The title Spy is Nathan Hale, and the novel begins with his hanging. His immortal words take on a more powerful meaning as the reader sees the events that led up to him becoming a spy beginning with his new role as school master in the New London, Conn. school house. The story is told from the persepctive of Hale and one of his 12-year-old students Jonah. The novel brings to live the difficulty of fighting against one's friends and neighbors simply because they hold differing political views. ( )