Brainstorm 322: Fictional Spy Stories

As promised this week, some fictional spy stories for your dark and stormy night reading. To help myself narrow things down, I decided to avoid any WWII spy stories (there were plenty of nonfiction ones in that era last week). Click on the titles to see my full review for each book including any content notes/trigger warnings.

The Case of the Missing Cheetah (Secret Spy Society, #1) by Veronica Mang

In a nutshell: 3 girls are trained in espionage techniques to find a missing cheetah by a group of lady spies based on real women spies from history.

More info: Rita, Peggy, and Dot need a new case. When they see a lady acting oddly out on the street they decide to follow her. They notice her using Morse code and then realize she is their teacher, Ms. Kahn. Ms. Kahn introduces the girls to her Secret Spy Society of other women spies. They need some fresh faces to go find out if the man they suspect has really kidnapped Josephine's cheetah Chiquita. Can Rita, Peggy, and Dot use their skills to help these lady spies?

Extra thoughts: A fun little spy story that teaches readers about some real historic figures in a very creative way.

Target readers: Mystery Fans, Child Spy Story Fans, Educational Fiction Fans, Lower Grade/Middle Grade Readers

City Spies (City Spies, #1) by James Ponti

In a nutshell: A tween orphan skilled in hacking is recruited to join a very top secret branch of MI6 made up of 4 other orphans from around the globe with unique skill sets who step in when adults would stand out too much. 

More info: Instead of heading off to a group home or juvie after her trial for hacking, like she expected, Sara Martinez finds herself instead whisked off to Scotland and recruited to become a spy for MI-6. A man named Mother showed up, posed as her attorney, and worked everything out before Sara even knew what was happening. Now Sara finds herself dubbed Brooklyn (the city she came from), and joining fellow child spies Paris, Rio, Kat, and Sydney on a mission to stop a terrorist attack at a youth summit in Paris.

Extra thoughts: To date this series has 5 books and both I and the students at our school love them for the exciting action, clever twists and turns in the plot, smart kids, and stories that are very hard to put down. Ponti knocks it out of the park with every book he writes.

Target readers: Globe Trotting Adventure Fans, Tween/Teen Spy Fans, Multicultural Cast Fans, Mystery Fans, Suspense Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Middle Grade Readers

The Gryphon Heist (Talia Inger, #1) by James R. Hannibal

In a nutshell: An underdog CIA agent is sent to protect an undisclosed bit of technology in Eastern Europe in very peculiar circumstances.

More info: Talia Inger almost washed out during her final assessment in the CIA Academy, but her mentor saw something in her and has decided to give her a chance. So Talia and her friend Eddie the hacker find themselves working in a literal closet under a man in danger of dying of donut overdose in the Eastern Europe division of the CIA with the dubious designation of "Other." Not exactly the Moscow assignment Talia had been dreaming of. After only a short amount of time, though, her boss sends her and Eddie out on assignment to Eastern Europe to check up on a Dr. Ivanov who has developed something the CIA is afraid could be hijacked to deploy missiles. For some reason her boss has them working with a shady civilian named Mr. Tyler who Talia cannot figure out, especially his motives. And when the threat goes from theoretical to very real, Talia and Eddie have to figure out who they can trust and how to stop this missile attack from launching.

Extra thoughts: There's so much more involved in this plot that cannot be adequately summarized without some major spoilers. Suffice it to say that this quickly drew me in and provided the smart spy international hopping thriller story I've come to expect from James R. Hannibal. He deftly works in some Christian elements as characters wrestle with anger, hurt, and forgiveness. One of the characters is a former assassin who had a major crisis and found Jesus and has decided to use his skill sets for good. He does things like uses non-lethal rounds in firefights that frighten and slow down but don't permanently injure people. It's such a new concept I've never seen in a spy thriller before, but Hannibal makes it work in believable ways and cuts down on the body count significantly. I was very glad I had the sequel to this book on hand when I read it; I recommend checking out both at the same time.

Target readers: Globe Trotting Adventure Fans, Mystery Fans, Suspense Fans, Adult Spy Story Fans, Christian Fiction Fans, Contemporary Fiction Fans, Character Growth Fans, Adult Readers (though totally fine for YA)

Invasion of the Unicorns by David Biedrzycki

In a nutshell: An alien spy has landed on Earth investigating the potential of Earth for an invasion and humans for subjugation as slaves, and it looks just like a fluffy unicorn toy.

More info: The nutshell says it all.

Extra thoughts: This is an absolute delight. The artwork is amazing. The story is paced with perfect timing that balances the invasion threat with humor and moments of tenderness. And the family dog is the perfect foil for this invader. And if you haven’t figured it out by now, this ends very happily and peacefully.

Target readers: Unicorn Fans, Humor Fans, Art Lovers, Low Stress Spy Story Fans, Scifi Fans, Picture Book Readers

Nightshade (Alex Rider, #13) by Anthony Horowitz

In a nutshell: Alex is drawn out of retirement when a new terrorist organization using teen operatives appears and threatens London.

More info: Alex is looking forward to being a normal teen out of the spy game, but when a new organization called Nightshade appears on the scene in Brazil with a threat of a terrorist attack on London and the only agent MI5 can interrogate is a teen boy impervious to interrogation techniques, Mrs Jones appeals to Alex for help. They need him to go undercover in a high security prison in Gibraltar as Franky's roommate and see if he'll open up at all to a fellow teen. The clock is ticking as they know the attack is imminent but they don't know the target or anything further. And Mrs. Jones has a special reason to want Alex to find out more about Nightshade, something she's only willing to divulge to him.

Extra thoughts: A high-octane adventure that keeps the twists and turns coming. I liked that this plot allowed us to learn more of Alex’s handler Mrs. Jones’ back story.

Target readers: Teen Spy Story Fans, Missing Persons Case Fans, Globe Trotting Adventure Fans, Intense Action/Suspense Fans, Young Adult Readers

The Plot to Kill the Queen by Deborah Hopkinson

In a nutshell: In 16th century England, a young lute player/aspiring author helps uncover a plot by Mary’s supporters to depose Queen Elizabeth.

More info: Emilia's father used to be one of Queen Elizabeth's lute players until his death. The kindly Sir Frances Walsingham, his wife, and daughter have welcomed Emilia into their family. While out doing research for a play she wants to write, Emilia overhears 2 men saying they have a foolproof way of getting letters to Mary, Queen of Scots that evade her captors. Emilia knows Sir Frances needs to know right away. He is Queen Elizabeth's spy master. What Emilia overheard aligns with some other things Sir Frances has heard of late, so he recruits Emilia to be a spy placed in the castle where Mary is being held by posing as a lute player sent as a gift from Elizabeth to Mary for a month. Emilia and her dog Mousekin are on their way to see if they can find out how the letters are getting in and out without being discovered herself.

Extra info: This is an information-rich historical fiction spy thriller. The events included aren't necessarily historical, but the setting, most of the characters involved, and the premise for why spying would be going on are all historical. It was an engaging way to learn about this time period.

Target readers: Royal Court Espionage Fans, Tween Spy Story Fans, Historical Fiction Fans, Educational Fiction Fans, Suspense Fans, Mystery Fans, Tudor England Setting Fans, Middle Grade Readers

A Royal Conundrum (Misfits, #1) by Lisa Yee, ill. by Dan Santat

In a nutshell: A girl who feels like a misfit is dumped off at an odd boarding school by her workaholic parents and finds herself training to be an undercover agent with a select group of other misfits at the school who must catch a jewel thief.

More info: Olive Cobin Zang's parents are frequently on business trips. That didn't used to be a problem. She used to stay with Mimi, but her grandmother isn't around any more. The latest business trip promises to be quite extended so her parents are pulling her out of the school she's gone to forever, and enrolling her in a former prison. Ok, so it isn't a prison now. It's a "reforming arts school" in a castle on an island, but Olive had no warning this was coming. She also has no idea what she's in for, as RASCH is an academy like no other, and she's been tapped to be in a special group of kids training to be undercover agents who help fight crime! But can such a group of misfits learn to work together as a team and actually help make the world a better place by stopping a jewel thief that's been terrorizing the city?

Extra thoughts: I enjoyed how the author mixed into this memorable spy training/mystery story the kids learning to accept their own strengths and weaknesses as well as the quirks of the rest of their teammates and learning to work together. It was a good balance of exciting plot and character development with some messages that readers can chew on later. Dan Santat’s illustrations throughout definitely make the characters come to life even more vividly and make it a quicker read.

Target readers: Boarding School Story Fans, Tween Spy Story Fans, Memorable Character Fans, Self-Acceptance Story Fans, Team Building Story Fans, Mystery Fans, Middle Grade Readers