September 24, 2024 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Ben Ripley just can't get a break. Now that the spy school has been blown up, he and a small group are studying extreme survival techniques at the Kenai Fjords National Park satellite facility in Alaska. Along with Erica, Mike, Zoe, and the defected Russian spy, Svetlana, the students are taking a rainy trek under the direction of Cyrus Hale when their principal shows up. He has a mission, but only for Ben, and he has to leave right away. Ben's not happy being away from his girlfriend, Erica, but prepares hastily to leave, making sure he has his tool belt and not one but TWO knives hidden on his person, one in his boxer shorts! The principal had said that the mission had to do with Murray Hill, Ben's nemesis, contacting Ashley Sparks, initiating the need for Operation Blazing Furry (sic). On the plane, however, things take a bad turn when Ben wakes up and notices his tool belt is missing and Murray Hill is there. The principal has double crossed them both and is selling them to Rufus Shang for five million dollars. To make matters worse, the bodyguard making sure that the boys do hard labor is Soren, the cousin of evil bodyguards Dane and Bjorn! There's a huge construction site with a number of Chinese prisoners being forced to work, and Rufus is very proud of himself for getting both of these thorns in his side. Of course, Ben uses his skills to take a look at plans on Rufus' desk and to stall him and get information, but eventually he and Murray make a break for it. It turns out that they are in Africa, and have quite the trek, starting in a cement truck, dealing with elephants, lions, and hippos. They have no supplies, just the knife in Ben's boxers, and at one point a very thirsty Murray tries to squeeze water out of animal poop! Ben doesn't want Murray's demise on his conscious, so stays with him until they run into Banda, his son Tshiamo, and other park Ranger's who are working against poachers. They think that Rufus is building a diamond mine, which could be very detrimental to the ecology of the area. When the boys are left in civilization, Murray shows his true colors and hits Ben, knocking him into the water that is headed over Victoria Falls! Ben narrowly escapes being swept over, and when he climbs out of the river, ends up at a hotel where he sees Trixie Hale, Erica's sister, and their grandmother Mary! In their last moments together, Erica planted a tracking device on Ben, and Mary and Trixie headed out to help. Soon, the whole group is back together, and it's a good thing. Rufus' plans are diabolical and could cause widespread harm, so the Spy School team go rogue to try to stop Rufus. There are hungry hyenas, narrow escapes, and a few sweet moments between Ben and Erica as they apologize for the way they left things in Alaska. At the end, Murray is on his way to prison in Botswana, but we know he won't be held there for long!
Strengths: I know, I know. I always complain about long series, but every book in the SPY SCHOOL one is exquisite. Read this one if only for the random phrase "a dearth of larcenous porcupines"! The writing is sharp, the action well paced, and the details about traveling are fantastic. Might skip seeing Victoria Falls, though, since falling in does NOT sound like fun. Ben uses his spy skills quite well, and I love that the older Hale's are so involved. I sort of would like Ben's parents to get involved in a mission at some point... maybe they are secretly spies as well. The Hales left Trixie in the dark, didn't they? Erica is such a great character, and she has both her rivalry with Svetlana as well as her relationship with Ben to navigate. Plus, she gets to eat a lot of sugar! Ben's relationship with Murray always intrigues me. I, personally, would probably have left him to be savaged by hippos, but Ben has a lot more human kindness in him than I do. On top of all of the great spy antics, Gibbs makes sure to put in an important environmental message about the effects that humans have on the world. Perfect.
Weaknesses: I was a little fuzzy on what the Shangs' role in the books were, but if I were in middle school, would no doubt reread the entire series every time a new books came out, which would solve that problem!
What I really think: Gibbs has such a good feel for what middle grade readers like, and includes plenty of elements like romance, action, and humor that make these a huge hit for this age group. I would like some stand alone novels, because some of my students visibly blanch when faced with a series, but I'll just be glad to read whatever Mr. Gibbs writes!
Weaknesses: I was a little fuzzy on what the Shangs' role in the books were, but if I were in middle school, would no doubt reread the entire series every time a new books came out, which would solve that problem!
What I really think: Gibbs has such a good feel for what middle grade readers like, and includes plenty of elements like romance, action, and humor that make these a huge hit for this age group. I would like some stand alone novels, because some of my students visibly blanch when faced with a series, but I'll just be glad to read whatever Mr. Gibbs writes!
Still want a button from SimonKids proclaiming that I have read all of these books!
1. Spy School
2. Spy Camp
10- Spy School X
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