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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
It had some pacing issues, Erica and Catherine acted really out of character in the entire middle of the book, and the ending was anticlimactic and quite gross. Murray, Mike, and Jessica were funny though.
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.
After saving the world, AGAIN, you would think Ben Ripley would finally get a vacation. But the rapscallion Murray Hill is at it again, this time on the Emperor of the Sea-the world's largest cruise ship.
As per the usual, this book is well written to be enjoyed by all ages! I finished it in less than two hours. It's got amusing quirks for kids and adults. The series has definitely gotten darker the further into the series we get-we go from talking about death in theory (bomb threats and nuclear destruction) to more hands on near-death experiences. It fits the growth of the series though.
The character development through the series is quite spectacular, especially with Erica. I love this series, and the next book is sure to be a thriller. I can't wait for it to come out! I will continue to recommend Spy School out to kids and adventure loving readers.
After saving the world, AGAIN, you would think Ben Ripley would finally get a vacation. But the rapscallion Murray Hill is at it again, this time on the Emperor of the Sea-the world's largest cruise ship.
As per the usual, this book is well written to be enjoyed by all ages! I finished it in less than two hours. It's got amusing quirks for kids and adults. The series has definitely gotten darker the further into the series we get-we go from talking about death in theory (bomb threats and nuclear destruction) to more hands on near-death experiences. It fits the growth of the series though.
The character development through the series is quite spectacular, especially with Erica. I love this series, and the next book is sure to be a thriller. I can't wait for it to come out! I will continue to recommend Spy School out to kids and adventure loving readers.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was everything I could have hoped for in the next Spy School book. Ben, Mike, Erica, Catherine, Alexander, and of course Murray! This time on a cruise ship. Humor, action, and adventure. I love this series!! Highly recommended for grades 4 & up. (Please read them in order.)
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweis
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweis
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Ben and Erica are on another mission to apprehend Murray, this time from his evil scheme to blow up the Panama Canal (a plot eerily familiar after the March 2021 Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal) using a cruise ship with a nuclear engine.
This time, Ben has no idea his only role is bait to draw Murray and his Hulk of a henchman, Dane Brammage, out. Ben goes undercover with Erica, her parents, Alexander (spy-underwhelming) and Catherine Hale (MI6 spy-extraordinaire), and best friend Mike. They're supposed to be one big happy, vacationing, Aloha-shirt-wearing family on a cruise leaving from Nicaragua.
They encounter Dane's cousin, a Hulk-look-alike who's a bodyguard for the wife and daughter of the bad guy Ben put behind bars in the last book, and now it looks like they're up to something no good on the cruise ship, but Ben and company have no idea what.
They're just stupefied that Dane has a cousin. And they start to relax.
Bad move.
Ben's been spotted and they're tricked by Murray almost right after they leave port. Dane — yes, he's still alive (he's beginning to remind me of Alvin the Treacherous) — throws Ben overboard and Mike thinks fast and launches a lifeboat to save Ben. Which he does, with amazing speed and accuracy in the big wide ocean. The boys make it to land, end up the "guests" of a local drug lord who flies them to the next port so they can get back on the big boat and figure out what Murray has up his sleeve…besides killing Ben. That's a given.
And they have to deal with an overly chipper teen events coordinator on the cruise!
I won't spoil how it ends, or the big plot twist. Just know, Gibbs does a great job skewering the cruise industry, what it does to local ports and the horrific working conditions of many cruise employees / staff, with his descriptions and the plot. I've never taken a cruise, so I enjoyed reading all the descriptions of cruise-doings and cruise-goers. They were the source of multiple laugh-out-loud bursts as I read. Enjoy!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
This time, Ben has no idea his only role is bait to draw Murray and his Hulk of a henchman, Dane Brammage, out. Ben goes undercover with Erica, her parents, Alexander (spy-underwhelming) and Catherine Hale (MI6 spy-extraordinaire), and best friend Mike. They're supposed to be one big happy, vacationing, Aloha-shirt-wearing family on a cruise leaving from Nicaragua.
They encounter Dane's cousin, a Hulk-look-alike who's a bodyguard for the wife and daughter of the bad guy Ben put behind bars in the last book, and now it looks like they're up to something no good on the cruise ship, but Ben and company have no idea what.
They're just stupefied that Dane has a cousin. And they start to relax.
Bad move.
Ben's been spotted and they're tricked by Murray almost right after they leave port. Dane — yes, he's still alive (he's beginning to remind me of Alvin the Treacherous) — throws Ben overboard and Mike thinks fast and launches a lifeboat to save Ben. Which he does, with amazing speed and accuracy in the big wide ocean. The boys make it to land, end up the "guests" of a local drug lord who flies them to the next port so they can get back on the big boat and figure out what Murray has up his sleeve…besides killing Ben. That's a given.
And they have to deal with an overly chipper teen events coordinator on the cruise!
I won't spoil how it ends, or the big plot twist. Just know, Gibbs does a great job skewering the cruise industry, what it does to local ports and the horrific working conditions of many cruise employees / staff, with his descriptions and the plot. I've never taken a cruise, so I enjoyed reading all the descriptions of cruise-doings and cruise-goers. They were the source of multiple laugh-out-loud bursts as I read. Enjoy!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/