Planning ideal future career,
Investigating opportunities,
Tripping over both feet –
CIA material or not?

Ask kids what they want to be when they grow up, and they’ll give a list of amazing, exciting jobs – astronaut, firefighter, doctor – but Ben isn’t just dreaming about becoming a spy; he’s written to the Central Intelligence Agency numerous times about it!

Now in paperback, this Edgar Award nominee should be easy to find at your local library or independent bookstore, but try not to look too conspicuous as you pick up your copy… you do want to be around to see what happens to Ben and compatriots when they get to Spy Camp,  right?

I wonder if they really do recruit middle schoolers for covert training….
**kmm

Book info:  Spy School / Stuart Gibbs.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012 (paperback 2013).  [author site]  [publisher site]  [author interview]

My book talk: A secret agent in his living room, telling him to get ready to go to spy school! Ben’s biggest dream is about to come true. If he doesn’t get maimed or killed during his first day, he might be able to find the mole who’s endangering CIA operations from within…

As agent Alexander Hale tells him, “When you express an interest in the CIA, the CIA becomes interested in you,” and the Agency has been keeping close tabs on the 12-year-old for quite a while. Naturally, his parents and classmates have to think that he’s at an elite science school in nearby Washington, D.C. – no one can know that he’s entering the Academy of Espionage.

Coming in during the middle of the year isn’t easy at any school, but Academy class subjects make Ben’s transition much harder. Math and science are Ben’s gifts, not hand-to-hand combat (he’ll need tutoring), covert target shooting (practice, practice, practice), or clandestine surveillance (yep, behind in that, too).

Luckily, Erica has all those skills and is willing to help him improve, although Ben begins to wonder just why he’s at the Academy and who dropped out at midterm leaving the spot open for him. Other students aren’t a bit friendly, and he realizes that competition for the best CIA assignments in real life begins here inside the Academy.

When bullies Chip and Hauser vanish into thin air during a paintball attack and a bomb found underground exposes a true threat to the Academy, it’s time for Ben and Erica to do some extra-credit work. A few glitches might be accidental, but the increasingly serious incidents point to sabotage…which may endanger national security!

Can Ben and Erica discover which of their classmates is a double-agent?
Can they convince the adults in charge of the danger?
Can Ben survive until his final exams this semester?

Washington D.C. landmarks are supporting characters in this series-starter filled with action, secrets, and math whiz tricks.  (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.