Spy School at Sea

July 1, 2021
In a new caper, the Spy School team thwarts a fiendish scheme on the high seas. A fresh chance to catch up to world-class gourmand and perennial foe Murray Hill plants dogged CIA junior agent Ben Ripley and associates--including markedly more competent classmate Erica Hale and her equally able mom, Catherine--aboard the Emperor of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, for a fresh round of ridiculously destructive chases, startling twists, and repeated attempts on the hapless young spy's life that are somehow always averted in the nick of time. Along with adding a grandfatherly, eco-conscious Costa Rican drug lord to the supporting cast, Gibbs flirts with stereotypes by trotting in, among the few characters who don't at least present as White, a Chinese teen given to muddling her English idioms, her bling-loving mother, and a chipper shipboard event manager of Australian Indigenous descent. Still, the revved-up plot will leave readers as breathless as Ben is in the wake of a final, unexpected turn in his relationship with Erica. Finally, finally nabbing the slobby supervillain (at least for now) as well as saving the lives of hundreds of oblivious, hard-partying onboard tourists must count for something. The series keeps cruising along...though iffy casting may be an early sign that it's losing steam. (Thriller. 10-13)

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August 1, 2021

Gr 5-8-Ben Ripley, CIA agent-in-training, is back in book number nine in the "Spy School" series for a new adventure-this time on the open sea. Ben, Mike, and Erica are assigned to a mission pretending to be the kids of Catherine and Arthur Hale, on a family vacation aboard a fancy new cruise ship Emperor of the Seas in search of the notorious Murray Hill. Ben must once again stay undercover and work with Erica (who he may or may not have a crush on), all while trying to catch the bad guys and stay alive. With surprise appearances from familiar series characters and time quickly running out, this may be one of Ben's biggest missions yet. Gibbs, as always, provides minor introductions and recaps to allow new readers to follow along. Those familiar with the series and characters will enjoy the continuation of some plotlines; however the mission itself provides a main plot that is contained solely to this novel. With the mission beginning almost immediately, the book provides the nonstop action/adventure readers have grown to expect from the crew. VERDICT Another solid title in the series. Recommended purchase for all libraries where plucky kid sleuths and the "Spy School" is popular.-Elizabeth Portillo, Finkelstein Memorial Lib., Spring Valley, NY

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