What do you think?
Rate this book
The Codename Conspiracy #3
Crisis Zero
From Chris Rylander, author of The Fourth Stall, comes the third and final book in the Codename Conspiracy series—a hilarious and clever mash-up of middle grade school story and thrilling spy adventure.
There is a computer program so unspeakably powerful that its mere existence is unknown to all but the most senior government agents. This computer program is capable of controlling every aspect of communication, transportation, and defense on the planet. This computer program must never fall into the wrong hands or civilization as we know it will be utterly destroyed.
This computer program is in North Dakota.
Carson Fender—a.k.a. the retired Prank Master, a.k.a. Agent Zero, a.k.a. the all-in-one World’s Greatest Hero and World’s Greatest Screwup—must protect this program, codenamed Exodus. He is paired once again with his best friend, Danielle, aka Agent Atlas. Together, they must expose an enemy agent working from inside their school—an enemy agent with the mandate to stop at nothing to help secure Exodus. Can Zero and Atlas foil this enemy before it is too late? Carson’s final mission will test his loyalty, smarts, and courage as never before.
There is a computer program so unspeakably powerful that its mere existence is unknown to all but the most senior government agents. This computer program is capable of controlling every aspect of communication, transportation, and defense on the planet. This computer program must never fall into the wrong hands or civilization as we know it will be utterly destroyed.
This computer program is in North Dakota.
Carson Fender—a.k.a. the retired Prank Master, a.k.a. Agent Zero, a.k.a. the all-in-one World’s Greatest Hero and World’s Greatest Screwup—must protect this program, codenamed Exodus. He is paired once again with his best friend, Danielle, aka Agent Atlas. Together, they must expose an enemy agent working from inside their school—an enemy agent with the mandate to stop at nothing to help secure Exodus. Can Zero and Atlas foil this enemy before it is too late? Carson’s final mission will test his loyalty, smarts, and courage as never before.
400 pages, ebook
First published February 2, 2016
87 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
August 24, 2021
I enjoyed this one very much. It was suspenseful, exciting, and I wish there was a fourth book!
May 21, 2019
3.5. I really liked this series, but the last few pages of this book were terrible.
May 13, 2016
"Mrs. Walker, across the street," Dillon said. "Her dog, Ginny Agricole, isn't really a dog at all."
"What is she then?" I asked.
" It's a rat, deer, and pig spliced together in a way that roughly resembles a dog," he said.
.....
The picture of Ginny Agricole did sort of look like a dog. But it was definitely the weirdest dog I'd ever seen. It was light red or tan in color like a deer; had a deer's long, spindly legs but the face, tail, and ears of a huge rat; and, to top it all off, the naked, rotund, pink belly of a pig. (pp. 189, 190)
"What is she then?" I asked.
" It's a rat, deer, and pig spliced together in a way that roughly resembles a dog," he said.
.....
The picture of Ginny Agricole did sort of look like a dog. But it was definitely the weirdest dog I'd ever seen. It was light red or tan in color like a deer; had a deer's long, spindly legs but the face, tail, and ears of a huge rat; and, to top it all off, the naked, rotund, pink belly of a pig. (pp. 189, 190)
June 11, 2016
Such a fun series!
August 29, 2024
was any of this casual?
rylander writes the best friendships period. there i said it. no, not middle grade i actually mean in like fiction. he gets the miscommunication part down to a T and executes it flawlessly so i'm not totally annoyed by it.
there's an enemy agent within the school and carson and danielle must find them before it's too late and the world ends. may i say, that while i suspected the plot twist, it was more of a haha what if? cuz when it really happened my jaw dropped.
most of what i have to say about this book is a spoiler above but just know it's so good. it doesn't harp on the angst when i think maybe it should do more of. like there's a moment where carson's absent father appears and is so angry he smashes carson's phone to bits and that's kinda brushed off like oh well that's just usual dad haha. like if this were a ya book they wouldn't shut up about how angsty that situation was and the trauma that emerged from it to make the main character more angsty. but here carson takes it and moves on. ik he shouldn't - that's a very horrible thing to happen to him but does he whine about it? no! and sometimes it behooves me to be more amiable to a character like that. like leave the character analysis to the reader; let them infer and think about it more. let ME be the one to sit on that particular bit of angst rather than banging it into my head over and over again.
military school? we are not a fan of that in this house but whatever it's fiction it's a middle school book. idk what rylander's thoughts are on that - he probably just did it to stay consistent. and a glimpse that carson is never really done with the "thrill of the double life" (despicable me 4 soundtrack insert).
"That's exactly what a lying backstabber would say," I said.
"Takes one to know one."
when i tell u this scene had me gagged. my jaw dropped. i fell to my knees.
what does it say about trusting rando orgs? are either one good? is any govt "for the greater good" org actually beneficial? who are the good guys and the bad guys and can you even dilute the world down to these two things. carson and danielle and dillon all did what they think was right. could they all be right or wrong or torn into two different directions? and is it your right to decide what's the greater good for someone else? anyways. *clenches fist* it's so good when a book lets you sit and think and dwell on things. pls don't throw themes and messages into my face it's not subtle. i'd much rather have this type of book that seems innocent and silly at first but lets you peel back the words to take a look behind the scenes.
the power of friendship. i'll never get over these 3.
rylander writes the best friendships period. there i said it. no, not middle grade i actually mean in like fiction. he gets the miscommunication part down to a T and executes it flawlessly so i'm not totally annoyed by it.
there's an enemy agent within the school and carson and danielle must find them before it's too late and the world ends. may i say, that while i suspected the plot twist, it was more of a haha what if? cuz when it really happened my jaw dropped.
most of what i have to say about this book is a spoiler above but just know it's so good. it doesn't harp on the angst when i think maybe it should do more of. like there's a moment where carson's absent father appears and is so angry he smashes carson's phone to bits and that's kinda brushed off like oh well that's just usual dad haha. like if this were a ya book they wouldn't shut up about how angsty that situation was and the trauma that emerged from it to make the main character more angsty. but here carson takes it and moves on. ik he shouldn't - that's a very horrible thing to happen to him but does he whine about it? no! and sometimes it behooves me to be more amiable to a character like that. like leave the character analysis to the reader; let them infer and think about it more. let ME be the one to sit on that particular bit of angst rather than banging it into my head over and over again.
military school? we are not a fan of that in this house but whatever it's fiction it's a middle school book. idk what rylander's thoughts are on that - he probably just did it to stay consistent. and a glimpse that carson is never really done with the "thrill of the double life" (despicable me 4 soundtrack insert).
"That's exactly what a lying backstabber would say," I said.
"Takes one to know one."
when i tell u this scene had me gagged. my jaw dropped. i fell to my knees.
what does it say about trusting rando orgs? are either one good? is any govt "for the greater good" org actually beneficial? who are the good guys and the bad guys and can you even dilute the world down to these two things. carson and danielle and dillon all did what they think was right. could they all be right or wrong or torn into two different directions? and is it your right to decide what's the greater good for someone else? anyways. *clenches fist* it's so good when a book lets you sit and think and dwell on things. pls don't throw themes and messages into my face it's not subtle. i'd much rather have this type of book that seems innocent and silly at first but lets you peel back the words to take a look behind the scenes.
the power of friendship. i'll never get over these 3.
November 28, 2017
Well, there are definitely some surprises in store for readers in this final installment!
Not entirely satisfied with the ending (too much of the final fallout left unexplained or glossed over) but the action along the way makes up for it. This was a much more serious read than the first two, but the fast pace remains the same. Overall I'd recommend it for reluctant middle grade readers in the mood for mystery, humor and adventure.
Not entirely satisfied with the ending (too much of the final fallout left unexplained or glossed over) but the action along the way makes up for it. This was a much more serious read than the first two, but the fast pace remains the same. Overall I'd recommend it for reluctant middle grade readers in the mood for mystery, humor and adventure.
March 21, 2017
Amazing
I love the irony of the ending. Lots of action and drama. Love the main character and his personality. Overall one of the best series and book I have ever read.
I love the irony of the ending. Lots of action and drama. Love the main character and his personality. Overall one of the best series and book I have ever read.
August 23, 2017
Read this to finish the series...it took a little while this time before I got really into it, but it made me laugh.
October 2, 2017
THIS BOOK IS AMAZING(Read whole series)!!!!
September 26, 2018
A hilarious ending! I'm still laughing about it two hours after finishing!
September 7, 2019
Great book, and awesome series! Well written, loaded with adventure and mid grade intrigue.
January 27, 2021
I loved this book! I need a book 4!!!!!!!!
January 30, 2021
This has to be a 5 out of 5 it is really funny and nailbiting you never know what is going to happen next so again 5 out of 5
Read
November 24, 2021Goooooooooood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 6, 2021
WOAH I NEED A SECOND BOOK RN
June 7, 2023
I'm sad the book is ending. But the plot was very planned. I didn't catch on until the end and had a of joy riding the rollercoaster that was the story.
June 23, 2024
eatttttt
May 25, 2025
Last read aloud of the school year. Kids liked it.
September 14, 2018
Crisis Zero is a book by the author Chris Rylander
February 22, 2017
A fantastic end to the series! But why did Agent Nineteen have to try and murder Medlock? And Dillon is a traitor... sorta. It's confusing... read the book! Unless you already have, in which I'm sure you'll understand this review :-)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2017
That last chapter was really the only reason it didn't get five stars.
December 28, 2016
Synopsis- Agent Zero, AKA Carson Fender, seventh grade secret agent, is back on another adventure! This time, his mission is to get his principal’s computer’s hard-drive. Simple, right? But what about when his principal is arrested for treason? And his replacement is suspiciously… unsuspicious? And who framed the old principal? This time, it seems like there are more questions than answers! Carson will need all of his skills to get to the bottom of this case!
What I Thought- This is the third, installment in the Codename Conspiracy series. I enjoyed every book in this series and getting to know the characters. This book is interesting because it starts revealing secrets and tying up loose threads from the previous books. It was cool seeing everything come together, and figuring a lot of it out. The characters are realistic, and I really liked that Carson grows as a person throughout the story. Mr. Rylander’s writing style is exciting, and adds a decent amount of humor into the book as well. I really liked the way that the book made being a spy seem like an everyday occurrence – I think I related to the story more.
*note* I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book
What I Thought- This is the third, installment in the Codename Conspiracy series. I enjoyed every book in this series and getting to know the characters. This book is interesting because it starts revealing secrets and tying up loose threads from the previous books. It was cool seeing everything come together, and figuring a lot of it out. The characters are realistic, and I really liked that Carson grows as a person throughout the story. Mr. Rylander’s writing style is exciting, and adds a decent amount of humor into the book as well. I really liked the way that the book made being a spy seem like an everyday occurrence – I think I related to the story more.
*note* I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book
August 16, 2016
Amazing!
September 7, 2016
This book was absolutely amazing. I could not stop reading this book!
March 25, 2017
This book was already going to get a four star since it isn't the most original. Then I thought of something while reading. Isn't it kind of manipulative to force CHILDREN work for secret government agencies? I mean, it wasn't force at the beginning, but as the series progressed, it see seemed like they were being forced. And to think that there are many other books like this where kids are forced into working for their agencies. Idk, but I just wasn't feeling this one.
Read
January 1, 2019My just starting 3rd grade kid stopped reading when he got towards the end, I had to do a quick skim-reading out loud to finish the book and series for him.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews