Spy School

Marc Notes: Sequel: Spy camp.; Twelve-year-old Ben Ripley leaves his public middle school to attend the CIA's highly secretive Espionage Academy, which everyone is told is an elite science school. Biographical Note: Stuart Gibbs is also the author of "Belly Up" and has written several screenplays, including "American Summer" and "Parental Guidance." He lives in Los Angeles. Publisher Marketing: Can an undercover nerd become a superstar secret agent? Maybe not, but it'll be fun to watch him try! Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he's already pegged his dream job: C. I. A. or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn't exactly scream "secret agent." In fact, Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate nerdiness, Ben is not surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science--but he's entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior C. I. A. academy. Could the C. I. A. really want "him"? Actually, no. There's been a case of mistaken identity--but that doesn't stop Ben from trying to morph into a supercool undercover agent, the kind that always gets the girl. And through a series of hilarious misadventures, Ben realizes he might actually be a halfway decent spy...if he can survive all the attempts being made on his life! Review Citations: Publishers Weekly 01/09/2012 pg. 54 (EAN 9781442421820, Hardcover) School Library Journal 02/01/2012 pg. 119 (EAN 9781442421820, Hardcover) Booklist 03/15/2012 pg. 63 (EAN 9781442421820, Hardcover) Shelf Awareness 03/13/2012 (EAN 9781442421820, Hardcover) Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2012 (EAN 9781442421820, Hardcover) Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2012 pg. 67 (EAN 9781442421820, Hardcover) Bookpage 03/01/2012 (EAN 9781442421820, Hardcover) Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 04/01/2012 (EAN 9781442421844, Other) Contributor Bio:  Gibbs, Stuart Stuart Gibbs lives in Los Angeles, California, with his wife and two children, Dashiell and Violet. He is the author of The Last Musketeer and The Last Musketeer: Traitor's Chase, the first two books in this exciting series. Gibbs is also a screenwriter and the author of the young adult novel Belly Up.