Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training

Bridget Wilder #1

by Jonathan Bernstein

Middle school meets "Mission: Impossible" in this hilarious tween series about a girl whose life is turned upside down when she discovers her father is a super-spy.

Up until Bridget’s birthday, the most exciting moment in her life was when Dale Tookey maybe sort of smiled at her one time. But that was before—before she found a mysterious gift bag at her doorstep, before she was transported to a covert CIA agency called Section 23, and before she became Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training. Now Bridget’s busting boys out of detention, being chauffeured by a talking car, and infiltrating the popular girls’ clique to steal secret codes, all while under cover as a semi-awkward middle school girl. But will she be able to keep up with her new action-packed life while hiding it from her family and friends? And what if Section 23 is keeping secrets of its own?

It is no secret—Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training is the start of an explosive new series packed with gadgets, humor, and, best of all: girl power.

Genres: Middle Grade, Humor, Action, Adventure, Juvenile, Mystery, Espionage

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

I am the author of Bridget Wilder: Spy-In-Training.
Bridget Wilder is an adequate daughter, an unexceptional student and a mediocre friend. She's just found out she's also the biological daughter of one of the world's most lethal and notorious spies, the legendary Carter Strike.

Now Bridget lives in two worlds. One, where her family forgets her birthday and so-called class clowns call her Midget Wilder to her face. And another world, where she's trained by a covert CIA department to become a fast, smart, fearless ,gadget-toting secret agent who's tough enough to take on the most fearsome of bad guys.

How many secrets can she keep? And how many secrets are still being kept from her. When you're a a spy-in-training, do you ever really know who you can trust?


I'm also the co-author of Mad World: An Oral History Of New Wave Artists And Songs That Defined The 1980s, which features brand new interviews with the likes of New Order, The Smiths, Duran Duran, Echo & The Bunnymen, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Simple Minds, Depeche Mode, Human League, Dexys Midnight Runners, OMD, Thomas Dolby, ABC, Thompson Twins and many, many more.


I also wrote the YA book Hottie which has been described, not by me but accurately, as Clueless meets X-Men. It's packed with as much comedy, action, unrequited crushes, requited crushes and destruction of designer clothes as I could pack into 320 pages.

It's ridiculously over-the-top sequel was titled Burning Ambition.

I'm also the author of Knickers In A Twist which is a dictionary of British slang that addresses Cockney rhyming slang, TV catchphrases, pop-culture references, swearing and incomprehensible abuse that I brought with me from my native Scotland.

My first book was called Pretty In Pink: The Golden Age Of Teen Movies which was an extremely un-intellectual look at the 80s, taking in every genre from slasher to gross-out and paying extended homage to the John Hughes canon.

I also write the occasional screenplay, with the Disney evergreen Max Keeble's Big Move, Just My Luck with Lindsay Lohan, Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector (I've got a mortgage, okay?) and the upcoming Jackie Chan movie The Spy Next Door to my name.

As I mentioned, I was raised in Scotland, spent some time in New York and moved to Los Angeles a few years ago.

I'm on Facebook and you can also find me on www. jonathanbernsteinbook.blogspot.com where I talk more about Hottie, discuss the latest reality show that's making me mad but I can't stop watching and post videos of ancient Scottish comedians.

I've also started a blog for my slang dictionary. Bookmark www.knickersinatwistbook.blogspot.com and learn a new word or phrase every day. Some of them will stop you getting punched in the face. Others will get you hit even harder!

Reviews

[Kathy Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bridget Wilder is the often-overlooked middle child in her family and the invisible girl at her middle school. She has one friend who isn't a very nice person. She is the butt of the joke for Brandon Chew for continually calls her Midget. She is adopted. She is an observer, but not a participant, in her own life. Things come to a head on her thirteenth birthday when no one remembers.

After a disappointing day at school, she finds a shopping bag on her doorstep. She is sure that someone has remembered her birthday but she doesn't know who. The bag contains a new iPhone, a gift card to Image Unlimited, a yellow tube of smoky pear-flavored lip balm with a stuck top, green tic tacs (her unfavorite candy), dorky glasses which aren't her prescription, and a set of keys. She doesn't find out who sends her the bag.

When she drops in at Image Unlimited her life changes. She is given a black and gold track suit and sneakers that give her super powers. All of a sudden she is strong, athletic and fast. The iPhone rings and she meets Spool who recruits her to the secret Section 23 of the CIA. She learns that her birth father is a Carter Strike, a famous spy. And she is given a mission: track down the would-be double agent at her school.

This story is wish fulfillment at its best. What lonely, unnoticed middle school kid wouldn't like to find out that she is the daughter of a famous secret agent? What middle school kid wouldn't want to do daring deeds and attract the notice of the boy, Dale Tookey, who is her current crush?

The story had lots of action and a really engaging main character. Middle graders will enjoy this beginning to a new series.

[Arul Prakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training", is a book that explains the life of a teenage spy who has to handle family pressures along with national pressures like a secret agency trying to take over the world. Along, with this she finds out who her real dad is and that he is working with the bad guys, or is he! While constantly handling all this on her hand Bridget Wilder finds herself in love with a boy named Dale Tookey who seems a bit odd. All of a sudden Bridget Wilder becomes one of the famous girls in school for saving them from the Doom Patrol, which is a gang that loves to bully kids and spray graffiti all over the school. But in order to become famous she has to let go of her best friend, Joanna. I would recommend this book to everyone who likes entrainment, suspense, adventure and drama mixed into one big bundle of joy. In conclusion, I truly admired this book and I hope that you guys will cherish it as well.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopsis- Bridget Wilder is the sort of child you never remember. Her older brother is a juvenile delinquent, and her younger sister is perfect. A devil, an angel, and Bridget. Then, on her [forgotten] birthday, she receives a mysterious bag with a broken smart phone, tic-tacs she doesn’t like, and lip gloss that doesn’t open. When Bridget gets a call on the smart phone, she realizes her life will be changed forever. Bridget was adopted, but she learns that her birthfather is a secret agent for the Central Intelligence Agency. Not only that, but she may be good secret agent material too! But what if being a secret agent ends up being more than meets the eye?

What I Thought- There has been quite a lot of spy/secret agent books coming to my review pile lately. It’s nice to see a fresh take on this theme. This was a fun secret agent book. Mr. Bernstein does a great job getting the reader involved in the story. Bridget is a great character, and totally believable as the middle child who is always forgotten. I liked the action and mystique in the plot. I was not expecting the twist at the end of the book (won’t tell you – you have to read it ;) ). It was a pleasant surprise to be a bit shocked – I love it when stories are not predictable. The writing was smooth and the story was told in a way that it will appeal to a wide age range. I think fans of James Bond will like this book a lot, I know I did.
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received free advanced copy from First Reads. My rating reflects the average of my rating (3) and that of my nine year old daughter (5). As she is the target audience, in retrospect, maybe I should have given her rating more weight. This is a story of twelve year old Bridget who takes on the alter-ego of a secret agent. Smartly written and kept my daughter interested from page one. She has passed it around to her friends at summer camp, and all have enjoyed it as well.

[Lenni Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

At an actual rating of 2.5, I was NOT a big fan of this book. For one, it was just too unbelievable.

" 'I'm sorry to be the one to have to break it to you like this, Bridget. Your real father is Special Agent Carter Strike.' "

Yeah right. Just not buying it. Another thing I didn't like was the way Bridget changed. At first she was a shy, timid creature. Then, she became this monster that talked back. Not to mention she was super gullible. I began to realize the change here:

"Too big? Too complicated? Too scary?"
"What, your face?"

I came to the conclusion that Bridget just wasn't spy material. It was too much for her to handle and it caused problems with her family and "friends." The only reason this book had 1.5 more stars than a one star rating was because some parts were funny. I loved the way Bridget kept saying "shut up" when she didn't believe something. It reminded me of that scene from the Princess Diaries movie when Mia learns she's a princess.

So, all in all, Bridget Wilder fails at being a spy. I wish I had bought something better wth my money.

(Although...I did think Dale and Bridget were pretty cute.)

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to see a pattern in children's spy books. An unpopular kid is tapped to be a secret agent for reasons that don't make sense. There's usually sarcastic humor, which by the way, is a big selling point with kids today. And lastly, there's a lot of twists and turns and great attempts to elude the reader. Bingo. Bridget Wilder fits the pattern.

Bridget is adopted. She's the middle child. She's easily forgettable. The book opens with everyone forgetting her 13th birthday. She does, however, receive a mysterious package containing odd things like a phone that doesn't work, Tictacs, and a tube of lip balm. Turns out the phone works and the other items are spy gadgets. Her spy contact informs her that the package is from her famous spy dad and he wants her to join their spy network. After she passes the test mission, she's given a real mission to steal some files from a classmate's stepdad. To do so, she'll have to infiltrate the cool girl group and deal with all the backstabbing she's been missing out on by being unpopular.

Kids who like humor, mystery, and criminal activity will easily like this book.

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review by Lucy, Age 9, 8/12/22

I liked this book, but I had already read it before I read it. Bridget was a classic “child that didn't know she wasn’t with the family she was born from.” This is the stereotypical plot-twisting book about the amazing girl that no one notices, turned from a gutter rat to a super spy. It was a good book, but I want to read something I haven't read before.
If you've already read too many overpowered child, plot-twisting mystery novels, this one is no different. I liked some of it, but I already knew what was going to happen. It's the same classic mystery child novel in a different skin.

Characters in this book showed these Virtues or Fruits of the Spirit: Bridget showed loyalty and understanding

Characters in this book showed these Vices or Sins: Section 23 showed greed and willingness to lie to an innocent child for money

This book had a primarily neutral message

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridget Wilder is 13. Bridget Wilder is adopted. Bridget Wilder is a kid nobody really notices. Bridget Wilder is a spy. This fun, snarky, fast paced middle grade read is the first in, what I expect will be a great series.

[Sakina Shaiq · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up the book and thought, "I'm not going to like this." I didn't.

It was very predictable, and I've read too many books similar to this. Some books can get away with it since they are well-written, but this one was not.

[Watch Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

REVIEW/RANT TO COME

[Kiran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting, and I loved the plot twist at the end.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gadgets, Action, Angst, and Girrlll Power - Bridget is an Appealing Heroine

I love chocolate chip tollhouse cookies with walnuts. People have made chocolate chip tollhouse cookies for zillions of years, probably since before there were highways that had actual tollhouses. But, my Mom made the best tollhouse cookies, ever. We all know the ingredients; heck, the recipe is on the bag. But somehow the cookies Mom made, out of just the basic ingredients, were made just right.

Well, that's what we have here. EXTREMELY MILD SPOILER - Bridget is a thirteen year old girl who is recruited for spy training and a spy mission by a super secret spy agency. Bridget is unassuming, often overlooked, and has confidence and self-image issues. As a spy-in-training she has adventures and discovers her inner strength, her personal worth, and her own unique talents. Now, we've all probably read that book about two dozen times, minimum. But guess what? This one, using the ingredients and the usual recipe, is really, really good. Why?

Everything here is in just the right proportions. Bridget has some teen issues, but not too many and not to excess. Her parents are a bit clueless, but not stupid. Her older brother is a type and her perfect younger sister is a type, but we get just a nice taste of them, set them aside early before they become annoying, and then later revisit them in a new light. Bridget has an edgy BFF who's a bit of a downer, and she balances and challenges Bridget. There's a mild romance/crush that's just right.

Bridget is recruited as a spy in a clever but efficient manner. The spy angle comes out of the blue in chapter four, but is set up in an amusing and crisp fashion. At this point you like Bridget, you are willing to buy the ridiculous premise, and you're looking forward to having a fun adventure with Bridget as she grows and changes. That strikes me as the best way to grab and entertain a tween reader. And, once the spy stuff starts we get a whole new round of characters, like "Xan with an X" and a snarky Smart Car. We also get a plot with a lot of twists and turns that actually turns out to be a much better and more satisfying plot than you'll find in most adult spy thrillers.

Since Bridget is the narrator and, obviously, the main character, you have to go all in on her or the whole project falls apart. Well, Bridget is funny, perceptive, deadpan, and feels pretty "real" in a middle grade comedy/drama adventure sort of way. Nothing is overdone; she's not too angsty or too snarky or too self-conscious. She's smart, appealing and vulnerable and she's brimming with hidden can-do energy that keeps bubbling up to the surface. That's just a great heroine for this kind of book and for the intended readership. Various tween family, school and relationship issues are addressed, but with a light and sensitive touch.

It helps that the author plays fair. There's no hip irony and the author doesn't mock the genre. This is a straight up, cheerful, girl's own semi-silly spy adventure that maintains a consistent slightly goofy and slightly breathless tone. The writing is sharp. Grammar, syntax, vocabulary, structure and form are all impeccable; this is not a sloppy or poorly edited book. As a result you get a jolly story and a generally restrained but well written entertainment.

This is intended as the first volume in a planned series, and I'm all for that. Producing a solid tween girl action/adventure book is a challenge, but this one earns high marks across the board.

Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge thank you to Harper Collins Canada for this ARC!

I must admit, I had never even heard of Bridget Wilder: Spy-in-Training until it appeared on my doorstep. I'm glad I gave this book a chance, because it is such a fun middle grade read filled with tons of action, great use of spy tropes, and has a delightful heroine who is easy to relate to.

Bridget is a Plain Jane with nothing remarkable about her... until she learns that she is the daughter of a famous spy. Going from unremarkable to spy-in-training, seems like a lot, but Bridget is determined to make it work somehow. I really loved Bridget as a character, and I thought the way the author showed how she goes through the ups and downs quite realistically. She wants to make friends, be noticed, and now that she's a spy, she seems a lot more noticeable than she'd like.

What I liked about this novel is that there's a lot of humour in it. Bridget has very over-reactive responses about her newfound training, and it's written with a lot of charm. I also loved how dramatic a lot of the characters were in this book because it actually fit the overall tone of the story -- it felt almost like reading a Saturday Morning Cartoon. Yet, at the same time, you can tell the author is a huge fan of spy movies because a lot of the tropes exist within the novel, but are presented in a way that the audience would understand. There's definitely lots of name dropping and pop culture references, but the author was smart in that a lot of the them are geared towards the age group in question.

I feel like middle graders will gravitate towards this book because it's a great adventure story with a delightful heroine. The characters in this book are funny, but easy to relate to. Bridget's narrative is both fun and quirky, and she's just so easy to root for. You want to watch her grow and succeed, and ultimately the novel does a great job of that. Definitely excited to see what adventures and hot messes Bridget will get into next! (Providing there is a sequel of course!)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprise twist ending!

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridget Wilder is a seemingly average sibling, the one in the middle, and a middle grade student, invisible, with one friend, who is not so nice. Her 13th birthday has arrived and no one in her family seemed to remember. Her brother Ryan is a mess and her sister Natalie is treated like a little angel. Bridget was 10 years old when she was told of her adoption. She often wondered what her real parents were like. After school she didn’t expect any big surprises for her birthday. Instead, she found a posh shopping bag that contained a phone, a card from Image Unlimited, lip balm, green yucky tic tacs, a thick pair of black framed glasses, a flash drive and a set of keys. No one at home owned up to the mysterious bag.

Bridget’s adventure begins when she finds the shop and meets Xan who gives her a black and gold track suit which provides her with special abilities. She gets a call from Brian Spool who informs her that he works with her father at Section 23, as Agent Strike. Her real mother, on the other hand, is untraceable. Spool gives her insight regarding the bags contents. Later she gets her first pre-mission to find a piece of incriminating information that a traitor or someone who looks like a traitor to his country, is on the prowl and an innocent person could be framed. Will she find the traitor, save an innocent and pass the test to be a secret agent like her father?

Author Jonathan Bernstein has created an exciting mystery novel with girl power. Young girls will love the main character and enjoy reading along as she learns more about herself. This book trails along a typical self-discovery story but with lots of humor and general fun. Teachers can use this as a great read-a-loud for discussion on home life and adoption. Parents will love buying this because it’s a good clean read.

[Anoush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bridget Wilder is the middle sibling. Not only does she feel invisible between her older brother's delinquency and her younger sister's perfection, she's also adopted. Her entire family--parents included--forget her 13th birthday, making Bridget feel as if she doesn't belong in her own family. The only gift Bridget receives is a mysterious gift bag with random items--a fancy phone, some tic tacs, chapstick and a coupon for a fancy clothing store.

Following the clues from these gifts Bridget finds out she's the biological child of a CIA spy! He's asked her to help his agency with some tricky jobs involving kids at her middle school. (Seriously?)

Bridget jumps all in to the spy life, throwing her family and friends under the bus along the way. In the end Bridget has to figure out what it means to balance work and personal life, who you can trust, and what life is really like in middle school.

This book was a hoot! It started out plausible enough, but the spy gear was completely wild and Bridget's reactions and assumptions about the spy life as well as the missions she was given was just beyond my credibility and so much larger-than-life. Everything left me with a feeling of, "Are you serious? Yea right..." Although I think all these details would be perfect for the middle-grade reader.

Oh Bridget. So many revelations at the end of this book and I really look forward to finding out what is next! Spy or not, being a teenager is complicated.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun YA novel - the story very reminiscent of the movie Mean Girls. The main character Bridget is a "social outcast" who "befriends" the popular girls. Instead of being from Africa like in the movie Mean Girls, Bridget's thing that makes her interesting to the popular girls is that she is adopted. Similar to the movie Mean Girls the Bridget turns the popular girls against each other and also has her own strange friend Joanna (instead of Janis) and instead of the popular girls having the Burn Book like in the movie, Joanna instead has the conquest report which is essentially the same thing - a collection of snarky / mean comments about school mates & teachers. This gets leaked and just like in Mean Girls there is a school assembly called and name calling / teasing towards some of the students.

Where this book differs is that Bridget finds out her birth father is a spy and she becomes outfitted with spy equipment. The book has some creative turns from there and the story becomes more of it's own tale as it progresses down that trail. I enjoyed the story although some of the setting and characters made it so it was so similar to Mean Girls - but that is a cult classic movie and those type of relationship dynamics between school girls are very relate-able and make for a good YA novel that would keep YA's engaged in the story.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bernstein, Jonathan Bridget Wilder Spy-in-Training, 304 pages. HarperCollins Publishers, 2015. Language - G (0 swears, 0 "f"), Mature Content - G; Violence - G;

Bridget Wilder is adopted, the middle child, and with a devilish older brother, and angelic little sister, practically invisible. However, when Bridget's 13th birthday comes around, she receives a mystery present that leads Bridget to find out her dad is spy! Bridget is now determined to do whatever it takes to follow in her father's footsteps and become a spy, and get` her very own mission!

There many twists and turns I did not see coming, and the characters had enough personality to come alive. I think if I was younger I would have enjoyed the book more than I did, but I still thought it was a pretty good book.

EL- ADVISABLE. Reviewer: MMH
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...

[Akoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although the premise is typical if you read spy and mystery books a lot, the cast of characters is what made the book stand out for me.
This is the story of a just-turned-thirteen-year-old girl who is used to (but doesn't like) feeling invisible, until a mysterious bag with strange gadgets turns her life upside down.
Bridget is so real with her emotional struggles and short comings. So she is anything but perfect and her relationships are also far from perfect. By becoming a spy, she discovers things she didn't know about herself and the people in her life she thought she knew so well.

It is best to go into the book not knowing too much about the plot because it will ruin the plot twist. ;)

[Julia W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! It really plays on how a lot of kids wish they were spies. Bridget's got her laser/taser/smoke machine lip balm, her lie-detecting glasses, and even a spy car of her own. She was adopted when she was young, and now, on her thirteenth birthday, her birth father is introduced to her. His name is Carter Strike, and he's a top-secret CIA agent.

This is an amazing book. It's full of action and plot twists and will leave you wanting more of Bridget Wilder's adventures.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the only book in its genre. That I've read this year. (Okay, I'm a sucker.)
Specifically, Spy School has a similar set up, so its not like you could claim this was totally unique.

Still, i thought it was fairly well written, and I appreciated the female protagonist, and some of the side details. I think its a solid kid book, although probably not destined to become a great classic.

[Charity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please see full review at: 5girlsbookreviews.blogspot.com and/or our Facebook page "5 Girls Book Reviews"

REVIEW BY: Michaela, age 11 years, 3 months

MAY CONTAIN SPOILER:

Bridget is my favorite character and my favorite part is when she meets her dad close to the end of the book. This book is really good and I love Bridget's spy gadgets.

[Maria Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminded me of the Spy School books. But it's a little weirder than that. There were some nice twists and turns, but I wasn't crazy about a few of the things that happen in the book. Mainly with regards to the big brother Ryan, who is constantly in trouble. But this all seems to be part of a running joke in the book. Maybe I was taking it too seriously.

[Jamie May Minjie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! It made me laugh out loud by the first sentence. Marvelous narrative skills. Exquisite description with detailed feeling of a 13-yrs-old girl. It's fun, hilarious, entertaining, and it had stirred my affections.. Bernstein is a real genius!

[Shazzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting, with a sympathetic lead. A promising start to a series.

[Annh]

Funny, snappy dialog. The plot took some time to take off, but was good once it really got rolling.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever spy plot, gadgets and chase/fight scenes--and love her attitude. Trying so hard to be cool, not completely successful, but winning anyway.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adopted middle child receives an unexpected package on an otherwise unremarkable birthday inviting her to join a super-secret division of the CIA . . . alongside her birth father!

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh. I didn't much like the main character, or really any characters in the book.

[Ashley Zhang · Rating 4 out of 5]

The begginning was kind of boring and then it got better to the end of the book where it has the romance, betrayal, and mystery.