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About The Book

“Combines Alex Rider’s espionage skills with a huge dose of the sarcasm of Artemis Fowl.” —School Library Journal

Can an undercover nerd become a superstar agent? In the first book in the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley sure hopes so—and his life may depend on it!

Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: CIA or bust. Unfortunately for him, his personality doesn’t exactly scream “secret agent.” In fact, Ben is so awkward, he can barely get to school and back without a mishap. Because of his innate nerdiness, Ben is not surprised when he is recruited for a magnet school with a focus on science—but he’s entirely shocked to discover that the school is actually a front for a junior CIA academy. Could the CIA really want him?

About The Author

Photograph by Dashiell Gibbs
Stuart Gibbs

Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com.

About The Reader

Gibson Frazier

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (February 7, 2017)
  • Runtime: 6 hours and 1 minute
  • ISBN13: 9781508234562
  • Ages: 8 - 12

Awards and Honors

  • South Carolina Picture Book Award Nominee
  • Nutmeg Book Award Nominee (CT)
  • Colorado Children's Book Award Master List
  • Volunteer State Book Award Nominee (TN)
  • Virginia Readers' Choice Award List
  • CBC Best Children's Books of the Year
  • Edgars Award Nominee

Resources and Downloads

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More books from this author: Stuart Gibbs

More books from this reader: Gibson Frazier

More books in this series: Spy School