Still, the quirky cast of characters, witty dialogue and high-stakes action make for an entertaining read that will likely...
Having survived his first year at the CIA Academy of Espionage (Spy School, 2012), 12-year-old Benjamin Ripley is looking forward to heading home for an assassin-free summer vacation with his family and old friends. That was the plan anyway.
Instead, Ben is headed to Spy Camp, a “wilderness education facility,” and the nefarious organization SPYDER is once again hot on his trail. The title of the novel is a bit misleading, as Ben hardly spends any time at the Happy Trails Sleepaway Camp for Boys and Girls. On the day he arrives, Ben receives a mysterious letter from SPYDER offering him the opportunity to lend his “special skills” to their efforts or be killed. And if it weren’t for 15-year-old Erica Hale, Ben’s secret crush and the “savviest spy-to-be” at Spy School, Ben would likely be facing certain death. Gibbs’ screenwriter roots are evident in the explosive action sequences as Erica assumes responsibility for saving Ben and dashing SPYDER’s evil plans. Unfortunately, Ben is often overshadowed by Erica’s fearlessness and superior spy skills. Readers may find themselves scratching their heads every now and again over who is the true protagonist and whether or not Ben has what it takes for a future in espionage.
Still, the quirky cast of characters, witty dialogue and high-stakes action make for an entertaining read that will likely satisfy adrenaline junkies. (Adventure. 8-12)Pub Date: April 30, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-5753-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
Fast-paced and plot-driven.
In his latest, prolific author Gratz takes on Hitler’s Olympic Games.
When 13-year-old American gymnast Evie Harris arrives in Berlin to compete in the 1936 Olympic Games, she has one goal: stardom. If she can bring home a gold medal like her friend, the famous equestrian-turned-Hollywood-star Mary Brooks, she might be able to lift her family out of their Dust Bowl poverty. But someone slips a strange note under Evie’s door, and soon she’s dodging Heinz Fischer, the Hitler Youth member assigned to host her, and meeting strangers who want to make use of her gymnastic skills—to rob a bank. As the games progress, Evie begins to see the moral issues behind their sparkling facade—the antisemitism and racism inherent in Nazi ideology and the way Hitler is using the competition to support and promote these beliefs. And she also agrees to rob the bank. Gratz goes big on the Mission Impossible–style heist, which takes center stage over the actual competitions, other than Jesse Owens’ famous long jump. A lengthy and detailed author’s note provides valuable historical context, including places where Gratz adapted the facts for storytelling purposes (although there’s no mention of the fact that before 1952, Olympic equestrian sports were limited to male military officers). With an emphasis on the plot, many of the characters feel defined primarily by how they’re suffering under the Nazis, such as the fictional diver Ursula Diop, who was involuntarily sterilized for being biracial.
Fast-paced and plot-driven. (Historical fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781338736106
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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