I am new to this middle-grade series, in fact, this is the eleventh book, but I found that it was easy to follow Spy School Goes North by Stuart Gibbs so it could be read as a standalone. In this story, Ben Ripley and his spy school friends have relocated to Alaska. Erica’s Grandfather Cyrus Hale has been kidnapped by his long-time Russian nemesis Ivan Shumovsky and the group set off to find him only to find that Ivan has a plan to make the Hale family pay for their past transgressions once and for all. Helicopters and a few submarine sightings bring the reader along to remote locations across Alaska. We learn about the Alaska Purchase, the landscape, the mammals (lots of bears and walrus sighting), and the environment in this book. The character of Murray Hill helps add a touch of humour as he has evaded prison only to find there are worse places. He is stranded on a remote island in the ever-featured Quonset hut, where he is without wifi (torture) and the only company is an ever-flatulent huddle of walrus. Ivan’s granddaughter Svetlana helps the group when she feels a connection with Zoe leading the group to her grandfather’s plan. Working together, can the Spy School group figure out the plan in time to avert disaster?

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading a Spy School book. I found it to be full of adventures as well as a little history and geography which I found to be very fun. I think that Middle Grade readers will get a kick out of reading about spy kids who help save earth seemingly every few months or so.

This was an enjoyable book to read, and I think that many middle grade readers will enjoy reading this book. I cannot compare this book to the rest of the books in the series as this is the first one that I read. Although one can enjoy this book without reading the other books first, I think it is best to read the other books first to follow the characters and their relationship dynamics from book to book. Knowledge of previous character interactions and conversations would provide a better context to some of the scenarios in this book. Overall, I do think that this is a fun series to introduce to kids who enjoy a bit of comedy in the storyline. Again, I cannot compare this book to the rest of the books in the series, but this book piques my interest to check out the rest of the series. I think that this book is a good addition to any public library or school library, but this is a series that is probably best read in the order that it is published.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading the Spy School series since book 4 was just published, and I was so excited to read this one, and I was not let down! Gay people in Spy School! I thought the plot was fun, with all the Arctic shenanigans, and as always, Zoe is my favourite character. I now have even more reasons to like her, thanks to a certain new character introduced in this book. All I can say is my gaydar is on point, and I thoroughly enjoyed this read. 5/5 stars!

The newest novel in the Spy School series brings us to Alaska with Ben, Erica, Zoe and more. Fans of the series won't be disappointed. This book is best suited for ages 10-14, both boys and girls will enjoy.
The series is starting to feel a little long and predictable. I do plan to continue if the series is not yet complete.

I give the story 3.5 stars because it was ok, but it didn't blow me away.

A formulaic Spy School novel

In my review of the previous Spy School book, Spy School Project X, I wrote

Spy School novels have a formula. We have Ben Ripley, a gifted kid who achieves excellent results by not being stupid, Ben's friends who are well-intentioned and sometimes competent, and the ever-expanding dysfunctional Hale family made up of the World's worst spies, who believe themselves to be the World's best spies, including toothsome teen sisters Erica and Trixie Hale. Gibbs picks a setting (frequently this is the site of a vacation or a sight-seeing visit he made), then makes up a silly James Bond-esque plot to play out there, with jokes! The main questions one asks on picking up a new Spy School book are "Where will it happen?" and "How will character relationships change?"

I described all that in order to say that Project X broke the formula. And it was great! I expressed the hope that "The Spy School novels will never be the same again."

It was not to be. Spy School Goes North returns to the tried and true Spy School formula. Now, although I, personally, was disappointed, a return to form is not necessarily a bad thing. It is, after all, a successful formula. Spy School has an army of devoted followers (I am one -- I have read every one of the books) and new releases regularly rack up 4.8-star average ratings on Amazon. If you have read Project X and the previous novels, you know how you feel about this.

Goes North takes place in Alaska (which is indeed a spectacular setting for a spy story). We also get some new characters and relationships. As the publisher's blurb tells us, we meet Cyrus Hale's old Russian nemesis, and also "a young KGB agent with skills to rival Erica’s". The latter new character is a great addition to the cast, and I look forward to seeing more of her in future novels. There's also a running gag about Ben and Cyrus's Russian language skills, which is pretty funny.

I thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advance reader copy of Spy School Goes North. This review expresses my honest opinion. Release date 3-Oct-2023.