The Word Spy

Author(s): Ursula Dubosarsky

9 – 12 years old

Dear Readers, You may not know me, but I know you ...I am - the WORD SPY. I have been in hiding for many, many years, but the time has now come at last for me to emerge from undercover and share some of the secrets I have learned in my many, many years as - the WORD SPY. Oh - there goes another word. I must be off!


Follow the WORD SPY as she uncovers the secrets of the English language. Discover the meaning of acronyms (like ATM and CD), cliches (such as 'pretty as a picture') and spoonerisms ('Would you like a belly jean?'). Find out the history of the alphabet, punctuation, pen names and plurals. Learn how to trick your friends by speaking in Pig Latin or rhyming slang ('I'm going out to ride my bike on the frog and toad . Want to come?').


Full of games, puzzles, facts and riddles, The Word Spy is an entertaining, quirky and enlightening look at the English language. Ursula makes words fun!


Product Information

Ursula Dubosarsky is the author of many outstanding books, both for young adults and for children, and has won numerous awards for excellence. Abyssinia was winner of the 2004 South Australian Festival Award for Literature - Young Adult. In 2006 Ursula won both the NSW and Victorian Premier's Awards for Theodora's Gift. The Red Shoe won the Queensland Premier's Award, the NSW State Literary Award -Young Adult, and was an Honour Book in the CBC Book of the Year Award: Older Readers.


Tohby Riddle is the award-winning creator of picture books such as The Singing Hat, The Great Escape from City Zoo and Irving the Magician, and the cult favourite, The Royal Guest. In 2008, Tohby illustrated The Word Spy by Ursula Duborsarsky, which won the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature in the 2009 NSW Premier's Literary Awards and was an honour book in the 2009 CBC Book of the Year awards. The Return of the Word Spy was published in May 2010.

General Fields

  • : 9780143304487
  • : Penguin Random House
  • : Puffin
  • : 0.33
  • : August 2010
  • : 198mm X 129mm
  • : Australia
  • : August 2011
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Ursula Dubosarsky
  • : Paperback
  • : 1
  • : Tohby Riddle
  • : 264
  • : illustrations