I MUST THANK NETGALLEY FOR PROVIDING ME A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK, IN EXCHANGE FOR A GENEROUS OPINION.

First of all, it should be noted that the beginning was a bit boring, compared to the rest of the story, so I was about to abandon it and give it a low score. However, it should be noted that the rest of the story was a boom, I wanted to continue reading to see what happened, I wanted to continue reading and watching the graphic novel. In the end I was so excited that I read eighty pages in one sitting.

Secondly, and in conclusion, this is a spy mystery book, where a girl finds herself in the need to fight with the person who controlled her, there is something of the CIA, so it fills a little more suspense to the plot, some false truths and events that one did not expect.

This was so much fun to read, and the illustration was gorgeous. I love to see many more graphic novels with a girl as a protagonist.

The plot of this book had so much potential to be great. I was expecting so much more. On the other hand as always I enjoyed the artwork. I think this graphic novel was average.

Super fast paced action graphic novel! perfect for a binge read because it feels so short. I think the plot was the best aspect by far... I wasn’t as attached to characters but because it was such a fast paced storyline there didn’t feel like there was time to know the characters better. I’m not upset about not being close with the characters— in this case it didn’t take away from my enjoyment

art style 3/5
plot 5/5
characters 4/5

Even though we didn’t get a full character arc, this story was a fun read. I would have loved to have more backstory.

Uff, es difícil emepezar porque tenia una muy buena premisa pero realmente me decepcionó. No fue para nada lo que esperaba en cuestión de la trama, tampoco entiendo el sentido de Zoe en la historia cuando bien J. B. puedo haber hecho todo sola.
Siento que fueron un montón de ideas no terminadas y las mezclaron. Sólo lo terminé porque no me gusta abandonar mis lecturas, quizá simplemente estoy muy vieja para leerlo y podría ser bueno para niños de 6-12 que recién se introduzcan en la lecutra.

Josephine is your typical C student in high school who one day finds out she’s actually an operative for The Company, and she’s been brainwashed into not remembering her skills, training, or missions. What’s worse, is that this was all done to her by her mother, who wants J.B. to have job security within The Company! J.B. has never been in control of her full self, so it’s time to change all that.

This is a very action-packed story, almost to the detriment of other parts of the story. Very early on, J.B. goes along with he friend Zoe to try to figure out how to get free of The Company, but Zoe doesn’t have very much dimension. She’s a helpful friend, but she has almost the sa,e voicing and even illustrated mannerisms as J.B. At one point, the characters point out how ridiculous this all sounds, and I couldn’t agree with them more. There are a lot of convenient scenes where J.B. Has exactly the right skill set to outsmart everything, including operatives who have been training their entire lives. She’s just that good, apparently. This was interesting for a low-stakes, fun, easy read, but don’t go looking for monumental character or plot development.

Sara’s Rating: 5/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-8

​This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale April 6, 2021.

This book has all the elements of a good comic or graphic novel. Josie has been trained in multiple languages, martial arts and she accompanies her mother in taking out missions, but she blacks out and has no idea what she did, her mother trains her to forget her memories but J.B her bestfriend, figures that something is wrong, and Josie herself has doubts then they realize Josie's mother is some secret operative. Even the CIA is looking for her.

the graphics are in red and the images are interactive and colorful, I love J.B's character too, The book is packed with adventure and fun.

This book was sent to me as an ARC on NetGalley. However all opinions are of my own.
I could be completely late to the game but this is my first ever graphic novel that I have ever read. The first thing I will say is how ridiculously quick you are able to read a comic – I feel like you get so immersed into the story that before you know it is already over. This book jumped out to me initially because of the cover however I did find a story really really interesting and i enjoyed all the pictures and I thought the concept was really cool.

Book: The spy who raised me
Author: Ted Anderson
Illustrator: Gianna Meola
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Description:
Some parents want their children to turn out just like them. Only a few secretly turn their kids into elite special operatives.

Josie Black can infiltrate any building, speak a dozen languages, and fight like a martial arts master. But no one told her that. After J.B. detects gaps in her memory, her mom reveals the truth: she works for a covert agency, and she's given J.B. the skills of a super spy. After J.B. freaks out, runs off, and tries to escape the weird world of espionage, she'll have to decide who she wants to be.
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Recently I have discovered my love for graphic novels and I want to keep reading more of it.
🌼 The book basically talks about Josie and how she learns about her existence and how she escapes all the hurdles to learn the actual truth. The storyline was not very good but not bad either. I actually had a hard time to understand if her mom was really at fault throughout the story but then she actually was.
🌼 The color palette and the illustrations were not very impressive.
🌼 I expected the story to be powerful and empowering judging by its title but the story was entirely different from my expectations.
🌼 The good part about the book was Josie realising her importance and finding herself in spite of all the trouble.
🌼 Also the friendship between Josie and Zoe was so good. Their understanding, protectiveness and bond was amazing.
🌼 All thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy in exchange of a honest review.

This turned out to be such a fun read.

i know many other readers didnt find it amusing but i enjoyed it in its ridiculousness.


Josie thinks she's average until she discovers that her mom has spent her whole life brainwashing her into being the best secret agent ever. The discovery sets off a series of events that show Josie that she's better than she ever thought and that all she needs is to take control of her life.

The art is sketchy, dynamic, and somewhat wonky at times, but it works perfectly with the story.
It's definitely something I would recommend for younger readers

•Character development- 3☆
• Story Plot- 3☆
• Side characters- 3.5☆
• Flow of the story- 4☆
• Overall - 3.5☆

I did not have any strong positive or negative feelings regarding this book.
I thought the theme of this book was an important one with the theme being about the importance of finding yourself and then getting a choice over your life and choosing what you want to do and that no one (not even your parents) should be able to take away your free will.
Another positive about this book was Josie and Zoe's friendship. I love how even though Josie's story is a hard one to believe, Zoe didn't abandon her. Both of them looked out for each and supported each other. I also appreciate their protectiveness of each other.
There was no romance in this book and while I do appreciate a good w|w romance I am happy that we got to see an amazing ride or die friendship between two girls. Platonic relationships can be just as important as romantic relationships.
This is a good middle grade book and while it wasn't a favorite I found it be an enjoyable quick read with a good theme.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Josie Black returns from a trip to Paris with her mom, but she can't really remember it... she leaves school early when her mom comes for her, but the details of that are fuzzy too... something is going on, things aren't as they seem, and Josie is on the prowl to figure out what it is. When she does, she will have to make a choice...

I read this graphic novel with my Grade 6 homeroom, and while they questioned some of the story, they were practically tripping over each other to be the one reading for a character. Complete with sound effects, this book was enjoyable enough to hold the attention of multiple 11-year-olds, which is definitely worth something!

Josie thinks she’s an average teen, just with a mom who travels a lot for her job with a soda company and sometimes takes her with her. But one day, Josie starts to notice she’s missing hours of her day and gets more curious. Soon, she realizes that she’s been secretly programmed to be a spy. But who does she spy for and how did she not know about this? Soon she’s on the run in a search for answers.

Certainly an exciting graphic novel spy story for teens. Kind of like Jason Bourne mashed up with The Manchurian Candidate for teens. I’m not a huge fan of the illustration style, but the story makes up for it. Hand this to teens who love spy and action stories.

Notes on content [based on ARC]: Three minor swears. No sexual content. Some spy fight scenes with no serious injuries or fatalities.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This graphic novel kept me on the edge of my seat as I wanted to know more and more -- and boy, were there a lot of plot twists! Perfect for lovers of Spy Kids and Home Alone.

This was such a fun read. It's well illustrated, and the story is told in a clear and interesting way. I loved that Josie took on evil corporations and her parents in order to save the world. The focus on friendship and finding yourself was super sweet.

I was really excited about this title, because I'm a sucker for spy stories. However I was a bit disappointed by the rythme of the book. Every development went too fast, and the story unfild at a speed that did not allowed me to care for the characters and have fun reading the story.
But it's still an entertaining and fun spy story for kids.

'The Spy Who Raised Me' had an intriguing storyline and premise, but was ultimately quite disappointing.

Josie Black is a special operative who works for the Company, under her mother, which she's only figured out now, after discovering some concerning gaps in her memories. As it turns out, she's been mind-controlled and brain-washed into being a special, elite operative, all while believing herself to be just another ordinary teenager. Faced by her mother's decisions and what the truth means, she decides to take matters into her own hands, and realize what it is that she really wants to be.

I found the central story of this graphic novel incredibly interesting. While we may have heard of it before, in other books and movies, the idea of a special operative - a kid, at that - not knowing of their own abilities really appealed to me, and I was immediately drawn to this book.

Unfortunately, this book didn't deliver in the way I hoped it would. Much of the story was very convenient, and I felt that there were many storylines left dangling at the end of the, admittedly, short book. The book felt rushed at times, and didn't delve into some aspects which I found needed to be expanded upon more, with scenes that felt borderline ridiculous. The characters weren't truly elaborated on either, though perhaps the action tries to make up for that.

All of that being said, one of the biggest problems that I had was with the art itself. I felt that the illustrations could have had more detail, and done a better job at basic storytelling overall, with speech bubbles being quite big and more informative of the story than what was happening in the panels themselves. The illustrations weren't exactly what I had been hoping for, to say the least, and were disappointingly bland and unsightly.

Overall, while it sounds great at first, this graphic novel didn't really live up to what I was hoping it would be. While I would recommend it to anyone who would like to check it out for themselves, especially if the premise sounds interesting, I would also tell them not to hold out for much. Here's to hoping for a sequel that goes more in-depth about how this one ended, I suppose.

I read this book as a part of a committee that reviews graphic novels. Overall, the book had an interesting premise but it did not explore the world it is set in very well.

While the art is interesting, the rest of the book disappointed me. The lettering was lazy, just normal type dragged into too large speech bubbles. The story itself felt similarly lazy, rushing into explanations and skipping over what felt like it should be important. That being said, I am aware it is meant for children, but I can't imagine anyone over the age of 11 enjoying.