Review: Spy School Goes South by Stuart Gibbs

SPY SCHOOL GOES SOUTH

Spy School, Book 6

by Stuart Gibbs

Simon & Schuster

Middle Grade Spy / Adventure

330 pages

Ben is taken to Mexico by his nemesis in the hopes that he’ll finally be able to take down SPYDER in this latest addition to the New York Times bestselling Spy School series.

Thirteen-year-old Ben Ripley has been caught in the snares of SPYDER more than once and knows well enough to be suspicious of anything that seems too good to be true—despite needing special tutoring in advanced survival techniques. So when Murray Hill finally breaks his silence with an offer to hand over the SPYDER elite, Ben knows that there must be something going on. But his hesitation doesn’t stop the assignment.

The Mission: Follow Murray Hill to an undisclosed location with no one else but Erica Hale to identify SPYDER leadership. Once found, contact the CIA to sweep in and finish the job. DO NOT CONTACT SPYDER DIRECTLY.

However, as Ben suspected, nothing goes as planned, and what should be an easy mission quickly turns deadly. Now, Ben and Erica will have to face rogue agents, trained killers, and even very hungry crocodiles in a race against the clock to find out what SPYDER is up to this time—and thwart their evil plans.

MY TIDBITS

This is the sixth book in the series, but that doesn't mean it needs to be read that way. I've only read a couple in the series, not in any particular order or anything, and it hasn't caused any troubles with diving into any of the books. This one isn't any different.

Ben is head south thanks to a tip from double-spy Murray as to where the secret base of the evil organization SPYDER might be. He and his friends/colleagues soon find themselves in a heap more trouble than they ever expected. Stuck in the exotic jungle of Mexico, they must fight for to survive not only when they come up against SPYDER but with the wilderness around them.

I enjoyed this read from the very start to the very end. It's fast paced, constantly hitting with unexpected surprises, and building tension in every way possible. Which means tons of trouble for Ben. Every moment brings something new, but it layers together wonderfully and lets the story build and build. There isn't much time for character development or emotions, but considering this is the sixth adventure, that's fine. The only thing which irritated and felt a little out of place was the romance, and a triangle at that. 

Friends of spy stories, action, mystery, adventure and all with a bit of humor sprinkled in, are going to enjoy every minute of this tale.

And here he is...

Stuart Gibbs is the author of the FunJungle series, as well as the New York Times bestselling Spy School and Moon Base Alpha series. He has written the screenplays for movies like See Spot Run and Repli-Kate worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows for Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, ABC, and Fox. Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he's up to at StuartGibbs.com.