Spy School Goes South

As a parent, I’m always looking for book series that genuinely keeps my 9-year-old excited about reading, and the Spy School books continue to deliver. My son absolutely loves this series, and this installment was another fun, fast-paced adventure that kept him engaged from beginning to end. One of my favorite things about these books is that they work really well as read-alouds too. We read this together, and it sparked lots of conversations and laughs along the way. The story moves quickly, the humor lands well for kids and adults, and the spy/adventure elements keep things exciting without feeling too mature. The chapters are easy for independent readers to tackle, but the storyline is strong enough that parents will enjoy reading along too. If your child enjoys action, mystery, gadgets, and clever problem-solving, this series is a great pick. Highly recommend for elementary and middle-grade readers — especially reluctant readers who need a series that really hooks them.

This book will keep you riveted. Ben, a 13-year-old junior agent at the Academy of Espionage (think CIA) is a good kid who always tries to do the right thing. He’s probably not the perfect spy student; he’s not great at physically protecting himself, or shooting guns, or computer hacking… but he’s kind of brainy. He can put pieces of information together and make the connections. And he’s got guts when it counts. Ben has already helped his spy school solve problems in previous books (5), but I haven’t read them and did just fine with this book. Here, Ben is asked to help locate their enemies of the covert organization, SPYDER. Of course he says yes, but it’s not that simple. He’s plunged into all kinds of scary situations in a Mexican jungle, and things just keep getting worse. Think of your plane being targeted by a missile, or having hungry crocodiles surround you, or discovering a nefarious plan to accelerate rising oceans and sink cities around the globe. Ben has some solid friends, though, and each has their own special spy skills which come in handy. Still, the author is sly; you might wonder, does ‘goes south’ in the title refer to a country south of the U.S., or does it refer to the expression that means things get very bad, or even that the school is no longer providing a safe haven for spies in training? Hmm. If you’re in grades 3-7 and you like adventure with amusing situations, this is for you. Also, read the author’s suggestions at the end. We can take care of our planet; each person can make a difference.

This time Ben and Erica go after SPYDER in Mexico. Murray tries to ingratiate himself into their good graces. And Erica needs to call in back-up. I loved this story. This series just keeps getting better. The junior spies learn how to stand on their own two feet without having adults helping them. They do well. Better than the adults. Truths are revealed. I went along for the ride and enjoyed every minute of it. So much happens. So many things are overcome. I liked their inventiveness as well as Ben thinking back on his and Erica's past and realizing he and she are at cross purposes and he's not sure he cares. Ben's thought processes are interesting but without Ben they would not have figured out what SPYDER was up to and could not, as they always have, thwart them. It's not with finesse but it works. Looking forward to reading the next book.

My 12 year old loves this series of books

Now don't get me wrong. Me and my entire family are fairly concerned about the climate change problem. But the fact that he put a political messge in the end of a childrens book is well, depressing. However, do not classify climate change as a "socialist hoax." You should still read books from Stuart Gibbs. I am with the author, and I do not believe that kids are too young to understand the problem of climate change. EVERYONE needs to know about this. I have had enough about everyone telling me that climate change is false. And I'm not the only one. 97% of scientists agree with me too. So please don't listen to the far-right news channels. Listen to the officials. I voted republican since '89. However, I voted democrat in 2020 because of this issue.

I really liked this book because they were stuck in the wild and a fancy resort called Aquarius in Mexico. Being in the rainforest is much more fun than just staying at their hometown and non-wild places. However, there is too much romance, and the author doesn't describe the story that well in some parts of the story, including when Ben and Erica were parasailing onto SPYDER's headquarters. Otherwise, Spy School Goes South is a great book to read.

The climax was spectacular and everything in this book is also the end with the letter was cool because it wasn’t bleeped over

My son LOVES to read....but most of all, he LOVES the Spy School series. He salivates every time a new title is released. When he reads this series, he expresses a myriad of emotions....busts out laughing, gets intense and has to tell me EVERYTHING that is going on in the story, and he talks about the characters on any given whim. It's been fun to see him so engrossed. He doesn't need motivation to read...but this series is one he devours on a consistent basis.

My son loves to read this series 💙

My son enjoyed this book a lot. He was engaged from start to finish and asked to read it multiple times. Good purchase.

my son has loved all the books in this series - can't comment on this one as bought it for his birthday which is not till next week

My daughter loves the entire series.

Funny, action packed booked! Easy to read.