Over the years, author Stuart Gibbs has written many book series. All of them have been targeted toward preteens and teenagers. They are entertaining books that combine mystery and humor, which is not an easy combination, but Stuart Gibbs does it well.
He’s written the FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, The Last Musketeer series, Charlie Thorne series, Once Upon a Tim Series, and finally, the Spy School series, one that is extremely popular with critics and readers alike.
The Spy School series focuses on Benjamin Ripley, a twelve-year-old boy who ends up getting into a school run by the CIA that focuses on teaching the ways of espionage. Together with another spy named Erica Hale, he goes out on missions so they can take down SPYDER, an evil spy organization.
So far, there are ten published books in the series. The first book was published in 2012, with the most recent book called Spy School Goes North expected to drop sometime in 2023.
These books might be originally targeted toward teens and preteens, but it does not mean adults will also not like them. If these books sound like your thing, this article is for you as you’ll discover the best order to read the Spy School book series!
Complete List of Spy School Books in Order of Release Date:
- Spy School (2012)
- Spy Camp (2013)
- Evil Spy School (2015)
- Spy Ski School (2016)
- Spy School Secret Service (2017)
- Spy School Goes South (2018)
- Spy School British Invasion (2019)
- Spy School Revolution (2020)
- Spy School At Sea (2021)
- Spy School Project X (2022)
- Spy School Goes North (Expected 2023)
Spy School Series in Order:
1. Spy School (2012)
Meet Ben Ripley, who is not your average twelve-year-old boy. This middle school student has recently been recruited to join a CIA academy dedicated to espionage. Its front is a magnet school that specializes in science. To say he is shocked to be invited to this school is an understatement.
Ever since Ben can remember, he has wanted to join the CIA and become a secret agent. He never thought he’d have a chance because of his lanky build and the fact that he is far from the type of person you’d expect to be a secret agent. However, now it appears that his dream has finally come true!
Will this twelve-year-old boy be able to become an actual CIA agent? Well, no, because he’s been mistaken for some other person. But only time will tell if he can actually become a supercool agent. One thing is for sure… he has the drive!
2. Spy Camp (2013)
Spy Camp is the second installment in the Spy School books, focusing on 12-year-old Ben Ripley, who has managed to achieve his dream of becoming a CIA agent. Well, sort of. He’s been accepted into a school that poses as a magnet school but is a school that trains junior CIA agents.
For the past year, he’s been training his butt off to become the best spy he can be. Despite his love for this new school, Ben needs the upcoming summer vacation to clear his mind and take a much-needed break. However, his school has a different idea of how he is going to spend his summer vacation.
To the rustic wilderness camp for survival training he goes!
Ben is less than thrilled, and to make matters worse, spies from SPYDER, an enemy spy organization, have infiltrated their group, and it’s up to Ben to take them out!
3. Evil Spy School (2015)
Here is Evil Spy School, the third book in the captivating and fun Spy School series in order. After an exhausting and great first year at school, along with summer camp, Ben is excited to continue to work towards his goal of becoming a secret agent. However, things don’t go as planned when he accidentally destroys the principal’s office during a school game.
He is expelled, and soon after returning to his normal life, he gets an offer to join SPYDER. Now Ben is dubious about this offer but wants to figure out why they are inviting him to join in the first place. So, he accepts, determined to see what their ultimate game plan is.
This will be a true test to see if Ben has what it takes as he navigates through classes while acting as an unofficial undercover agent!
4. Spy Ski School (2016)
Ben is back in the CIA school for espionage and is glad to be back. He is doing okay but wants to be doing better. This is especially true for his Advanced Self Preservation test he keeps failing. At least Ben does have one thing going for him. Since joining the CIA school, he’s faced many near-death experiences and has managed to survive every time.
Because of this, the CIA decides to send him on a real mission. He is supposed to become friends with Jessica Shang, supposedly the daughter of a crime boss. So now, Ben is going to ski school in all places. Not only does he have to make friends with Jessica, but he also has to avoid falling flat on his face.
And to make things worse, Ben’s best friend from home drops in on this skiing trip, aka Ben’s mission, and ends up making the situation more complex!
5. Spy School Secret Service (2017)
The fifth book in Spy School series, Spy School Secret Service, again focuses on Ben Ripley, who is now thirteen and in his second year at the spy school. He’s been doing pretty well for himself as a spy, having a lot of success out in the field despite his age and inexperience in being a spy in general.
Even though he is still young and new to all this, Ben is confident in his abilities to be a secret agent… and apparently, the CIA also agrees with this sentiment.
The mission he is being sent on is to protect the current President of the United States and prevent them from being assassinated. He knows the enemy is in the White House, but he doesn’t know where. Ben must hurry and find them before they can take out the most important person in the world.
6. Spy School Goes South (2018)
One of Ben’s greatest enemies is SPYDER, the organization working actively against his school to take it down. There is no trusting them, so when Murry Hill, a member of SPYDER, says he will help them by giving over a list of the elites in SPYDER, it doesn’t sit well with Ben. To say Ben is doubtful is an understatement!
He doesn’t trust this man at all, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going on a mission to do it anyway. He and another spy named Erica Hale are sent to meet Murray and get the information.
Ben isn’t surprised when things don’t work out because he never expected them to. However, it’s still disappointing that they couldn’t complete the mission successfully. Now they must find their way out of this tricky situation with their lives intact, and Ben and Erica have to do this while still trying to stop SPYDER from enacting their evil plans.
7. Spy School British Invasion (2019)
Meet Ben, a thirteen-year-old spy who was close to capturing the leaders of SPYDER. They are an organization that actively acts against his spy school and their number one nemesis. After returning from a failed mission, Ben and his friends are told they have a new mission, one that will help them find the leader of SPYDER.
What they have to do is go all the way to England and join ranks with MI6 to take down Mr. E, the man who is the leader of SPYDER. Ben is determined to make this mission successful and capture Mr. E. This time, that man will not get away.
But this is a mission, after all, where several spies and agents are involved. So Ben will go against evil factions and double agents in order to catch the big bad and bring down the SPYDER organization.
8. Spy School Revolution (2020)
SPYDER has officially been defeated, and Ben couldn’t be more thrilled. He’s ready to get back to school and keep on training to become a great secret agent. Everything is going great until his friend Erica Hale bombs the CIA conference room.
To say Ben is floored is an understatement. It’s difficult to believe this girl who had dedicated so much of her life to being a great spy would do this.
Ben is sure that something else is going on. He sets out to prove that Erica did not do this of her own free will. She is being blackmailed by someone or something. There is no way Erica would do this unless someone forced her to do it.
While all this is happening, there’s a new organization making its presence known, and it’s more mysterious and more evil than SPYDER was!
9. Spy School At Sea (2021)
Next up on the Spy School books in order list, we have Spy School At Sea, which is the ninth installment in this remarkable book series by Stuart Gibbs.
Ben has had a lot of nemeses in his short time as a spy. There are just too many to name! One of the trickiest ones goes by the name of Murray Hill, who has evaded him time and time again. They’ve gotten close to finding him this time, though. The CIA has tracked him to The Emperor of the Seas, a cruise ship set to leave Central America.
This means it’s time to go undercover once again!
Ben and his fellow spies are to pose as a family and infiltrate the cruise ship to find out what Murray is up to. They all might be going on a cruise ship, but this is the farthest you can get from an actual vacation!
10. Spy School Project X (2022)
Just when you thought Ben Ripley’s life couldn’t get more difficult, it does! He thought he had seen the last of his archenemy Murray Hill, but this is not the case.
After Murray puts a bounty on his head while also accusing him of being behind some conspiracy, his life is put in danger. Assassins and conspiracy theorists alike want to end Ben’s life because of the little lie Murray told. Well, that and the bounty. Money is a powerful motivator.
Now Ben has to hurry up and find a way to stop Murray before someone tries to take Murray up on his bounty offer. Out of all the challenges Ben has faced since joining spy school, this one will prove to be one of the most difficult ones yet!
11. Spy School Goes North (Expected 2023)
Next in the Spy School books in order list is Spy School Goes North, the latest release in the Spy School book series featuring everyone’s favorite teenage secret agent, Ben Ripley. This book is set to come out on October 3, 2023, and as the name implies, Ben and his friends will be going somewhere very cold. We are talking about Alaska-level cold.
Speaking of Alaska, Ben and his friends are there training. Everything is going okay until Cyrus Hale is kidnapped by the Russians! This forces Ben, Erica, and the rest of his friends to go on a mission to rescue him from the Russians. However, like with any book in the Spy School series, this will not be an easy or simple job.
Ben will have to avoid the KBG, bears, and the effects of the old cold war if he wants to rescue Cyrus Hale before he is seriously hurt.
Who is Stuart Gibbs – The Author of the Spy School Series?
The author Stuart Gibbs was born on June 11, 1969, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He moved around quite a bit over the years, eventually returning to his home state and graduating from the University of Pennsylvania.
His first book was written and published in 2010 in the FunJungle series. It was called Belly Up, and it was the first in eight books that were about a young boy who lives with his family at a zoo. From there, he has written six different book series, with a total of 30 books throughout his career.
Besides writing books, Stuart Gibbs has also written a Batman comic titled Bruce Wayne: Not Super, as well as writing screenplays for Showdown (1993), See Spot Run (2001), and Repli-Kate (2002). However, it seems his niche has been in writing children’s books.
Conclusion
And there you go, all you Spy School lovers out there! This series is targeted towards preteens and teens, as we mentioned before, but there is no reason why adults can’t enjoy it as well. The premise is very engaging, funny, and thrilling!
There is never an age limit on enjoying things like video games, shows, and books. The newest book doesn’t come out until October, which is late 2023. Readers who need to catch up or haven’t read the series yet, have plenty of time to read the entirety of the series before it comes out.
So, what are you waiting for? Pick up the first book and start reading the entire Spy School series in order!
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