by Stuart Gibbs
Part of Spy School, book 4
First published 2016
Ben Ripley has survived kidnapping, gunfire, bombs, and missile attacks, but he still fails Advanced Self Preservation class. The thirteen-year-old spy student may be terrible with weapons and worse on skis, but he knows how to stay alive when it counts. Now the CIA wants to put his survival skills to work on a real mission. Ben must befriend Jessica Shang, daughter of a suspected Chinese crime boss, and uncover her father's secrets. Jessica plans to attend ski school in the Rocky Mountains, so Ben and other spy students head to the slopes undercover. Making friends should be easy for Ben, but everything goes wrong when his best friend from home shows up unexpectedly. The unauthorized visitor threatens to expose Ben's cover and destroy the entire operation. Ben faces his biggest challenge yet as he tries to complete his first real mission while keeping his double life secret.
Genres: adventure, mystery, action, young-adult, espionage
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, secret-identity
Setting: Rocky Mountains, Ski School
368 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers