Internet Spy

by Ian Probert

Originally published in 1995, Internet Spy was a surprise bestseller in the US and later spawned a South African TV movie 'March the Second'.

Internet Spy is the fictionalised account of what happened when German hackers broke into some of the most sensitive computer systems in the US. Told from the perspective of a fourteen-year-old-boy, this short story has kept teenagers enthralled for more than a decade.

91 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 1995

About the author

Ian Probert has been scribbling down words ever since he learned to spell the phrase: 'Once upon a time...'. He is the author of Internet Spy, Rope Burns and a bunch of other titles. Internet Spy was a bestseller in the US and made into a TV film. Rope Burns is a book about why books shouldn't be written about boxing. Ian has also written things for a shed load of newspapers and magazines. When Ian was a student he used to write lots of letters to the bank manager.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yuck. Boring and outdated.

[David Natiuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book, definitely targeted at young adult age readers. It's both based on a true story, as well as partly educational and historical (mostly told through appendixes). The actual story itself is told from the perspective of a 15-year old boy who gets wrapped up in a major unfolding computer crime by accident.

I think it's a good book, and if you're not even aware of computer hacking, the concept can be fairly intriguing. If there is one field that has changed to the point of almost not being recognizeable, it's computers. Therefore, being written in 1996 means the computer part of this is certainly dated, to the point where young kids might not even understand. What's a modem? Why do you "login" to access the internet? Isn't that just everywhere? I mean, I know my kids freak out on car trips when we go through zones without 4G!

But being based around a true story, it operates on the level of history and a crime-bust as well. That has timeless value, regardless of the specific subject matter. After the story there are definitions of terms, and an analysis of the real story and actual names. Good stuff. Short, but entertaining.

[Bernadine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book that has been sitting on my bookshelf for forever. Should’ve left it there.

[Charlie Kravetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the Kindle edition ebook.

A very good book for those getting started using computers.

This story is narrated by a 14-year-old. It is the story of how German hackers were able to gain access to information in United States computers. It is dated, written in 1995, when personal computers, viruses, and malware were not as established as today.

This book does an excellent job discussing the dangers of hacking computers. It also exposes the reader to the possibilities of foreign governments interested in getting information. The reader that is just getting started using computers will find this an exciting story, with good action and danger sequences.

While this is a fictional account of espionage, it does give the reader opportunity to imagine what could happen from misuse of a computer. Ian Probert does a good job examining the consequences of hacking when learning to use a computer. This book will not teach anyone how to hack, but they could learn the inherent dangers of hacking the government computers.

Young adults getting started with computers will enjoy this story. Of course, those who know computers will also have fun reading this one, as well as the readers that like a spy story. I will be reading more books by this author.