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Caramel reviews Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs

Caramel has recently begun the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs and just can’t have enough! So far he has read and reviewed the original book, Spy School, from 2012, and the graphic novel version of it, Spy School: The Graphic Novel, which came out ten years later, in 2022. Today he talks about the second book in the series, Spy Camp, originally published in 2013. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking followup questions.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you only recently discovered the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs, and since then, you are inseparable from these books! So why don’t you tell us about this second book in the series?

Caramel: Okay. Ben Ripley learns that he has to go to a spy summer camp.

S: This is the same main character as before, right?

C: Yep.

S: Okay, so do his parents finally realize he is going to a spy school? Do they know the camp is a spy camp?

C: No. They think the camp is just a regular sleep-away camp.

S: Okay, so tell me more. What happens at the camp?

C: It is like spy school but it is more in the wilderness. The spy school was more urban.

S: I see. Does Ben have friends from spy school at the camp?

C: Yes. Zoe, Chip, and Jawa are three of Ben’s friends from school. Also there is Erica Hale, she is the daughter of Alexander Hale and the granddaughter of Cyrus Hale. And if you go many many generations back apparently she is related to Nathan Hale, who was a famous spy for the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War.

S: So she is spy royalty more or less.

C: Yep. And Ben really likes her.

S: Do they date?

C: He has a crush on her, but no they do not date. They are mostly friends.

Caramel is reading Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs. — Caramel is reading *Spy Camp* by Stuart Gibbs.

S: Okay, so you told us about Cyrus and Alexander, Erica’s grandpa and father. Do they play an important role in this book?

C: Yes, but I cannot tell. But I can tell you that Cyrus is a mighty spy. Or I might say, he is a force to reckon with.

S: Hmm that is an interesting turn of phrase Caramel! Okay, so tell me, is this book as funny as the first one?

C: Yes. And just as exciting!

S: Okay, so I am guessing the first two words you would use to describe the book would be “hilarious” and “exciting”?

C: Yep.

S: How about a third word?

C: Hilarious, exciting, and adventurous.

S: Okay, so are you ready for book three?

C: No. I will first read the graphic novel version of this one, I think.

S: Okay, sounds good. So let us wrap up this review then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy Camp by Stuart Gibbs and is (almost) ready for book three! (He says he will first check out the graphic novel version of book two.) — Caramel loved reading *Spy Camp* by Stuart Gibbs and is (almost) ready for book three! (He says he will first check out the graphic novel version of book two.)

Caramel reviews Spy School: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs and Anjan Sarkar

Last week Caramel reviewed Spy School by Stuart Gibbs the first book in the author’s Spy School series. He liked it so much that he wanted to read more of the series. And when he learned that there were graphic novel versions of the first couple books, he had to start with those. So today he is talking to Sprinkles about the 2022 book, Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. — Caramel reviews *Spy School: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, I know you like graphic novels, and especially graphic novelizations of books you have enjoyed before. What did you think of this book?

Caramel: I liked it!

S: You did read it quite fast.

C: Yes. And I am rereading it as we speak.

S: I can see that. But I do need you to talk to me, too.

C: Okay. What do you want me to say?

S: You can start by telling me a bit more about this book. So I am assuming the book is about the same kid Ben Ripley and how he goes to a spy school, just like in the original book Spy School that you reviewed last week.

C: Yup. It is basically the same story, except it is a bit different.

S: How so?

C: It is essentially the same plot line, but it is a graphic novel version so they made a couple differences. For example in the original book the dorm rooms do not have any heating. And in this book there is heating. And Murray, one of Ben’s friends, is supposed to be brown haired, but in the graphic novel version he is blondish.

S: I see. So it is almost like a movie version where sometimes the characters don’t quite look like how you imagined them.

C: Yes, exactly. But there is nothing missing really. The story is practically the same.

Caramel is reading Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. — Caramel is reading *Spy School: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar.

S: So I am assuming that is a good thing, because you liked the original book.

C: Yes. I did.

S: How are the illustrations? Are they colorful? Realistic? Funny?

C: They are funny. Sometimes the characters make really goofy faces.

S: I think the color scheme is on the darker side though.

C: Yes, maybe because the story is supposed to be serious, because it is spy stuff after all.

S: So we watched a James Bond movie last week, because I wanted you to see the many spy film tropes. Did you recognize any of them in this book?

C: Not as much. The James Bond movie was kind of mushy. And there are girls in this book, too, and the boys talk a lot about them. But there is no really mushy stuff. Thankfully.

S: How about the trope of the main spy character trusting someone who turns out to be a bad guy?

C: Yes, actually. There is one such character.

S: And does the main character get out of hard situations in rather slick ways?

C: Yes. So I guess yes, there are some of the standard tropes. But this is written for young bunnies, and it is a lot of fun, and I really liked it. James Bond, not so much.

S: Well, James Bond was a creation of his times, and those times are now gone. And you are a little too young for his stuff. I have a feeling the Spy School books are just the right level for you, just the right amount of mystery, adventure, espionage, and stuff.

C: Yup. I agree.

S: Okay, so if you were to describe the book in three words, what would you say?

C: Hilarious, actionfull, and nerve-wracking. Things did get tense sometimes.

S: I think that is a good recap, thanks Caramel. I think you want to move on to the next book, so it is about time for us to wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers in closing?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar, and is eager to read more books from this fun and exciting series. — Caramel loved reading *Spy School: The Graphic Novel*, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar, and is eager to read more books from this fun and exciting series.

Caramel reviews Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

The book bunnies have read all the FunJungle books by Stuart Gibbs. (You can find Marshmallow’s reviews of all eight here.) But it was only this past week when Gibbs visited Caramel’s school that Caramel got his paws on an (autographed!) copy of his Spy School, first published in 2012. Below he shares his thoughts about the book with Sprinkles.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, that did not take you very long.

Caramel: No, I read it in one day.

S: I think that means you found the book exciting.

C: Yep.

S: So tell us a bit about it. What is it about?

C: Spy School. So there is this kid named Ben Ripley, who gets invited to attend a science school, but it is actually a school to train spies. His parents think it is just a science school, but it is apparently a way for the CIA to recruit new agents.

S: So Ben is going to Spy School to become an agent.

C: Yes.

S: So this is kind of like Harry Potter then. At the age of eleven or twelve, you get recruited to attend a special school for special people.

C: Yes, I guess I can see that. But Spy School is a lot more realistic than Hogwarts, there is no magic for example.

S: I see. But there is a lot of science at least?

C: Not as much as you would expect in a real science school. There is math but not too much more than that.

S: I see. So is the book basically about Ben going to this school and making friends and attending classes? Or is there some real spying that happens?

C: Yes, there is some spying. There is an assassin sent after him.

S: That sounds serious.

C: Deadly serious.

S: So there must be some tense moments in the book, then. Right?

C: Yep, there are many pages that you have to read really fast to move forward because you want to know what happens next, now now now!

S: I see. No wonder you read the book so fast!

Caramel is looking happily at the autographed title page of Spy School by Stuart Gibbs. — Caramel is looking happily at the autographed title page of *Spy School* by Stuart Gibbs.

S: So is the book funny?

C: Yes. I can even say it is hilarious at times.

S: That is great! So i can see you liked the book. You know this is the first book of a series right?

C: Yep. And I want to read the rest of the books in the series.

S: Well, the Spy School series is made up of eleven books at the moment. So knowing this, that there are ten more books in the series, are you still interested in reading more?

C: Yes. I definitely want to read at least the next one.

S: Okay, we will see what we can do about that. Does the book end in a cliffhanger?

C: Kind of. The mystery of the book is resolved but there are hints of what is coming next. So I definitely want to read that next book.

S: That makes sense to me Caramel. So tell me, if you were to describe the book in three words, what would you say?

C: Let me think. Funny kid spy adventure! For the young and the young at heart.

S: That works for me! Okay, let us wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy School by Stuart Gibbs and is itching to move to the next book in the series. Stay tuned! — Caramel loved reading *Spy School* by Stuart Gibbs and is itching to move to the next book in the series. Stay tuned!

Marshmallow reviews How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport

Last week Marshmallow reviewed How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport. This week, as we dive into the new school year, she is continuing with a similar book, How to Be a High School Superstar, first published in 2010. Sprinkles is asking questions and taking notes.

Sprinkles: So Marshmallow, it is back to school time, and you are reading all these books about how to be a good student. You just reviewed How to Become a Straight-A Student by Cal Newport last week. And now we are looking at How to Be a High School Superstar, which was written later but is meant for a younger audience.

Marshmallow: Yes, this one is for bunnies who are beginning high school and want to know about how to make the best of it. The other book was mainly intended for college bunnies.

S: I see. So what kinds of advice do you find in this book?

M: The main ides is to be an interesting student so that you can get into college.

S: What does that mean?

M: So Cal Newport thinks that it is not how many As you get in your classes and how many activities you are involved in that matters. He thinks that college admissions folks look at the whole package and want to admit students who look interesting.

S: So what does interesting mean?

M: He suggests that you should leave yourself a lot of free time to explore new directions and find a thing or two that you are really into and you can really advance in, so you can be more than just a good student.

S: So I am assuming he takes it for granted that you will be a good student, or at least a good enough student, and then he tells the reader what else to do to round out one’s college application package. Right?

M: Yes, I think so.

S: So the book is very much directed towards high school students who are looking to get into college.

M: Yep.

Marshmallow is reading How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport. — Marshmallow is reading *How to Be a High School Superstar* by Cal Newport.

S: Okay, so tell me how one can become a more interesting person.

M: According to Cal Newport, doing less is more, so focus on one thing and do that really well. Like, he thinks that doing a sport and doing some volunteering and doing theatre and doing band and so on all at once without really paying any special attention to any one of them makes you dilute your efforts, and while trying to be well rounded you end up being mediocre in all things.

S: That reminds me of something I had heard from a college faculty member I know. He said something like, “while people are looking for well roundedness, I want to find all the sharp knives.”

M: I think I can see what he means by that! I think Cal Newport would agree.

S: Besides this big idea, what other recommendations does he make in this book?

M: Well, I think that is really the main point of the book. He uses the phrase “relaxed superstar”. He thinks that is what one should aspire to be.

S: I see. That sounds nice.

M: I think so, too.

S: So how would you rate this book then?

M: I’d rate it 100%. I think it makes a good point about being intentional about how one goes about doing high school. Wow! I managed to make one sentence with three “about”s!

S: Yes, I give you 100% for that! So this is a good place to wrap up this review, I think. What would you like to tell our readers?

M: Stay tuned for more amazing reviews from the book bunnies!