is a great book!, July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Spying on Miss Muller (Mass Market Paperback)

At the start of WWII Jessie and her friends discover that their favorite teacher Miss Muller might be a Nazi spy! Mo and Ida (friends of Jessie's) are so sure of this that they want to break into Miss Muller's room. They are sure that they will find a "dit-da-dit" machine. But Jessie and her other friend Lizzie Mag are sure of her innocence. So they come up with the idea of having a night watch on her only for fun and more immportantly to clear her name. But then one night there is an Air Raid. When they go down to the basement, Miss Muller is no where to be seen. Now Jessie and her friends are more sure than ever that she is indeed a spy!! This is a wonderfully written book that any boy or girl would enjoy. This story teaches you that looks can be deceving and that sometimes the truth is hidden where you would least expect it to be! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spying on Miss Muller: a truly gripping tale, June 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Spying on Miss Muller (Mass Market Paperback)

This book really pulls you in and doesnt let you go. I found this book fairly hard to put down the first time I read it and the second and third time I saw the complexity of the storys MANY morals. There are alot of issues in this book, that during that area, were the subject of discussion everywhere. It represents how people could be so cold to someone else just because they are different and shows two sides to the story during the second World War, and most probably the most famous. What is really intergueing about this book is that it doesnt talk about the Holocaust very much. I found this a very unique and popular style, to write about what else was happening.All in all I give this book 4/5.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great historical fiction novel!, April 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Spying On Miss Muller (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

Mysterious, suspenseful, and a wonderful story! I think that Spying On Miss Muller was a great book. Jessie, Lizzie Mag, Ada, and Maureen,four thirteen-year-old girls, are best friends at the time of World War II. They are all in the same dorm in Alveara boarding school, which is located in Belfast, Ireland. Their dorm mistress is Miss Muller. She is beautiful, and looks like a movie star. However, she is half-German, and the gilrs don't like her very much anymore, because their country, Ireland, is going to war against Germany in World War II. One night, Jessie sees Miss Muller going to an off-limits part of the dorm. This gets her very suspicious, and she starts to think that Miss Muller may be a German spy for Hitler. The same night, a few hours later, Alveara has their first air raid, where Ian McManus kisses Jessie (Ian is a boy that Jessie is in love with). Although this is great, the following few weeks are scary. Jessie and her frinds find all kinds of evidence that shows that Miss Muller might be a German spy. They go spying on her at night to see whether she is or isn't a spy for Hitler. If you want to find out what happens, read the book. Spying On Miss Muller is a great book. It supports the proverb "don't judge a book by its cover", and shows through Miss Muller that sometimes appearances can be deceiving. The story is suspenseful, mysterious, and exciting, with a touch of humor here and there. I reccomend Spying On Miss Muller for kids 8 to 14 years old who like mystery and suspense. I loved reading Spying On Miss Muller, and think it is a great book.