Common Sense Media Review
By Darienne Stewart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Distrust and nonstop peril make for thrilling adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
SPY SCHOOL SECRET SERVICE puts 13-year-old spy-in-training Ben Ripley back on the trail of the super secret (and super devious) criminal organization SPYDER. His mission is to uncover and thwart a plot to kill the president, but Ben ends up becoming the prime suspect in an assassination attempt. Ben's sure he was set up by SPYDER as part of a larger scheme, but proving it -- and clearing his name -- is going to be a challenge when he's forced into hiding and unsure who, if anyone, he can trust.
Is It Any Good?
Intrigue swirls into a tornado of action in Stuart Gibbs' fifth book in his series about a top-secret spy school for kids, and teen hero Ben is at his best: smarter, savvier, and more confident. Set in Washington, D.C., Spy School Secret Service takes readers behind the scenes at the White House, into a foreign embassy, and deep into the Pentagon. Like most good spy tales, the thickening plot can be a little muddy and takes some head-scratchingly convenient turns, but it's grounded by its focus on relationships among friends, families, and colleagues. The story draws on characters and key moments from earlier books, but newcomers to the series will easily catch up.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the risky business of making assumptions in Spy School Secret Service. Have you ever believed something untrue because of your own false assumptions?
Much of the action in the Spy School books feels cinematic. Do you picture these scenes like action sequences in movies?
What appeals to you about books like these: the tangled plot, the action, the relationships?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : October 10, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 352
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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