Spy School: A Book Review

Hello!

Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

Summary: Ben Ripley was your average twelve-year-old. He went to a public middle school, hung out with his friends, and played sports. Until, that is, he met Alexander Hale, vice president of a CIA spy school, where wannabe spies learn the skills they need in the field. Ben is told that he has been admitted because of his “Level 16” math skills, but in truth, the CIA is using him as bait. The CIA hopes that Ben will lure members of an evil organization to them once the bad guys learn of Ben’s code breaking project! Ben, on the other hand, is clueless of this plan, but when someone tries to kill him, he quickly catches on. It’s now up to Ben and his new friend {and crush} Erica to save the school and Ben, himself!

My Thoughts: *Spoilers! I loooooooooved this book! :) This was a book I totally picked up on a whim, {I was in the middle of a book rush* Hehe.} but I am so happy that I did. To start, isn’t the cover awesome?! I love the minimalist feel, and the color scheme is spot-on. It’s not like I ever judge a book by its cover, but if I did, this is what I look for. Just saying :) I usually don’t read books with male main characters, but every once in a while, I like to switch things up. This reminded me of the Gallagher Girl series, but the boy version. Ben rocked. He truly did. I loved his innocence, and his dialogues and actions all matched his personality. He was so funny during those really tense times, and  I <3 the ninja scene. Erica was even better. Her nickname, “The Ice Queen” was perfect, and I could totally imagine her just sitting there in the cafeteria, oblivious to all the action around her. I thought the reader really got to “see” her when she finally broke through and let herself have fun. Those stories about her dad {Alexander Hale} failing as a spy were pretty hilarious :) Speaking of Alexander, he was so good at making himself look good, even when he is a really bad spy. The last few lines in the book really hit that subject right on. I have to admit that I didn’t trust Alexander at first, but once I learned why he acted so suspicious, I liked him. Murphy,the coughmolecough was someone who I trusted at first, but as the story went on, everything clicked in my head. I liked that the author gave enough clues that the reader could figure out the mystery on their own, but he also included some twists that I didn’t see coming! Zoe was one of my favorite characters. {She was one of Ben’s friends.} Her peppy spirit and confidence in Ben added to the storyline in a positive way. The principal was stupid. Along with the inspector in The Wizard of Dark Street, I am quite disappointed with the lack of authority in my recent reads ;) In the end, I think this is something that not only I would recommend, I would like to own for myself!

Pros: Developed characters, entertaining plot, and memorable dialogue.

Cons: Nothing!

Heads Up: With any spy story, there is bound to be some violence.

Overall: I give it 5 stars {*****} and I recommend it for ages 11 and up.

I am already counting down to the release of Spy Camp, the sequel to Spy School! I would also like to check out Belly Up. Has anyone read that?

Want to learn more about the author, Stuart Gibbs? Click here.

Bella :)