The Spy Who Raised Me by Ted Anderson and Gianna Meola is a graphic novel for teenagers. The story revolves around a girl named Josie, or J.B. When J.B. realizes that she is missing some memories – she can’t remember anything that happened after her mom picked her up from school that afternoon – she discovers that she’s been programmed to be a spy! Her mother works for “The Company” and J.B. is a special agent also, she just doesn’t know it. However, when J.B. realizes her mother is lying to her and using the programming to control her, she and her friend Zoe end up in a race to free J.B. before her mother and The Company can get her back.

I enjoyed the story but I found it a bit quick and superficial. I think most teenagers would enjoy a more in-depth plot. I also did not really like the artwork. It’s not full-color, it’s mostly shades of red. 

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me a free e-copy of this book.

REALLY not a fan of the art style or how everything is in red. Plus the story was pretty boring, and uninteresting. This might be a book for much younger readers as it's a bit too simple (even for a spy family story).

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of the opinions are my own and this did not affect my review in any way. 

Ever since I was little, I have been obsessed with spies. I find them intriguing and exciting and to be honest if I had the opportunity I would, without thinking, totally be a spy. So when I found out this graphic novel I knew I had to read it. Unfortunately, this book was not what I was excepting.

In The Spy Who Raised Me we follow J.B who has a set of abilities that she has no recollection about, until one day she finds out she is a spy  working for a covert agency.

I was so underwhelmed with this graphic novel, I had big expectations and to be honest I did not like it at all.  The plot is very fast paced so it was hard to keep track of what was happening. The characters are not developed at all, and most of them are very unlikeable. 

The story line was incoherent, the characters were flat and overall the art style wasn’t impressive. 

Overall I am sad to admit that I did not enjoy reading this graphic novel, it was very underwhelming and I was expecting so much more. I am not sure who this novel was meant for but sadly I do not recommend it. 

Thanks so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me read and review this book.

If you thought your parents were weird, wait until you read this!

The Spy Who Raised Me is Ted Anderson’s most recent work. Known for the My Little Pony series, this comic is a sharp contrast to a fun rainbow-filled world. Due for publication in April 2021, Gianna Meola brings the story to life with red-themed illustrations.

It’s a short story about secrets, lies, and spies. Although a quick and easy read, it can be boring and unrealistic in more than one place.

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Summary
This graphic novel follows 13-year-old Josie Black as she finds out what her mother really does. She knows martial arts, dozens on languages, and infiltration techniques, but doesn’t know that she knows them. When her mother accidentally reveals the truth; that both she and Josie are super spy’s for the Company, Josie is forced to choose a side. Does she go against everything she knows and defy the only family she knows? Or does she let her mother take her own life out of her control?

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Commentary
The Spy Who Raised Me is

Praise
- It’s short and sweet. Easy to read and with simple similar-coloured illustrations, readers can power through this comic in an hour or two. There are no chapters and no subplots throughout, which makes it even quicker to read.
- If you want to look deeper into the meaning of this nonsensical play, then you could declare it an allegory for teenage rebellion. Sticking it to the man, staying out with friends, and disobeying her mother, Josie ticks all of the boxes for teenage angst metaphors.
- It deals with many important issues such as growing up, parent-child relationship, and identity. For younger readers, it’s a good exposure to these topics which everyone must learn about in life.

Critique
- Quite frankly, this story’s boring. It’s dull, unrealistic, and incredibly ridiculous. A teenager super spy is one thing, given enough time to build backstory and motive, but this comic has none of that. It has no solid plot, includes not a single ounce of realism, and is honestly quite painful to read at parts.
- The name Josie Black deserves a criticism category all by itself. Josie Black, nickname J.B. Where have I heard that before? James Bond? Jason Bourne? Jack Bauer, perhaps? It’s stupid and stereotypical and cringy to read.
- Josie’s parents are abusive. End of. Not only does her mother regularly put her in life-threatening situations, she also emotionally manipulates her throughout. Her father is passive to the abuse and does nothing to stop it.

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Recommendations
Overall, I’d give Ted Anderson & Gianna Meola’s The Spy Who Raised Me a one out of five. It’s a ridiculous and uneventful story not fit for older readers.

I’d recommend it for very very very young children, preferably those too young to point out the glaring plot holes or ask obvious questions.

REVIEW PUBLISHED ON BOOKEDALLNIGHT.BLOG ON MARCH 8, 2021

I thought the idea was intriguing: child sleeper agent. And while we’re talking about it, that IS a great idea. And it’s perfectly creepy too.

But I don’t think The Spy Who Raised Me, did a good job setting it up.

Graphic Novels tend to move faster than normal fiction but this one needed to slow down a bit and let the main character have a chance to react to before just accepting the things that have happened to her.

Early on, Josie is tired and suffers memory loss. Her mom picks her up from school and accidently tells her about her mission before activating her. Then she says a few code words and Josie loses some time.

Only this time, she remembers that something happened and things don’t add up.

But then she talks to her mom and her mom… well… momsplains the whole thing. Josie doesn’t figure anything out for herself.

Especially when it comes to children’s lit, the main characters need to show some sense of autonomy. Josie just has things happen to her.

And they happen quite fast.

Her mom tells her she’s actually a super secret agent and Josie accepts it. Then Josie tells her best friend and her best friend accepts it. They go to the CIA, find out it’s all a lie and her mom is a world-class criminal spy for a Soda Company, and they just believe it.


It was around then that I stopped reading. I don’t enjoy writing negative reviews but I found it hard to connect with The Spy Who Raised Me and even harder to remain interested. I think a few extra panels to showcase Josie’s emotions might have helped with that.

3.5 stars. Okay, this book was not at ALL what I was expecting. I thought this book was going to be a fun story, one of those, 'hey, I didn't realize I was receiving spy training in all these mundane tasks' sort of things.

A little ways into the story I was uncomfortable with the portrayal of her parents, and thought they came across kind of creepy and even gaslighting. Plus, I didn't love the art style.

Before too long, I realized that uncomfortable feeling made perfect sense for the story that was actually being told, and after a mental adjustment was able to mostly enjoy the rest of the story for what it was. It was still an odd juxtaposition of really dark with fun, lighthearted spy movie stuff, but not bad overall.

I think a better synopsis might really help more of the right readers find this book!

Content issues are generally appropriate to the age group--some mild to moderate violence, the sneaking around and lying you'd expect from a spy story, and such. The at least borderline, if not actually, abusive situation is likely to be the most difficult for some readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy in exchange for my honest opinions!

This was rather a rather boring read, which is unfortunate because I absolutely adore Graphic Novels. Kids in elementary school might enjoy this one though.

This graphic novel felt like a good middle grade work, not a young adult. The pacing was very quick for the storyline and didn't have a lot of depth to it. It was a super interesting concept, a spy who doesn't know she's a spy only because her mom brainwashed her? I love that! The execution was a little choppy and hard to follow at some points. I liked the minimal color pallet, but some of the drawings didn't look fully done, especially the action sequences and when the panels don't change that much from one another. Overall it was a good, quick read, but not something that I would likely go back and reread.

<i><b>CW/TW:</b> mind control, lying, emotional abuse, manipulation, espionage, mention of spying, kidnapping, ableist slurs, </i>

It's a meh from me. The story is awkward a little too silly for me, I don't know. Maybe I expected too much out of it. The mother made me cringe so much I barely got through this. It's not bad, just not my cup of tea.

I had high hopes going into this graphic novel but for me it fell flat. I think if the way Josie found out about who she was were to have been different, I would have felt better. But I do feel this is the right book for someone else!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this e-arc!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group / Graphic Universe for the digital review copy of this comic.

No one ever told Josie that she could speak several languages, pick any lock, and fight like a martial arts master, but her mom knows, because her mom is a spy for The Company. When Josie finds out, she just assumes it’s the CIA, but when the CIA captures Josie, she learns her mom’s not one of them, and they’ve been trying to get to her mom for quite some time. With her memory loss command disengaged, Josie feels more like herself than she ever has before, and she’s ready to help the CIA get what they want, if only she can defeat her mother.

This graphic novel was so much fun. It’s done primarily in reddish/pinkish color tones, and the art is really cool. The issues move super quickly, and it’s quite the adventure. This comic has everything I need, good art, a compelling story, and a kick ass female lead.

It’s out in April, so add it to your pull list or keep an eye out at your favorite, local comic shop or request through your library.

I really really loved the art for this one. I feel like the story was just missing something. I wanted more depth and more background to these characters. but i felt like it was a pretty solid read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for providing me this copy in exchange of an honest review.


Honestly, I thought the concept of this graphic novel was really interesting, but the execution of the plot and the whole story felt a bit lacking for me. The art was cute and I loved the main character, I just didn't like the direction that the story ended up going, to be honest. It raised a lot of questions that it didn't give me an answer for and maybe it'll have a sequel, so maybe I'll read it just to see if I get satisfied with the rest of it maybe.

Interesting graphic novel concept. Characters didn't feel fully developed and reactions didn't feel rooted in character motivations.

I'M SOOOOO SAD!!!

I was sooo excited to read this but it wasn't available to send as a kindle download and my appstore doesn't have netgalley shelf. 

Even though I wasn't able to read it, it looked super good and one of you with netgalley shelf should read it for my sake at least, haha

I'm guessing I would rate this five out of five stars though :)

The Spy Who Raised Me, is a graphic novel about a normal girl, finding out she's a secretly programmed super spy. She never remembers anything about the missions she goes on with her mother, and when three hours are missing out of her regular day, she starts to get suspicious of her 'normal' family. I enjoyed this book, I thought the artistic style was super enjoyable, and the humor of the book was really creative in the ways it made you laugh. I thought the pacing was a bit off at times, and it rushed through bits that I would have loved to see it explore more. Overall though, I thought it was an enjoyable read, and helped me get out of a reading slump I have been stuck in for a while.

Thank you to the publishers for the gifted review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story seemed very promising but it just didn't deliver for me. I thought there would be a bit more substance to it. It was a quick read I just wish there had been more to it and that I'd enjoyed it more.

"The Spy Who Raised Me" is an amazing concept and a similarly fantastic title. This is a great novel for teens who want a fast-paced story to quickly read and get a sense of accomplishment in finishing a book. Some readers need a confidence boost or quick escapism read, and this graphic novel is perfect for this type of reader goals.

This spy novel does have some violence, of course, but nothing totally gruesome or gritty -- no objectionable content in that regard. No romantic relationships. This story explores friendship and family relationships. I thought that this was going on a totally Jason Bourne story line, but there was a twist that send this story down a different direction, which I appreciated.

The author did a good job of developing the villain's character. For kids who legitimately have terribly controlling parents, I would have liked to see this story delve a little deeper into the emotions that come along with betrayal. I think letting the character feel all the feels would have brought in the much needed "heart" layer to this story, and it would also provide a way for readers in these hard situations to process their emotions along with the character. There were also a few plot holes and elements/relationships that were not wrapped up,

However, even without this deeper layer and some of the jumpiness in the plot, the story is still a fun, fast read.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the review copy.

Sometimes I read books or graphic novels where I'm more in love with the concept or the potential of the thing I'm reading than I am with the actual thing I'm reading. The entire time I was reading The Spy Who Raised Me, I kept thinking, 'I wish there was more here.' And I don't mean that in a negative way. The Spy Who Raised Me is a perfectly good middle grade (or maybe on the younger end of YA) graphic novel, but its concept was far more interesting to me than anything that was actually on the page.

   In The Spy Who Raised Me, Josie Black is your average teen girl who discovers that she actually has secret spy abilities and has been trained by her mother and a secret agency to be a spy without her knowledge. This is serious Black Widow Natasha Romanoff back story stuff, and the story suffers (in my mind) by not giving it enough weight. Josie seems mad and hurt by what her mother has done, sure, but the plot shifts too quickly into action, solve-the-mystery territory to actually deal with any kind of trauma. And because this is a middle grade graphic novel, maybe it would never just go there anywhere. And to me, that feels like a missed opportunity. Basically, I just wish The Spy Who Raised Me was actually a three book YA or adult series and not a graphic novel that barely clocks at 175 pages because I want more of it all. 

   I did enjoy Gianna Meola's artwork, though I absolutely despised the lettering. Maybe that will change before publication, which I hope because the lettering is ugly and does not really fit the tone of the story.

    So should you read The Spy Who Raised Me? Yes, absolutely! I think younger readers will like it a lot. I am definitely not the target audience for this, and I fully admit that. I think I really want a Black Widow or Black Widow-esque spy origin story series, and someone should work on writing that for me. Also, though, I'd take a sequel to The Spy Who Raised Me because I feel like there's more story left here.

2 1/2 stars.  This story is most teenagers’ worst nightmare with some excellent side benefits.  Teenagers think their parents are trying to control and here Josie finds out it really is true.  But the plus side, if any, she speaks 12 languages and has awesome skills.  

The storyline is entertaining but the drawings weren’t as good as I would like and the color palette did not complement the images.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.