Secrets

Undercover Girl #1

by Christine Harris

In a world of secrets, how can you tell what's real?

Jesse Sharpe is no ordinary kid. She's an orphan, a genius, and a secret agent. Jesse has been assigned by C2 - the mysterious organization that raised her and taught her to be a spy - to protect another girl from a kidnap attempt. Jesse will have to trail suspects, plant listening devices, crack codes, and kick occasional bad guy butt. What Jesse doesn't know is whether she can trust C2 and the information she has been given - or if someone within the organization is trying to blow her cover.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens, Espionage, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Thriller

152 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

Christine Harris is an Australian writer of children's and young-adult with works both in speculative fiction and historical fiction.

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been one of my favorite books for years, I love to reread it. It's such an easy read, but at the same time it's well written. I find it especially well written for a children's book, with an interesting plot line. I like the plot to it a lot. I'm not left bored at any moment and I never begin to skim it. I, instead want to get as much out of it as I possibly can. I always liked the concept of her being an orphan raised to be a spy by C2. Part of me always wanted to be her and the other half just felt sorry for her. This is a great book for most any age and I'd reread it any day.

[Cierra and Alexa Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series! It is really good, it has action, secrets of course, and the whole series is just a great big adventure.

[Lydia Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was very short and extremely fast and I couldn't make myself like the characters. Warning *MAJOR SPOILERS*

For most of the characters, it was impossible to get to know them because of how short of time they each had in the story. The only one you really got to know was Jesse and she wasn't a great person. She also wasn't terribly smart. The guy chucks a baseball at her head with all his might and she doesn't suspect that he's the bad guy? She was kind of a very inexperienced spy.

So yeah... It wasn't great.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it did a fair job with the suspense and action, but it could have been better with the storyline. I like when stories get to the point, but this one was a little too hasty with the first three chapters. They didn’t talk much about the agency’s reasons for keeping the main character away from the outside world, and they didn’t talk much about the main character’s ordeal when she finally went outside on her own. We don’t know if something happened to her or if she witnessed something that caused her to have nightmares. They just skipped to another subject that involved her mission. The reason for her mission was the only part I could understand.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

too short and a bit rudimentary as far as spy books go. but it’s a children’s book, so i understand that it’s for a certain level of comprehension. still not sure if this is the right series, the one that i read as a child that i’ve been searching to remember for so long, but i think it is. i won’t know until i read a very specific part. it’s a good start to the series. not incredible or anything. i’m sure the series will get better as it goes. the main character is very likable.

[Laura Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have reread this book every year since I bought it at my scholastic book fair in middle school. I will never stop wanting to be Jesse Sharpe, regardless of how old I am. This book is a classic and I wish it was more recognized for its genius. Undercover, genius kids, what more could you want in a book?

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this book way back in my young kid years. I fell in love with Jesse and her secret agent life. Now, as an adult, I am once again enjoying them. This time, I will get to finally finish the entire series! My teen daughter loved them and told me it was time I revisited them. Can't wait to see how she helps her 'brothers' and herself to escape.

[Igodgirl13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story, gets straight to the point. I waited wayyy too long to read it, and while you can read books at any age, I think I should have read this book a few years ago rather than now. Still, glad I read it and finally can get it off my shelves! :)

[marisa. · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my favorite mg (i think it's mg??) series and it's so underrated but i loved it so much as a kid.

i can't wait for my 3398398th reread.

[SSS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it so much when I read it.

[Linda ➰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ESSE LIVRO É TUDO SPYGIRL SEGREDOS EU AMO SPYGIRL QUERIA SER ELA

[Stephanie Duerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it in a few hours. Will read the next one. Had one fatphobic line that I didn't care for

[Jayne Mooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for kids. Very easy to read

[Cassidy April · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book series has never gotten the praise and renown it deserved. Not only was it an accessible, easy read for kids, but the story's genuinely thought-provoking and just plain good. This series is a blend of action, mystery, and humour that's darker than you'd expect!

The main character, Jesse, has all the classic markers of a Mary Sue, but Christine Harris writes her masterfully...She's witty, funny, smart, brave, kind, and so much more. One of the things I found so interesting about these novels is that I related to Jesse, I pitied her, even—but I never wanted to be her. She's a very capable heroine, but it's this added realism that makes her so likable. Jesse is a genius, but she isn't perfect—she's just a person.

Even as she's doing all these cool, badass things, her world is not one of solely wish-fulfilment: there's darkness there, too. And it's not really of a dystopian kind, because that genre came later; or at least, its specific modern flavour was cemented later. It's not like Unwind, or The Hunger Games, or even Divergent. It's scarier, somehow, because those books all take place in could-be futures that, while extremely plausible, all lean on sci-fi tropes in some way or other. The Undercover Girl series seemed, to me, to be vaguely established in the then-present, and that's what really kept me on the edge of my seat while reading them. I felt, ever more so, that these books were taking place in the real world, and that always made Jesse's dangers seem like no trivial matter, indeed!

Highly recommended for elementary-schoolers looking to escape boredom, and also just for anyone who likes good books, regardless of reading comprehension-level.

[Sha · Rating 2 out of 5]

26 Feb 2021

Plot: Genius child spy is sent to infiltrate a school and befriend girl who's a possible target for kidnapping.

1. I like kids books (I keep reading them despite being far too old for them) but books with minimal plot and vague emotional continuity are not my thing regardless of what demographic they're aimed at.

2. Jesse is the best developed character of the lot, and she only feels real in a couple of stand-out scenes (the one where she talks to her crechemate, and the ones where she interacts with the nice secretary lady). The rest of the time, it felt like the book was trying to half-heartedly to convince me that yes this was a big-time mystery I absolutely should be invested in. (I was not invested.)

3. The prose is also a problem. It handled some scenes okay, but in other scenes it was too abrupt trying to conjure close relationships out of practically nothing. That ending was an absolutely hideous anti-climax, and I'm saddened by the lack of Liam in the book. The potential relationship between a hardass secret agent and his new tiny girly partner is a very interesting concept- I wish the book had done more with it.

4. The book also abruptly shifted gears from "realistic by the standards of adventure stories" to straight on science fiction towards the end. While I'm not upset by this development (Sci Fi elements are always welcome) a little more- well, development would have been nice.

5. I'm committed to reading the rest of the series because of Reasons but I have to admit I'm not looking forward too much to it right now.

[AbsentLibrarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really liked the idea of the book- An orphan raised by a secret agency, not knowing if she can trust anyone, even her 'friends'. It did remind me a bit of an old T.V. show called 'The Pretender' and seemed to be a cross between that and Spy Kids. Ultimately, this book did not win me over.

My low rating of it is due to the rushed feeling I had while reading it. What was possibly intended to convey urgency and suspense had a different effect on me. I found that I wanted more information on the characters themselves and some background. I understand that the lack of facts about the characters is part of the story, but without a bit more foundation for the story I never became invested in who they were or what they were doing. Instead I felt like I was thrown into the action too quickly, with not enough time to look around and understand/appreciate what was happening before I was pushed into the next scene.

I may at some point try the next volume but for now I won't be looking for book #2.

[Karen Syed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jesse Sharp is is an orphan, at least she thinks she is. The people at C2 have taken her in and are training her for their "assignments." When she finally gets sent "outside" she is excited. Being kept hidden by the secret organization is no picnic, especially since her carer is into health food. But her assignment has some problems, the most noticeable being her lawn-headed partner who thinks she is a thumb sucker. But even worse are the fears that the assignment brings up about where Jesse came from and what could have happened to her friend, who disappeared.

When Jesse goes on her assignment she gets a taste of the outside world and makes a new friend. But will danger and lies take that friend away, or worse?

I enjoyed this book for what it was. I wished I could have seen more of the characters and perhaps a bit more action. Well enough written, but not altogether engaging for me.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd. The name of this series should be Sci Fi Girl but the title for this book "Secrets" is appropriate, although a bit boring and common for a title. The story was mildly reminiscent of a James Bond story, at least I think that's what the author was aiming for. Who is Jesse Sharpe? All she knows is that she was orphaned in a car wreck at age one and raised in the sterile environment of a lab. Oh, and she's a genius and was trained as a spy. However, I thought the training as a spy was a bit inconsistent with the storyline. There are hints that there were three children like her but something happened to one boy. I'd presume that there is a lot more books to follow this one because the author left open many more avenues of unanswered questions. This is the first book I've come across in this series.

[Angela Murat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the entire spy thing.
I personally, write many myself.

And that's what I saw while reading this book. The writing, the structure, it resembled almost exactly something that I would write. Although I loved that kind of undercover, super spy agent kick-ass girl kind of thing, I think my only complaint would be that MAYBE I would have developed the writing more?

But then when I think about it, scratch that.
There are many other books in the series, and my only complaint would be, why aren't they all added up together into one huge book instead of many many too-short ones?

I guess it depends what audience the author was aiming at. But anyway. It rightly belongs in the children's fiction chapter book section. For more mature readers like I, I would prefer some others.

[Tiara Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is viscious it is talking about a girl who who was born int othe spy agency and her parents died in car accident this is her first time being out in the real world and she loved but she isnt there just to have fun she is there on a mission and shes not going to let them win and at the same time she is risking her life and she knows it she was born a child prodigy and she is a genuis and anything u give her to remember she takes it in and she keeps it stored forever she isnt working with a child in this shes working wit an adult and she wants to know do he like her and her mission is now put into actoin and and she has to keep a girl her age named jasmine from gettin kidnapped {did i forget to mention} and its because her father has enemy

[Lesly]

This book was really good. It’s about a girl who is a orphan. Then later she becomes a spy. She is a very smart child that why they offer her to work with the other spy’s. She questions a lot about if this is a good idea, and if they are real deal. This reminds a lot of how sometimes you can't trust people like the cops. This reminds me like in Mexico you can pay a cop and they will forget about you going over the speed limit. But other times you don't know if its real because sometimes they just want to help you, but you don't know what to do.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start of a series that stars super-spy extraordinaire, Jesse. Not only does she speak multiple languages, have the encyclopedia memorized, and know karate at an expert level, she is also starting to suspect that the company she is virtually imprisoned by may have kidnapped her and other kid geniuses. In this first book, she has discovered that other espionage corporations may want to kidnap her for their own nefarious purposes. Now Jesse has to discover who is on her side, really.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greatest secret agent book I have ever read since "Harriet the Spy". It's about this girl named Jesse Sharpe, who was broght up since she was a baby by a mysterious organization called "C2". Jesses Sharpe is your typical child prodigy and hamburger lover, with a sharp mind that lives up to her name. She is assigned to a mission.......well, I won't spoil it for you.

[Bronwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you get done with the first sentence you can't put the book down. Jesse Sharpe is a girl who works for a spy agency named C2. Her mind is like an encyclopedia. She tries to figure out why she is in C2 and who her parents are. Great book that will keep you on your toes.

[Muskan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars. Mediocre. Not very thrilling, and slightly boring. Writing is average, and not well described. But I liked the twist, and the duo of Liam and Jesse is quite cool. And I found the character of Liam quiet interesting. :)

[Tif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sari's bookclub choose, a fast fun read. It took me less than a day. Although it is about a girl, Daniel enjoyed the books too. These are Sari's favorite series right now.

[✿ ~Yessenia~♥︎ · Rating 1 out of 5]

a cool agent book the best i have also read good for anone has lots of cool stuff staring jesse sharp

[Selleka · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a great book it is one of my favorite books and i have read alot of books

[Katherine]

this book is very mysterious and might make you have a chill once you figure out the mystery!!

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this 3 years ago, I didn't like it at first but sometimes if you just keep reading you will get to the good stuff.