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suzharold's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jehansen127's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ria_ray's review against another edition
5.0
OH. MY. GOD. I can’t believe I didnt put the pieces together the latest book I finished right before this one WAS LITERALLY ABOUT UNDERESTIMATING SOMEONE. I loved Murray as a character unfortunately it was all an act. I wish I got to see more Ben and Mike together though
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
“This morning’s lecture was on how to avoid ninjas, which might have been interesting if step one hadn’t been “Stay out of Japan.”"
I saw a few of these at one of my library, and after reading a few pages of the first book, when I finally found it and not book 2, 4, or 5, I decided to buy the book, and boy, I am glad I did. Because this was one fun, hilarious, spy-tastic story with a few hints of romance (or at least our MC hoping to have a chance with the cute (and awesome) girl at his new school). And lots of action.
Ben was a big favourite of mine from the start. He was a normal boy in a school of spies. Well, he is not completely normal as his skills for maths are just beyond this world. But other than that, the others are just a different kind of cookie. But he loves to learn and get better at things, and he definitely has guts. Sure, he is miles behind on everyone else, but he is trying his best. I felt sorry for how things went for him at school, bullies, but also finding out the reason why he really was allowed at school. Throughout the book we do see that he is quite frustrated and also not all too happy about things.
Why Ben was allowed at the school? Well, I had my suspicions that someone wouldn't just get accepted into spy school for his math skills (as that is Ben's super talent). Especially when he failed that thing that happened at the beginning when he came to school. Though he is showing that he is talented and that he is eager to learn. Still, I was a bit pissed that the school was run by such incompetent fools and that no one cared to let Ben know about the plans. Come on the kid definitely deserves better. So I was definitely grinning and rubbing my hands when Ben and Erica got together and teamed up. Not only to find out the mole in the school (the most important goal), but also to take a bit of revenge on the school and the top people in control.
Other than Ben and Erica, I quite loved Zoe. She was just so sweet and kick-ass. Plus I loved how she supported Ben, how she never gave up on him, not even when she probably would have seen the truth (come on, she is a spy, she must have noticed something).
The mole? Sorry, I had no clue who it could be until the end. Sure, I had a few suspects. Chip, Tina, even Alexander. I had quite fun trying to figure out who could be the mole. There were so many clues, and so many dead ends. It really was a puzzle, but the writer really hit the truth well.
The book gets more and more exciting, especially when they send out another mail regarding some magical thing Ben did. Which also was funny as everyone believed them, even the principal (but then again that dude is the biggest idiot of them all). After that there is not a moment to relax and I loved that.
I did think it was a shame so many people are incompetent in the spy world, at least in this book. These people are supposed to help and save people, but sorry I wouldn't trust them with my life at all. They can't even do their jobs right, and it shouldn't be that hard.
Erica and Ben's relationship, their banter, I just loved them together. And yes, I was rooting for them to get together, as they also made a cute couple. But I guess that won't happen for a while, plus it would probably get in the way of their work/school stuff.
I would have loved to read more about the lessons, seen more in action (I did love that capture the flag game though). While things aren't always going well in that school, the lessons seem very interesting. I would so do anything to get my hands on those schoolbooks.
The ending, I was happy for Ben. Well, until Alexander did that, but eh, the whole class/school knows what Ben did and that is what counts the most. Hopefully Ben can be a bit happier at the school now.
All in all, a very fun, exciting book that I would definitely recommend. As for me? I am going to get the other books in this series as I want to continue reading.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I saw a few of these at one of my library, and after reading a few pages of the first book, when I finally found it and not book 2, 4, or 5, I decided to buy the book, and boy, I am glad I did. Because this was one fun, hilarious, spy-tastic story with a few hints of romance (or at least our MC hoping to have a chance with the cute (and awesome) girl at his new school). And lots of action.
Ben was a big favourite of mine from the start. He was a normal boy in a school of spies. Well, he is not completely normal as his skills for maths are just beyond this world. But other than that, the others are just a different kind of cookie. But he loves to learn and get better at things, and he definitely has guts. Sure, he is miles behind on everyone else, but he is trying his best. I felt sorry for how things went for him at school, bullies, but also finding out the reason why he really was allowed at school. Throughout the book we do see that he is quite frustrated and also not all too happy about things.
Why Ben was allowed at the school? Well, I had my suspicions that someone wouldn't just get accepted into spy school for his math skills (as that is Ben's super talent). Especially when he failed that thing that happened at the beginning when he came to school. Though he is showing that he is talented and that he is eager to learn. Still, I was a bit pissed that the school was run by such incompetent fools and that no one cared to let Ben know about the plans. Come on the kid definitely deserves better. So I was definitely grinning and rubbing my hands when Ben and Erica got together and teamed up. Not only to find out the mole in the school (the most important goal), but also to take a bit of revenge on the school and the top people in control.
Other than Ben and Erica, I quite loved Zoe. She was just so sweet and kick-ass. Plus I loved how she supported Ben, how she never gave up on him, not even when she probably would have seen the truth (come on, she is a spy, she must have noticed something).
The mole? Sorry, I had no clue who it could be until the end. Sure, I had a few suspects. Chip, Tina, even Alexander. I had quite fun trying to figure out who could be the mole. There were so many clues, and so many dead ends. It really was a puzzle, but the writer really hit the truth well.
The book gets more and more exciting, especially when they send out another mail regarding some magical thing Ben did. Which also was funny as everyone believed them, even the principal (but then again that dude is the biggest idiot of them all). After that there is not a moment to relax and I loved that.
I did think it was a shame so many people are incompetent in the spy world, at least in this book. These people are supposed to help and save people, but sorry I wouldn't trust them with my life at all. They can't even do their jobs right, and it shouldn't be that hard.
Erica and Ben's relationship, their banter, I just loved them together. And yes, I was rooting for them to get together, as they also made a cute couple. But I guess that won't happen for a while, plus it would probably get in the way of their work/school stuff.
I would have loved to read more about the lessons, seen more in action (I did love that capture the flag game though). While things aren't always going well in that school, the lessons seem very interesting. I would so do anything to get my hands on those schoolbooks.
The ending, I was happy for Ben. Well, until Alexander did that, but eh, the whole class/school knows what Ben did and that is what counts the most. Hopefully Ben can be a bit happier at the school now.
All in all, a very fun, exciting book that I would definitely recommend. As for me? I am going to get the other books in this series as I want to continue reading.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
priya_amrev's review
2.0
Finished in an hr. This is such a kiddies book and I don’t like the representation of the “female MCâ€
rose3399's review
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
shirarweiss's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I wanted to love this book. It was recommended to me by a third grader and I totally would have picked this up at his age. The way the narrator talked about girls (at age 12) was uncomfy and weird, and that just kept happening, didn’t love that… and also the weird moments of racism/racial stereotyping. There were other parts of it that were just too absurd (like the parents just letting their child go off to a special school with some guy) and annoyed me - maybe more than your typical middle grade novel? That being said, the twists! The reveals! They just kept coming. I saw some of them coming, but some did surprise me. This was a fun middle grade thriller that kept me turning the pages so I finished it in one day.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Violence, Racism, Bullying, Gun violence, Confinement, and Misogyny