Spy School at Sea

Gr 5-8–Ben Ripley, CIA agent-in-training, is back in book number nine in the “Spy School” series for a new adventure—this time on the open sea. Ben, Mike, and Erica are assigned to a mission pretending to be the kids of Catherine and Arthur Hale, on a family vacation aboard a fancy new cruise ship Emperor of the Seas in search of the notorious Murray Hill. Ben must once again stay undercover and work with Erica (who he may or may not have a crush on), all while trying to catch the bad guys and stay alive. With surprise appearances from familiar series characters and time quickly running out, this may be one of Ben’s biggest missions yet. Gibbs, as always, provides minor introductions and recaps to allow new readers to follow along. Those familiar with the series and characters will enjoy the continuation of some plotlines; however the mission itself provides a main plot that is contained solely to this novel. With the mission beginning almost immediately, the book provides the nonstop action/adventure readers have grown to expect from the crew.