Two and a half stars. Spoilers ahead. I read this in ebook form. It's the first ebook I read, and I'm eager to check out more if physical copies aren't available at my library, as was the case with this book. I was excited to press a button and 'return' it at eleven o'clock at night when I finished reading it. This book showed up in my Goodreads feed as, I think, 'someone wants to read this'. Instantly, I was transported back to fifth grade. I read this multiple times, then, and turned in a fanfiction of it as a school assignment. Students worked on their assignments for six weeks. I cranked out mine in a week and nearly tried to send it to a real publishing company, but my mom gently persuaded me not to. I had no idea what fanfiction was at the time, let alone the golden rule of not profiting off of fanfiction. (under his breath) An adult claimed that, too, some years ago, and made millions of dollars. (back to normal) So, I turned in my twenty-page fanfiction as a school assignment. This book had a huge impact on me. I wanted that feeling of awe as an adult. That's not what happened.

I was surprised at how much I remembered, and was pleased to discover that this is another book that was written in a voice and view that's realistic to thirteen-year-olds. This was a really good introduction for teens to themes presented, but simplistic for adults. Target audience and all that. A group of girls at a boarding school decide to spy on their teacher, who they think is a German spy, during WWII. The main character, Jessie, is conflicted between her favorite teacher being suspected of espionage, and suspecting her, herself. The scene with the ball bearings during German class was even sadder to me as an adult, and the way Miss Muller is treated from beginning to end. The prefects and teachers give the students a hard time for kissing during an air raid, but I clearly remember doing something similar. Not during an air raid, but an evacuation drill. Some parts of tween-hood I couldn't help but smile at, remembering things I got up to innocently, too. My heart warmed when the students plugged their ears and hummed rather than hear a note read out loud as punishment. There's quite a few subtle examples in this about power corrupting people, and authority figures being jerks because they forgot what it was like before they were in power.

I had forgotten entirely about Greta, though. I don't care how realistic this book was in its portrayal of Northern Irish private school girls during WWII or the issues they faced. There was no reason whatsoever to write Greta the way she was. I'll count some harmful stereotypes and comment on some since the author made her decision and I can make mine.
1. Polish Jewish: A Polish Jewish student winds up in Northern Ireland with half a sentence to explain how she got there? No, it needs to be expanded further. This needs serious world-building and backstory. This tipped me off that it was only gonna get worse in certain ways, and I was correct on all counts.

2. Jewish girl in a Catholic school: This stereotype has been done to death and I hate it. It's usually "Catholic schools are strict and we'll rein in her wild behavior." This is not okay on so many levels. Here, though, it's "we saved her from certain death but she can sit out on the front steps during prayer time." Not go back to her dorm or something, but sit outside. In the cold and rain. Not a fan of this.

3. Jewish girl steals and lies about it, complete with a thousand-yard stare.
4. Jewish girl steals sharp object from a Catholic girl higher on the social ladder.
5. Jewish girl steals sharp object with the implied intent of hurting someone, if not more.
6. Jewish girl hates everyone, never talks to anyone and has no friends, leading others to think she doesn't know English.
7. Jewish girl has family killed in Shoah, hates the German teacher, -and tells other students her plans-, with the second part of that sentence being unrealistic.

And she's implied to be a charity student. She's the untrustworthy one, arguably the antagonist of the piece. She's super-creepy. I was just angry with the author every time Greta showed up on the page. It occurs to me that she's probably supposed to be a character foil for Jessie, but--the author chose to write the character foil this specific way. It was really not needed. The author introduced so many other conflicts and themes she could have fleshed out. I'm glad I read this as an ebook. ( )

Air raids, terrible war food and strict teachers are just a part of life at Alveara, where Jessie goes to boarding school in North Ireland. But as World War II continues, Jessie and her friends suspect that Miss Muller, the German teacher, is a spy. After all, why else would she climb on the roof at midnight every night? The only way to know for sure is to follow her - and be surprised. Eve Bunting draws from her own experiences at boarding school during the war to create a story about friendship and prejudice. Recommended for ages 10-14.

Awards: nominated for the1996 Edgar Award Best Young Adult Mystery Book; 1997-98 PA Young Reader's Choice Award Winner; ALA Booklist Editor's Choice Award ( )

One of my favorite books when I was a kid. To this day I'm obsessed with books about boarding schools and I owe it to Spying on Miss Muller as the book which kick-started that obsession. ( )

A coming of age book that I read several times during my own coming of age. Starting in 3rd grade, I read it every year until 7th. Yes, I think I've actually read it more than Harry Potter! It's about a girl, Jessie, and her friends at a Belfast boarding school during WWII. The girls deal with lots of boy and teacher drama, including their dorm mistress, Miss Muller, whom they onced idolized but now believe to be a German spy. OK, my reivew really didn't do it justice. Please, just read it. ( )

Grades: 4-7
Theme: Social studies, Values, Friendship