Evil Spy School the Graphic Novel

by Stuart Gibbs, Anjan Sarkar (Illustrator)

Overview

The New York Times bestselling Spy School series continues in graphic novel form with the third book as Ben gets kicked out of the CIA’s spy school and enrolls with the enemy.

During a spy school game of Capture the Flag, twelve-year-old Ben Ripley accidentally shoots a live mortar into the principal’s office—and immediately gets himself expelled. Not long after going back to the boring real world, Ben gets an offer to join evil crime organization SPYDER. And he accepts.

Ben can tell he’s a key part of their sinister plan, but he’s not quite sure what the plan is. Can Ben figure out what SPYDER is up to—and get word to the good guys without getting caught—before it’s too late?

Follow Ben as he crosses over to the dark side in action-packed, full-color panels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781665931953
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Series:	Spy School the Graphic Novel
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	267,104
File size:	500 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

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.

Anjan Sarkar’s preferred illustration style is “wonky and slightly misshapen,” which he realized around the time that he started drawing with his children (who are masters of the wonky line). His work is influenced by illustrators like David McKee, Jill McDonald, and Maurice Sendak, whose books he read as a little person. Anjan is also unhealthily obsessed with a few contemporary illustrators such as Benjamin Chaud, Sara Ogilvie, and Neal Layton. Since becoming a full-time illustrator, he’s created illustrations for children’s books, animation, and advertising. Anjan works from a little studio in his house in Sheffield, England, where he lives with his wife and two kids.

Editorial Reviews

2024-01-05
Young CIA agent-in-training Benjamin Ripley switches sides—or is he just going undercover?—in this graphic version of the third Spy School caper.

Sticking to the plot of the 2015 original, this episode sees the talented math whiz recruited by nefarious organization SPYDER after being (unjustly, he fumes) kicked out of the CIA’s academy. While training in a hidden school for evildoers with other prospective villains, including Ashley Sparks, a gushy former competitive gymnast with a fondness for portmanteau words (sweet + awesome = swawesome), Ben gets wind of a dastardly scheme to make billions on government construction projects. Hot if inept pursuit by both rival espionage agencies takes Ben from a secret underground command center to the top of the Statue of Liberty. But while the action has a rapid flow in the art (Sarkar is good at portraying fights, high-speed chases, and explosions), several characters are drawn with generic features and such a limited range of expressions that even with help from the cast gallery, it’s hard to tell them apart easily. Still, along with coming through in the suspenseful climax—thanks to clever deductions and quick thinking—by the end, Ben has also achieved a long-sought breakthrough with Erica Hale (code name “Ice Queen”), a superbly omnicompetent schoolmate who has his heart as well as his back. The cast largely presents white.

Will satisfy fans but could be better. (Graphic thriller. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews