What do you think?
Rate this book
Sirens and Spies
No one agrees on the truth about the mysterious violin teacher, Renee Fitch, until she herself tells the definitive story of her life and brings together all the differing views people have of her.
169 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1985
37 people want to read
About the author
Janet Taylor Lisle
43 books50 followersJanet Taylor Lisle was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in Farmington, Connecticut, spending summers on the Rhode Island coast.The eldest child and only daughter of an advertising executive and an architect, she attended local schools and at fifteen entered The Ethel Walker School, a girl’s boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut.
After graduation from Smith College, she joined VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). She lived and worked for the next several years in Atlanta, Georgia, organizing food-buying cooperatives in the city’s public housing projects, and teaching in an early-childcare center. She later enrolled in journalism courses at Georgia State University. This was the beginning of a reporting career that extended over the next ten years.
With the birth of her daughter, Lisle turned from journalism to writing projects she could accomplish at home. In 1984, The Dancing Cats of Appesap, her first novel for children, was published by Bradbury Press (Macmillan.) Subsequently, she has published sixteen other novels. Her fourth novel, Afternoon of the Elves (Orchard Books) won a 1990 Newbery Honor award and was adapted as a play by the Seattle Children’s Theater in 1993. It continues to be performed throughout the U.S. Theater productions of the story have also been mounted in Australia and The Netherlands.
Lisle’s novels for children have received Italy’s Premio Andersen Award, Holland’s Zilveren Griffel, and Notable and Best Book distinction from the American Library Association, among other honors. She lives with her husband, Richard Lisle, on the Rhode Island coast, the scene for Black Duck(2006), The Crying Rocks (2003) and The Art of Keeping Cool, which won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2001.
After graduation from Smith College, she joined VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). She lived and worked for the next several years in Atlanta, Georgia, organizing food-buying cooperatives in the city’s public housing projects, and teaching in an early-childcare center. She later enrolled in journalism courses at Georgia State University. This was the beginning of a reporting career that extended over the next ten years.
With the birth of her daughter, Lisle turned from journalism to writing projects she could accomplish at home. In 1984, The Dancing Cats of Appesap, her first novel for children, was published by Bradbury Press (Macmillan.) Subsequently, she has published sixteen other novels. Her fourth novel, Afternoon of the Elves (Orchard Books) won a 1990 Newbery Honor award and was adapted as a play by the Seattle Children’s Theater in 1993. It continues to be performed throughout the U.S. Theater productions of the story have also been mounted in Australia and The Netherlands.
Lisle’s novels for children have received Italy’s Premio Andersen Award, Holland’s Zilveren Griffel, and Notable and Best Book distinction from the American Library Association, among other honors. She lives with her husband, Richard Lisle, on the Rhode Island coast, the scene for Black Duck(2006), The Crying Rocks (2003) and The Art of Keeping Cool, which won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2001.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 30, 2019
Not especially engaging. Potential for substantial historical education goes unfulfilled.
February 11, 2015
gr 7+ 169 pgs
1980s?, Connecticut, 15 year old Mary can't understand why her older sister Elsie has become so secretive or why she's suddenly stopped violin lessons. Their violin teacher, Mrs. Fitch had also talked about how talented Elsie is. Mary discovers that Elsie knows a secret about Mrs. Fitch's past. When Mrs. Fitch is attacked, Mary and Elsie wonder if it is related to her past.
I found the two sisters hard to relate to and the revelation of the "big secret" was a bit anti-climatic.
1980s?, Connecticut, 15 year old Mary can't understand why her older sister Elsie has become so secretive or why she's suddenly stopped violin lessons. Their violin teacher, Mrs. Fitch had also talked about how talented Elsie is. Mary discovers that Elsie knows a secret about Mrs. Fitch's past. When Mrs. Fitch is attacked, Mary and Elsie wonder if it is related to her past.
I found the two sisters hard to relate to and the revelation of the "big secret" was a bit anti-climatic.
June 26, 2013
I like that this novel takes the teen-fic World War II angle from an unusual perspective. Still reading through but intrigued about the relationship between Elsie and Ms. Fitch and curious to learn more about the attack. Wouldn't necessarily call this a brilliant book but it's certainly keeping my attention.
August 28, 2007
Cute book, but not terribly satisfying. There was a lot of "mystery," but too many holes. The relationship between the sisters was well-thought-out, but the book didn't seem to go as far or as deep as desired.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews