Tag: Spy School

Caramel reviews Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs

Both little book bunnies are Stuart Gibbs fans. Caramel in particular has read and reviewed every single book in his Spy School series. So as you can expect, he was thrilled to learn that the fourteenth book in the series just came out last week! Below is his review of Spy School Goes East. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs.
Caramel reviews Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, today we get to talk about a brand new Spy School book!

Caramel: Yep, and I am happy to say I really liked it. So in this book they go east. And they have already gone north and south. So maybe they’ll go west next time!

S: Yeah, I wonder where “west” could be. Remind us where “north” and “south” were? And where is “east”? 

C: So the events happened in Mexico in the south book, and the north book is about Alaska and Russia. And in this book, the story is taking place in China, specifically in a fictional place in China, it’s called Space City, but it also contains a few places that are real: Shanghai, the Great Wall, and the Gobi Desert. It also contains several non-existent companies, such as Sky-tech.

S: Cool! I also saw a map of sorts in the inside of the book. 

C: Yes, there are in fact interesting things like that in this book. In the back there is also, I think, a journal or rather a travel log.

S: Is it supposed to be Ben Ripley’s travel log? 

C: No, it is the author himself, who is explaining how he got the ideas for the places and the plot. He actually went to China to see what he was writing about. And that’s cool.

S: Agreed!

Caramel is reading Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs.
Caramel is reading Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs.

S: Okay, so tell us about the main story. Why is Spy School going to China?

C: So, in the previous book Spy School Blackout, the team were trying to figure out the worldwide blackouts. Then it turned out that their ‘friend’ Orion was in fact the guy behind it all, and they solved that mystery and saved the planet. But then they also learned that Erica Hale’s parents and grandparents had gone missing in China, where Orion had sent them, so now in this book, they go there to get them back.

S: Oh I see. And they meet a lot of new people, some friendly and some evil, I am assuming?

C: Yep, and we also meet a recurring character (I love those), Jessica Shang who first showed up in Spy Ski School, the daughter of the guy who tried to nuke Colorado. You might recall that she is also daughter of the lady who tried to destroy the Panama Canal (in Spy School at Sea), and the niece of the guy who tried to sell Ben into slavery (in Spy School Goes Wild).

S: Oh my! Her whole family is full of Ben’s enemies. But I seem to recall you had told us before that Jessica herself is actually quite nice. And she kind of likes Ben?

C: Yeah they are friends, and apparently Erica is Ben’s girlfriend now.

S: Oh, I see. But nothing mushy going on, right? 

C: No, no mushiness. Erica and Ben are just partners solving mysteries and world problems together. 

S: Cool. Okay, so did you enjoy this book?

C: Yes, I did. Very much. It was funny, and had some cool plot lines and hooks, as well as references to the other books in the series. Gotta love consistency among an author’s works! Tui Sutherland in Wings of Fire does this really well, too. Hint hint.

S: You will definitely get another one of those books in the coming months! But there may yet be another Spy School book as well. As you suggested, I am expecting a “going west” story some time. 

C: Me too. And I’m assuming it will also be good.

S: And when it does come out, I am sure you will review it. 

C: Yes I will! 

S: Okay, Caramel, this is probably a good time to wrap up this review. 

C: Yep, this is a school night after all…

S: Okay, what do you want to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs and was thrilled to share his thoughts on it with the readers of the book bunnies blog.
Caramel loved reading Spy School Goes East by Stuart Gibbs and was thrilled to share his thoughts on it with the readers of the book bunnies blog.

Caramel reviews Spy School Blackout by Stuart Gibbs

Caramel has read and reviewed all books in the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs, so he could not pass the opportunity to read and review the thirteenth book that just came out last week: Spy School Blackout. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Spy School Blackout by Stuart Gibbs.
Caramel reviews Spy School Blackout by Stuart Gibbs.

Sprinkles: I know you could not wait to talk about this book today! 

Caramel: Yes! We got a new Spy School book! How cool is that? 

S: Very. Okay so this is book thirteen, right?

C: Yes, in fact it is. And a very good thirteenth at that, most things are no longer good after the first ten books or movies, for example fast and furious.

S: Caramel, you have not even watched one of those movies! I did. Actually I did not think it was terrible. It definitely kept me paying attention. 

C: Nope, I don’t know the movies, it is true, but I’ve heard it got bad after the first two.

S: Yes, I suppose critics did not like them. But the studio keeps making them so lots of people must be watching, don’t you think? Doesn’t mean we would like them of course. And anyways, I think your point was that this book is still very good even though it is number 13 in the series. 

C: Yep, it is very very good

S: So tell us about it a bit. I am guessing it is still about Ben Ripley. 

C: Yes. In this one, the group is in Indonesia to take a vacation, and then the power goes out.

S: Oh, that is interesting. I had read the quick summary which said “On their latest mission to save the world, Ben and his friends face a conniving villain, assassins, pirates, sharks, and very big lizards in the most remote—and deadly—location of any spy school yet!” And I was wondering where that most remote and deadly place was. So they are in Indonesia!

C: Yeah, but the power is not just out in Indonesia, but around the whole world, everywhere.

S: I guess that is why the book is titled “Blackout”. 

C: Yep, you are pretty smart, Sprinkles!

S: I am humbled and honored. Anyways. So the power goes out everywhere. How could that happen? Who could have done such a thing? Power networks around the world are not all connected, are they? 

C: Birthday cake.

S: What do you mean?

C: it’s apparently the code word for a precision attack on the power systems.

S: So someone simultaneously attacks all the networks. I am guessing it is a cyber-attack, like a virus or something. 

C: Yep, pretty much.

S: Hmm, that sounds terrifying. Remember how a few days ago we were talking about how we get to stay up after sunset because we have electricity and can still read or do other things at home even when there is no natural light? 

C: Yep, I do remember us talking about that. 

Caramel is reading Spy School Blackout by Stuart Gibbs.
Caramel is reading Spy School Blackout by Stuart Gibbs.

S: I cannot imagine there not being any light at night. And the fridge would not work, either! Oh my goodness, that would be horrible too.

C: Yep, it would be almost world ending, or saving at the same time.

S: Wait, are you suggesting the person or group that does this has some environmental ideals and that is their reason? 

C: No, not really, they are just evil. But I was thinking just that since humans rely on power so much, if it disappeared, the carbon emissions would decrease by a huge amount and then maybe forcing us to find a way around it, but would also cause all infrastructure to fail, and most likely make many people die from either hypothermia or too much heat. And all the machines in hospitals would stop working once the generators ran out and so on. 

S: Yes, people could still probably use gas-based cars and generators, but so much of the world we know would collapse. That is a terrifying scenario, Caramel. Okay so that is the basic idea of the book, then. But I am guessing our hero Ben will figure things out?

C: I shouldn’t really give it away but I suppose it is no big secret. After twelve times when the world was about to end Ben saved it, you would expect he would do it again.

S: Phew! I wonder how he does it. But don’t tell me. We don’t want to spoil it for our readers. 

C: Yeah, I guess we don’t. You and our readers, too, will just have to read the book! 

S: Hmm, I also might ask you after we wrap this up?

C: Hmm, we will see how much I will tell. 

S: Okay, we will see. But overall you really enjoyed reading this book, right? Compared to the other twelve, how do you think it would rank?

C: I think this might be my favorite so far!

S: Wow! That is impressive. Maybe I will read the book after all. Okay, I suppose it is time to wrap this up then. What would you like to tell our readers, Caramel?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunnies reviews!

Caramel was delighted to read Spy School Blackout by Stuart Gibbs, and is hopeful that there will soon be a fourteenth book, or at least maybe a graphic novelization of some of the earlier books.
Caramel was delighted to read Spy School Blackout by Stuart Gibbs, and is hopeful that there will soon be a fourteenth book, or at least maybe a graphic novelization of some of the earlier books.

Caramel reviews Spy School Goes Wild by Stuart Gibbs

The book bunnies are fans of Stuart Gibbs and his books. While Marshmallow has been an avid fan of Gibbs’ FunJungle books, Caramel has read and reviewed all his Spy School books. So last week, he was delighted to finally get his paws on Spy School Goes Wild, the new Spy School novel that just came out on September 24. In the post below, he shares his thoughts about this book. As usual Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

Caramel reviews Spy School Goes Wild by Stuart Gibbs.
Caramel reviews Spy School Goes Wild by Stuart Gibbs.

Sprinkles: So Caramel, we are at book twelve now. Tell me what is going on with Ben Ripley this time.

Caramel: He is still a spy at the training facility in Alaska like in Spy School Goes North, the previous book. And he is supposed to be sent for a secret mission. The principal of his school takes him on a plane for this mission but betrays him and turns him over to Murray Hill, his arch-nemesis.

S: Well, that sounds awful.

C: It is but it gets much worse. The principal double-crosses Murray as well, and Ben and Murray are stuck in the African wilderness together. And that is not all of it, either. There is an unexpected enemy who is trying to take revenge on both of them, so they are in serious danger.

S: That sounds dangerous!

C: And it is dangerous!

S: But I am assuming our hero Ben will figure things out in the end, as he always does.

C: Yes, of course, but the way he gets there is all around awesome! This was again a lot of fun to read.

Caramel is reading Spy School Goes Wild by Stuart Gibbs.

S: You have been waiting for this twelfth book for some time now.

C: Yes, it has been more than eight months since I read and reviewed the eleventh book. Then I tried to wait around and read the graphic novels while waiting, but there are only three of those: Spy School: The Graphic Novel, Spy Camp: The Graphic Novel, and Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel. It is so hard to wait!

S: I know! Especially for a little bunny like you! But the wait is over! You got a twelfth book!

C: Yay! I am excited to have the twelfth book. But-

S: What?

C: You know what I am going to say.

S: Hmm, I think I do. Go ahead; say it then.

C: I am excited to have the twelfth book. But now I read it. So I need the thirteenth book now!

S: Well, you might have to wait a bit. You know it takes some time to write a book. Even a prolific author like Stuart Gibbs will need some time to get a new book out.

C: I know, I know. But you know me, I like to always keep reading my favorite series. I guess I will simply go back and reread some of the earlier books.

S: Sounds like a good compromise to me. And there are other books out there, too. Maybe we will find a new series.

C: Maybe.

S: Okay, Caramel; this is probably a good time to wrap up this review. What would you like to tell our readers?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Spy School Goes Wild by Stuart Gibbs: he had missed Spy School!
Caramel loved reading Spy School Goes Wild by Stuart Gibbs: he had missed Spy School!

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

Over the course of the last few months, Caramel has read and reviewed all the extant books of the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs. He has also reviewed the graphic book versions of the first two books in the series. Spy School: The Graphic Novel and Spy Camp: The Graphic Novel, both illustrated by Anjan Sarkar. Today he finally got his paws on the third and latest graphic novel version for the series, Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel, and read it in one sitting so that he could review it right away. As usual, Sprinkles is taking notes and asking questions.

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

Sprinkles: So Caramel, you have already read and reviewed Evil Spy School, the original version of this book. Why were you so excited to get this one?

Caramel: Because it is a graphic novel and I like graphic novels. A lot.

S: I can see that! Usually graphic novels are a bit shorter than the original version, but this book feels really heavy.

C: Yes, it is heavy. It is still smaller than the original, I mean it has less content, and fewer words and pages, but the pages are really thick. I mean, it is a graphic novel on a really nice, shiny paper. And it smells really nice.

S: I see. I like that smell too. The pages being thick and high quality paper would of course make the book heavy. Do you like the illustrations?

C: Yes. The illustrator is the same person as the one for the other two graphic novel versions, so it fits. The characters look the same as they did in the other books.

S: That is good. So can you remind our readers what the main plot is in this book?

C: So Ben Ripley is the kid spy from the other books. He is now thrown out of the spy school and Joshua Halal shows up in his middle school and asks him to join the evil spy school, the spy school that is owned by the SPYDER folks. Remember SPYDER is an evil spy organization.

S: Oh yes I remember that. And does Ben end up joining?

C: Yes, because he is hoping to bring down evil spy school and even SPYDER so the original spy school will take him back.

S: Oh, I remember it now!

C: It turns out that –

S: Wait, I think you are about the give away some plot twist!

C: Oops. Okay I won’t.

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

S: Let us talk about something else instead. So you have already read all eleven books in the series.

C: And so far only three graphic novels!

S: Yes. Are you hoping that the other books will also come out as graphic novels?

C: Yes!

S: But you also want Stuart Gibbs to write a twelfth book.

C: Yes. Of course. And I am hopeful that maybe there will be a twelfth year by next year.

S: Possible. The first eleven did come out more or less at a pace of one a year.

C: Yes. Exactly.

S: Okay, so let us wrap up this review then. Can you describe the book in three to five words?

C: Hilarious, action packed, and spy-full.

S: Again, I think you are making up a word there, but I guess that is alright.

C: Well, I think it is a word now.

S: Alright. Works for me too. What do you want to tell our readers as we close?

C: Stay tuned for more book bunny reviews!

Caramel loved reading Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar, and recommends it strongly to any bunnies who enjoyed the original Spy School books.
Caramel loved reading Evil Spy School: The Graphic Novel, written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar, and recommends it strongly to any bunnies who enjoyed the original Spy School books.