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Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls #1
Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls
A girl discovers her boarding school is actually an elite spy-training program, and she must learn the skills of the trade in order to find her mother in this action-packed middle grade debut.
After a botched escape plan from her boarding school, Abigail is stunned to discover the school is actually a cover for an elite spy ring called The Center, along with being training grounds for future spies. Even more shocking? Abigail’s mother is a top agent for The Center and she has gone MIA, with valuable information that many people would like to have—at any cost. Along with a former nemesis and charming boy from her grade, Abigail goes through a crash course in Spy Training 101, often with hilarious—and sometimes painful—results. But Abigail realizes she might be a better spy-in-training than she thought—and the answers to her mother’s whereabouts are a lot closer than she thinks…
After a botched escape plan from her boarding school, Abigail is stunned to discover the school is actually a cover for an elite spy ring called The Center, along with being training grounds for future spies. Even more shocking? Abigail’s mother is a top agent for The Center and she has gone MIA, with valuable information that many people would like to have—at any cost. Along with a former nemesis and charming boy from her grade, Abigail goes through a crash course in Spy Training 101, often with hilarious—and sometimes painful—results. But Abigail realizes she might be a better spy-in-training than she thought—and the answers to her mother’s whereabouts are a lot closer than she thinks…
304 pages, Hardcover
First published July 4, 2017
213 people are currently reading
3353 people want to read
About the author
Beth McMullen
19 books225 followersBeth McMullen lives with her family and an assortment of pets in Davis, CA. She writes for adults and kids. Look for Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls from Aladdin/S&S in July 4, 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 275 reviews
November 25, 2025
1 star ⭐️ Secular Middle-Grade
I was going to do two stars, but honestly, that’s too generous.
In one word, this book was pretty mediocre. It was okay (plot-wise), I guess, but I wasn’t wowed at all. The writing style was…rough and felt a little too much like an adult writing this book than having the voice of an actual 12 year old—which it was, I know, but it was more like someone watched a lot of Disney Channel shows of recent than was with actual kids—down to the text talking like “but u r the 1 who gave me this phone”. Some prime examples of the writing style:
“I’m so lucky. I might be the luckiest Batman-pajama-wearing, stealthy ninja girl on the planet!”
““Are you okay?” Toby asks from across the room. Am I okay? What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I’m not okay! Don’t even say the word “okay” to me, okay? Jeez.”
“Think about New York. Think about the courtyard pond at the Frick museum, so quiet and serene with the fountain gurgling in the middle and the lilies floating on the surface of the water. Yeah. That’s good. I like MoMA, too. And Shake Shack! Oh, that’s a good one. I could lose myself in fantasies about Shake Shack for days!”
“Cue the heart-eye emoji and stars twirling around my head. “Hi,” I croak. Tom has a mop of blond surfer hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. He wears a raggedy Nirvana T-shirt and scuffed-up Vans with a checkerboard print. There’s a hole in the knee of his jeans. He’s probably fourteen or fifteen, and he’s cool. I can just tell.”
“You know that moment when you’ve been playing Minecraft on hard mode and the hostile mobs are spawning, the creepers swarm and zombies are busting through the doors? You’re sure you’re dead, but suddenly you make it through and level up. The whole thing clicks into place and makes sense. I have that moment now. Except not with a video game.”
Abby was also incredibly disrespectful in ways that were probably supposed to be funny with lots of sarcasm and calling her mom by her first name, but just made her seem like a whinny brat. The storyline was choppy and things happened abruptly—especially at the beginning with an eight month time-skip that was jarring.
God’s name is taken in vain way more than I like to see ever, but especially in a middle-grade book. I wasn’t planning to read the rest of the series, but may try to read the next one since my library has it available…but also I probably won’t.
Main Content:
Abby thinks that a mean girl put a spell over her like a vampire or something, but tells the readers that she doesn’t believe in that “nonsense” and we shouldn’t either.
Mentions of luck; Mentions of Greek mythology (Persephone, Hades, and Demeter and their stories); A few mentions of astrology signs; A mention of someone having more money than God according to the Internet; A mention of a meditative pond at the school.
Language: God’s name is taken in vain 8 times; Words like freaking, crappy, and screwed; Some name calling like ‘jerk’ and ‘idiot’ (which sometimes hurts feelings); A couple mentions of curses (by adults, but not written out).
Abby has a “sharp tongue” and is very sassy/sarcastic throughout the book; Lying (including an adult telling Abby to lie to her friends because she does it “all the time” and it will get easier with practice, but Abby doesn’t want to do that); Eye rolling; When someone upsets her, Abby gets back at the person by being mean/taunting the person (which makes her feel the opposite of better once she sees the kid’s reaction).
Abby yells at her mother and demands her to come to her (once) & calls her mother by her first name throughout the book (noted as the kids at the school referring to their parents by their first names as if they’re equals or maybe just “superangry” with being abandoned by them and it’s petty revenge); Abby thinks about throwing an item at her mom when upset with her; Despite her annoyance and hurt by her mom’s secret, Abby does love her and feels waves of guilt for not noticing things about her and not reading her text messages; Some comments from others about Abby’s mother’s life being “screwed up” after having Abby (because of how they view her career, no comment like this is made by Abby’s mom; Abby thinks she’s going to get blamed for global warming next after this is commented on again and again); A woman says that a child should never pay for their parent’s mistakes.
Abby sneaks out of the school (twice), is grabbed by people and kidnapped (including by bad guys who mean her harm), tied-up and threatened with a gun, passes out (also implied drugged), slapped in the face by an adult man, falls through a frozen pond, sneaks into a teacher’s office and snooping, eavesdrops, and lies; Abby sees what looks like a girl being bound to a chair and appears bitten by a vampire on her neck and bleeding then turning into a scaly and rotting monster (which majorly freaks Abby out to the point she passes out; It was actually a fake technology thing); When grabbed, Abby kicks a man “where it counts” and runs away; Adults put Abby in danger and use her as bait.
Abby is shown a picture of a dead body covered by a sheet (which she calls “gross”); Seeing some fighting, held at gunpoint, & others knocked unconscious and sedated with darts.
A gender comment such as a girl being called bossy and another girl saying that “We don’t use the word ‘bossy’ to describe girls anymore, it’s condescending. If a boy acts in the same way, he’s called a leader.”
Mentions of Abby getting in trouble prior (such as rigging the student council elections by ballot-box-stuffing for her friend, “liberate” the lemurs at the zoo, & freeing parrots in a cage); Mentions of kidnappings, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of weapons & self-defense moves; mo threats & blackmail; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of bullies, mean girls, & their cruel actions; Mentions of tattoos; Mentions of vampires, zombies, & aliens; A few mentions of human trafficking and a bad guy who sells kids; A few mentions of possible car crashes; A couple mentions of pee; A mention of suicide bridge jumpers.
Pop culture references like the Titanic movie, Mean Girls, Charlie’s Angels, Law & Order, & Minecraft.
Crushes & Blushes; Tingles & Almost swooning.
Abby has a crush on a guy at school, but he has a crush on one of her friends’ so she doesn’t say anything about it (but she thinks about how cute he is for a while at one point).
An implied hint that Abby doesn’t know anything about her biological father.
Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, & cute boys; A mention of naked statues.
I was going to do two stars, but honestly, that’s too generous.
In one word, this book was pretty mediocre. It was okay (plot-wise), I guess, but I wasn’t wowed at all. The writing style was…rough and felt a little too much like an adult writing this book than having the voice of an actual 12 year old—which it was, I know, but it was more like someone watched a lot of Disney Channel shows of recent than was with actual kids—down to the text talking like “but u r the 1 who gave me this phone”. Some prime examples of the writing style:
“I’m so lucky. I might be the luckiest Batman-pajama-wearing, stealthy ninja girl on the planet!”
““Are you okay?” Toby asks from across the room. Am I okay? What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I’m not okay! Don’t even say the word “okay” to me, okay? Jeez.”
“Think about New York. Think about the courtyard pond at the Frick museum, so quiet and serene with the fountain gurgling in the middle and the lilies floating on the surface of the water. Yeah. That’s good. I like MoMA, too. And Shake Shack! Oh, that’s a good one. I could lose myself in fantasies about Shake Shack for days!”
“Cue the heart-eye emoji and stars twirling around my head. “Hi,” I croak. Tom has a mop of blond surfer hair and the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen. He wears a raggedy Nirvana T-shirt and scuffed-up Vans with a checkerboard print. There’s a hole in the knee of his jeans. He’s probably fourteen or fifteen, and he’s cool. I can just tell.”
“You know that moment when you’ve been playing Minecraft on hard mode and the hostile mobs are spawning, the creepers swarm and zombies are busting through the doors? You’re sure you’re dead, but suddenly you make it through and level up. The whole thing clicks into place and makes sense. I have that moment now. Except not with a video game.”
Abby was also incredibly disrespectful in ways that were probably supposed to be funny with lots of sarcasm and calling her mom by her first name, but just made her seem like a whinny brat. The storyline was choppy and things happened abruptly—especially at the beginning with an eight month time-skip that was jarring.
God’s name is taken in vain way more than I like to see ever, but especially in a middle-grade book. I wasn’t planning to read the rest of the series, but may try to read the next one since my library has it available…but also I probably won’t.
Main Content:
Abby thinks that a mean girl put a spell over her like a vampire or something, but tells the readers that she doesn’t believe in that “nonsense” and we shouldn’t either.
Mentions of luck; Mentions of Greek mythology (Persephone, Hades, and Demeter and their stories); A few mentions of astrology signs; A mention of someone having more money than God according to the Internet; A mention of a meditative pond at the school.
Language: God’s name is taken in vain 8 times; Words like freaking, crappy, and screwed; Some name calling like ‘jerk’ and ‘idiot’ (which sometimes hurts feelings); A couple mentions of curses (by adults, but not written out).
Abby has a “sharp tongue” and is very sassy/sarcastic throughout the book; Lying (including an adult telling Abby to lie to her friends because she does it “all the time” and it will get easier with practice, but Abby doesn’t want to do that); Eye rolling; When someone upsets her, Abby gets back at the person by being mean/taunting the person (which makes her feel the opposite of better once she sees the kid’s reaction).
Abby yells at her mother and demands her to come to her (once) & calls her mother by her first name throughout the book (noted as the kids at the school referring to their parents by their first names as if they’re equals or maybe just “superangry” with being abandoned by them and it’s petty revenge); Abby thinks about throwing an item at her mom when upset with her; Despite her annoyance and hurt by her mom’s secret, Abby does love her and feels waves of guilt for not noticing things about her and not reading her text messages; Some comments from others about Abby’s mother’s life being “screwed up” after having Abby (because of how they view her career, no comment like this is made by Abby’s mom; Abby thinks she’s going to get blamed for global warming next after this is commented on again and again); A woman says that a child should never pay for their parent’s mistakes.
Abby sneaks out of the school (twice), is grabbed by people and kidnapped (including by bad guys who mean her harm), tied-up and threatened with a gun, passes out (also implied drugged), slapped in the face by an adult man, falls through a frozen pond, sneaks into a teacher’s office and snooping, eavesdrops, and lies; Abby sees what looks like a girl being bound to a chair and appears bitten by a vampire on her neck and bleeding then turning into a scaly and rotting monster (which majorly freaks Abby out to the point she passes out; It was actually a fake technology thing); When grabbed, Abby kicks a man “where it counts” and runs away; Adults put Abby in danger and use her as bait.
Abby is shown a picture of a dead body covered by a sheet (which she calls “gross”); Seeing some fighting, held at gunpoint, & others knocked unconscious and sedated with darts.
A gender comment such as a girl being called bossy and another girl saying that “We don’t use the word ‘bossy’ to describe girls anymore, it’s condescending. If a boy acts in the same way, he’s called a leader.”
Mentions of Abby getting in trouble prior (such as rigging the student council elections by ballot-box-stuffing for her friend, “liberate” the lemurs at the zoo, & freeing parrots in a cage); Mentions of kidnappings, injuries, pain, & blood/bleeding; Mentions of weapons & self-defense moves; mo threats & blackmail; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of bullies, mean girls, & their cruel actions; Mentions of tattoos; Mentions of vampires, zombies, & aliens; A few mentions of human trafficking and a bad guy who sells kids; A few mentions of possible car crashes; A couple mentions of pee; A mention of suicide bridge jumpers.
Pop culture references like the Titanic movie, Mean Girls, Charlie’s Angels, Law & Order, & Minecraft.
Crushes & Blushes; Tingles & Almost swooning.
Abby has a crush on a guy at school, but he has a crush on one of her friends’ so she doesn’t say anything about it (but she thinks about how cute he is for a while at one point).
An implied hint that Abby doesn’t know anything about her biological father.
Mentions of boyfriends/girlfriends, crushes, & cute boys; A mention of naked statues.
November 7, 2017
3.5 stars
This is a must have for any upper elementary classroom or library. The action centers on a girl who finds herself attending a boarding school that is not quite what it seems. She learns a lot of secrets about her mother and her past. There is a wonderful team of classmates who work together on a quest to figure out where Abigail's mother has gone and what she discovered before she disappeared. It requires a good deal of suspension of disbelief for adult readers, but should be a perfect recommendation for those kids who like watching K.C. Undercover or simply enjoy the idea of adults relying on kids to save the world.
This is a must have for any upper elementary classroom or library. The action centers on a girl who finds herself attending a boarding school that is not quite what it seems. She learns a lot of secrets about her mother and her past. There is a wonderful team of classmates who work together on a quest to figure out where Abigail's mother has gone and what she discovered before she disappeared. It requires a good deal of suspension of disbelief for adult readers, but should be a perfect recommendation for those kids who like watching K.C. Undercover or simply enjoy the idea of adults relying on kids to save the world.
June 5, 2018
A fun quick read. Loved the short chapters and that it wasn't too much over the top. Usually kids against bad guys books can go utterly eyes-rolling unrealistic :D. I liked Abigail and her friends so I'm going to continue with the series for sure.
Buzzword Readathon_ Round 1: buzzword_girl
Buzzword Readathon_ Round 1: buzzword_girl
September 9, 2021
A NEW FAVOURITE? YESSS!!!!!❤️ I LOVED THIS SO MUCHHH!!!!!!❤️
So this is about Abgail and one day she gets a letter to a boarding school. But she doesn’t know that it is a spy school for girls and…her own mum…is the top agent!!❤️
I really loved everthing about this book!! This was really past paced! Some parts were a bit boring but other than that it was so great!❤️ And moreover, this was so funny😂Full of sarcasm!! I really loved every characater!!
Abgail’s friends were so cool and smart!! They did a great job towards the end💖💖 I really adored the charcater of Abgail, she was too funny, sweet and smart!! And the twist? I COULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED IT!! It shook me!! There were a few more twists as well!❤️ I loved everthing about this book!! ❤️
I LOVED IT!!!!❤️
So this is about Abgail and one day she gets a letter to a boarding school. But she doesn’t know that it is a spy school for girls and…her own mum…is the top agent!!❤️
I really loved everthing about this book!! This was really past paced! Some parts were a bit boring but other than that it was so great!❤️ And moreover, this was so funny😂Full of sarcasm!! I really loved every characater!!
Abgail’s friends were so cool and smart!! They did a great job towards the end💖💖 I really adored the charcater of Abgail, she was too funny, sweet and smart!! And the twist? I COULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED IT!! It shook me!! There were a few more twists as well!❤️ I loved everthing about this book!! ❤️
I LOVED IT!!!!❤️
September 6, 2018
More of a 3.5
Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls is middle grade Gallagher Girls all the way through. It's fun, a bit silly, and requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief. I could absolutely see young readers loving this book. In fact, I liked it more than the first couple Gallagher Girls books. Good start to a new series.
Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls is middle grade Gallagher Girls all the way through. It's fun, a bit silly, and requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief. I could absolutely see young readers loving this book. In fact, I liked it more than the first couple Gallagher Girls books. Good start to a new series.
March 21, 2018
McMullin, Beth Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls 295 pages. Aladdin, 2017. $17.
Language: PG (Lord’s name in vain); Mature Content: G Violence: PG
Abigail is sent to an elite boarding school by her mother. Abigail keeps trying to escape even tying sheets together and lowering herself down to the ground. Abigail discovers that the school is not just and elite boarding school, but that it is used as a cover for spy training. Abigail discovers that her mom is the top spy and she has gone missing. Can Abigail complete spy training 101 and be ready to go on her first mission? A mission to save her mom?
This was a fun fun mystery book. Abigail’s character is strong and even though she sometimes is scared and frightened she does her best to complete her mission. There are surprises along the way. This was a fun and easy read. I wanted to know what happened to Abigail and if she would be able to find her mom and the super bad person she had been hunting for years, The Ghost.
EL, MS – OPTIONAL. Ellen-Anita, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
Language: PG (Lord’s name in vain); Mature Content: G Violence: PG
Abigail is sent to an elite boarding school by her mother. Abigail keeps trying to escape even tying sheets together and lowering herself down to the ground. Abigail discovers that the school is not just and elite boarding school, but that it is used as a cover for spy training. Abigail discovers that her mom is the top spy and she has gone missing. Can Abigail complete spy training 101 and be ready to go on her first mission? A mission to save her mom?
This was a fun fun mystery book. Abigail’s character is strong and even though she sometimes is scared and frightened she does her best to complete her mission. There are surprises along the way. This was a fun and easy read. I wanted to know what happened to Abigail and if she would be able to find her mom and the super bad person she had been hunting for years, The Ghost.
EL, MS – OPTIONAL. Ellen-Anita, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
August 21, 2020
I re-read this book as I had a feeling my first review was bland and not well thought out. And I now love this gripping story with all the adventures and characters. It is a remarable story and fits into a category of stories many people praise. Definitely a recommended book!!!
July 1, 2017
Didn't love this one. The chapter breaks seemed abrupt and I couldn't always follow the passage of time (which is a pet peeve of mine). There is definitely enough action to keep young readers engaged, but it started to get a bit tiresome for me. Not sure if I'll pick up the inevitable sequel.
Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.
Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via Edelweiss.
November 23, 2017
Eine mysteriöse Schule, Verschwörungen und Spione kling eigentlich nach einer spannenden Mischung und ich hatte mich sehr auf die Geschichte gefreut.
Leider konnte sie mich jedoch nicht richtig packen und mir nur bedingt Lesefreude bereiten. Ich fand die Erzählweise sehr sprunghaft und hatte Schwierigkeiten der Handlung zu folgen. Besonders zwischen den Kapiteln gibt es größere Brüche und man findet sich plötzlich in komplett anderen Situationen wieder.
Die Handlung fand ich insgesamt doch ein wenig dünn und mit fehlte ein roter Faden mit einem richtigen "Fall". Die Charaktere waren ok, aber so richtig warm geworden bin ich mit ihnen nicht. Das Verhältnis war ein wenig distanziert.
Ich denke für Kinder bietet das Buch einen spannende und actionreiche Unterhaltung, aber als Erwachsene hat mir doch ein wenig gefehlt.
Leider konnte sie mich jedoch nicht richtig packen und mir nur bedingt Lesefreude bereiten. Ich fand die Erzählweise sehr sprunghaft und hatte Schwierigkeiten der Handlung zu folgen. Besonders zwischen den Kapiteln gibt es größere Brüche und man findet sich plötzlich in komplett anderen Situationen wieder.
Die Handlung fand ich insgesamt doch ein wenig dünn und mit fehlte ein roter Faden mit einem richtigen "Fall". Die Charaktere waren ok, aber so richtig warm geworden bin ich mit ihnen nicht. Das Verhältnis war ein wenig distanziert.
Ich denke für Kinder bietet das Buch einen spannende und actionreiche Unterhaltung, aber als Erwachsene hat mir doch ein wenig gefehlt.
July 16, 2023
4.25 stars.
Oh this series is going to be awesome if the next few books are close to as good as this one.
Very exciting and never boring or slow.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Oh this series is going to be awesome if the next few books are close to as good as this one.
Very exciting and never boring or slow.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
October 24, 2020
A spy novel that is fine if you are looking for action. I was a bit confused in the beginning about one scene that isn't explained until the end. The Japanese minor character is a bit of a stereotype with her math skills and liking for tea but she starts to get developed more by the end. The villains are one dimensional and it sets up for the series. I liked Stormbreaker better by Anthony Horowitz and Ms. Yingling, a Goodreads reviewer, said she liked The Gallagher series better which I haven't heard of and will check out.
September 15, 2017
I was actually kind of disappointed with this book. I have a soft spot for kids-who-are-spies books. I love The Gallagher Girls and Spy School. There are so many right now. This one does seem to measure up. I think it might be a good intro for the kiddos who are wanting adventure but maybe a little young for those series.
SUMMARY:
Abby has been sent to Smith School and is not happy about it. Almost from the beginning things seem amiss, an older girl goes missing, her friends know things they shouldn’t, her mother isn’t who she seems. In an effort to find out more about the mission her mother is working on Abby has to be brought in on the secret that the Smith School is actually a training ground for girl spies. Abby ends up, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes not so much, on hair raising adventures where she has to fly by the seat of her pants and her wits.
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: mild-- There is fighting between Abby and the enemies she encounters but nothing graphic.
Drugs/Alcohol: none
THEMES: courage, deception, adventure
THE BOTTOM LINE: I liked it but not as much as others that I have read in the same genre.
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: Elementary Library. I will recommend it to kids who love adventure but might not be ready for Gallagher Girls or Spy School.
READALIKES:
Lawless
Spy School
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
SUMMARY:
Abby has been sent to Smith School and is not happy about it. Almost from the beginning things seem amiss, an older girl goes missing, her friends know things they shouldn’t, her mother isn’t who she seems. In an effort to find out more about the mission her mother is working on Abby has to be brought in on the secret that the Smith School is actually a training ground for girl spies. Abby ends up, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes not so much, on hair raising adventures where she has to fly by the seat of her pants and her wits.
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: mild-- There is fighting between Abby and the enemies she encounters but nothing graphic.
Drugs/Alcohol: none
THEMES: courage, deception, adventure
THE BOTTOM LINE: I liked it but not as much as others that I have read in the same genre.
STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: Elementary Library. I will recommend it to kids who love adventure but might not be ready for Gallagher Girls or Spy School.
READALIKES:
Lawless
Spy School
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You
August 8, 2017
*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
I'm a huge fan of fun spy media, such as ALIAS, Veronica Mars (she kinda counts, right?), and I remember liking Gallagher Girls when I was younger. So, when I saw this book pop up on Netgalley, I knew I would have to try it!
It is a fun and quick (for an adult) read. I enjoyed reading this book and the story was fun to follow along with. The relationships with friends and family were sweet and in the midst of becoming more. The spy materials were fun and sneaky, which I always find fun to read.
As much as I really wanted to love this book, because it had so many good elements to love, but the book itself distracted me from truly loving it. I thought it went so fast--which I think is okay in a middle grade novel, but it was abrupt as well in the chapter changes or moving from one scene to the next. There were times when I was confused if I had missed something or if it wasn't mentioned. I was also confused by the timeline.
The book starts "8 months ago" but then mentions that she came to the school 6 months ago-- also it took me a while to understand how she was a 7th grader when she mentioned in the first chapter "8 months ago" that next year she would be an 8th grader. So, I assumed it was summer and she was going into 8th grade...
I really would have preferred more clarification-- more details on these things *gasp!* Me??? Want more details?! I know....
I do think this is a good start to the series, confusion aside, and I can see there is room for growth as the author continues the series, so we can only hope for the best! I will recommend this book to middle schoolers who like adventure and spy novels.
I'm a huge fan of fun spy media, such as ALIAS, Veronica Mars (she kinda counts, right?), and I remember liking Gallagher Girls when I was younger. So, when I saw this book pop up on Netgalley, I knew I would have to try it!
It is a fun and quick (for an adult) read. I enjoyed reading this book and the story was fun to follow along with. The relationships with friends and family were sweet and in the midst of becoming more. The spy materials were fun and sneaky, which I always find fun to read.
As much as I really wanted to love this book, because it had so many good elements to love, but the book itself distracted me from truly loving it. I thought it went so fast--which I think is okay in a middle grade novel, but it was abrupt as well in the chapter changes or moving from one scene to the next. There were times when I was confused if I had missed something or if it wasn't mentioned. I was also confused by the timeline.
The book starts "8 months ago" but then mentions that she came to the school 6 months ago-- also it took me a while to understand how she was a 7th grader when she mentioned in the first chapter "8 months ago" that next year she would be an 8th grader. So, I assumed it was summer and she was going into 8th grade...
I really would have preferred more clarification-- more details on these things *gasp!* Me??? Want more details?! I know....
I do think this is a good start to the series, confusion aside, and I can see there is room for growth as the author continues the series, so we can only hope for the best! I will recommend this book to middle schoolers who like adventure and spy novels.
February 7, 2023
Wowza! Another series that made my top new favorite series of 2022. This was phenomenal. After a botched escape plan from her boarding school, Abigail is stunned to discover the school is actually a cover for an elite spy ring called The Center, along with being training grounds for future spies. Even more shocking? Abigail’s mother is a top agent for The Center & she has gone MIA, with valuable information that many people would like to have—at any cost. Along with a former nemesis & charming boy from her grade, Abigail goes through a crash course in Spy Training 101, often with hilarious—& sometimes painful—results. But Abigail realizes she might be a better spy-in-training than she thought—& the answers to her mother’s whereabouts are a lot closer than she thinks. Another writing style that is just soooo with my taste. Incredible humor, banter, & just the best dialogue. This secret spy school & EVERYTHING about it is fascinating. Loved being at a school that is for spies-such a change for me, & I loved all the details the author put into this. She also writes amazing characters. I love Abigail & the friends she makes at this school. They have a great dynamic together. This is full of incredible humor, cool gadgets(don’t play solitaire! Hahaha), action, danger, adventure, friendship, & more. HIGHLY recommend. BEAUTIFUL cover by Vivienne To as well!💜
August 19, 2017
Things take a turn for the weird when Abby Hunter is admitted to the Smith School for Children, "a preppy ground zero of ivy-smothered buildings, rolling green fields, and well-manicured gardens." Things get even weirder when Abby learns, after a botched escape from the school, that Mrs. Smith's isn't the elite boarding school she thinks it is. It's actually a spy ring called the Center - and her mother is a top agent. A fun, fast-paced adventure that's sure to please every middle-school reader. Highly recommended!
December 20, 2017
Adequate. Sort of "Gallagher Girls" for the pre-YA book set. Boys won't probably read it, but girls who like the Spy School series and other such will.
Props to the author for a mere half page of "thank yous" at the end. But lots of eye rolls for the author bio, because she is billed as the author of the "Spy School For Girls," series, as if she'd written 15 of them, all best sellers. Puh-leez!
Props to the author for a mere half page of "thank yous" at the end. But lots of eye rolls for the author bio, because she is billed as the author of the "Spy School For Girls," series, as if she'd written 15 of them, all best sellers. Puh-leez!
July 29, 2017
At first, his book had been a little hard for me to get into. But, if you keep reading, it's totally worth the snoozeful beginning. Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls was a great adventure that I recommend to people who enjoy things like treasure hunts, humor, and books with no cursing. I truly hope there is a second book and that I get to read it. I think that Abby and Toby would make the perfect couple. Lol. Good book, had lots of fun. Hope you do too!
September 5, 2018
Lots of spy fun! Perfect for upper elementary and middle school readers of mysteries, adventures, and puzzle books. The last third felt like an elaborate Escape Room scenario. Don’t let the “girls” in the title fool you: boys will like this just as much. In fact, this was recommended to me by a well-read boy in middle school!
December 1, 2017
None of the adults act rationally in this book, and it makes me very mad.
October 1, 2024
If there was 100 I would choose 100, so 5 stars ⭐️. It was very clear and the main character was telling the story. It was very fun.
February 13, 2018
Abby Hunter is a student at Smith School for Children. But it turns out that the boarding school is not what it appears to be. The school is actually a cover for an elite spy ring named the Center. And Abby's mother, Jennifer, is the Center's most talented agent. At first, Abby cannot believe her mother hid her occupation from her, but as Abby looks back on her childhood, she begins to connect the dots.
For the past decade, Jennifer has been chasing the Ghost, a threatening criminal. Mrs. Smith informs Abby that her mother is missing; therefore, they need Abby's help in finding her. During Spy Training 101, Abby does find a friend in Toby, a fellow student who is a whiz with technology. His iPhone apps are amazing! But frenemy Veronica is less than enthused with teaching Abby. After a failed attempt to locate her mom, Abby decides to take matters in her own hands and show everyone that she is indeed her mother's daughter.
Beth McMullan's new series is definitely one I will recommend to students. In fact, after reading the synopsis, I have a student waiting for me to bring this book to school tomorrow. Taking place in present day, young readers will be able to relate to the characters even though the setting and plot is far different from their own lives. Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls published in July 2017 but readers only have to wait until July 2018 for the second installment-Power Play.
For the past decade, Jennifer has been chasing the Ghost, a threatening criminal. Mrs. Smith informs Abby that her mother is missing; therefore, they need Abby's help in finding her. During Spy Training 101, Abby does find a friend in Toby, a fellow student who is a whiz with technology. His iPhone apps are amazing! But frenemy Veronica is less than enthused with teaching Abby. After a failed attempt to locate her mom, Abby decides to take matters in her own hands and show everyone that she is indeed her mother's daughter.
Beth McMullan's new series is definitely one I will recommend to students. In fact, after reading the synopsis, I have a student waiting for me to bring this book to school tomorrow. Taking place in present day, young readers will be able to relate to the characters even though the setting and plot is far different from their own lives. Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls published in July 2017 but readers only have to wait until July 2018 for the second installment-Power Play.
July 27, 2019
Read for my elementary school library/students. This tells the story of a young girl Abby (12) who is sent to a boarding school that turns out to be a school to teach kids to spy. Turns out that her mom is one of the best spies there is. What students will enjoy is Abby's sense of humor, language and thought processes. There are strong friendships and definitely bad guys. Abby is super smart but often doubts herself which kids can relate to. There is also challenging vocab that kids might look up in dictionary. Why a four star: The ending was a bit abrupt for me - possibly because this is a series? It's also for grades 4 through 6 though I think it is geared more towards 6th grade. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out this coming school year.
August 10, 2020
Imagine Gallagher Girls in middle school and nobody knows who the other spies are. Mrs Smith’s in a nutshell, but it gets much more complicated.
Abigail’s mother went to Mrs Smith’s and worked for the Center as a spy. She sends Abigail there for education (and for setting lemurs free at the zoo), but when her mom goes missing Mrs Smith decides to use Abigail as bait.
I liked this book a lot. I look forward to reading the next book.
Abigail’s mother went to Mrs Smith’s and worked for the Center as a spy. She sends Abigail there for education (and for setting lemurs free at the zoo), but when her mom goes missing Mrs Smith decides to use Abigail as bait.
I liked this book a lot. I look forward to reading the next book.
May 13, 2018
Action adventure mystery starring a self-confident, mischievous girl protagonist whose bent for causing trouble will throw her in the midst of a secret spy organization that will cause her to rethink everything she thought to be true.
June 16, 2019
So good! One star off for using the Lord's Name in vain, an inappropriate part and some violence. Other than that, I loved this book!!
December 17, 2020
My 8 year old loved is and found it really funny, she's very keen to read the next one. I thought it was OK!
September 6, 2023
Unread shelf project 2023: book 84.
Awww this was a cute and fun debut novel! Very fast paced and enjoyable for this tired brain. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Awww this was a cute and fun debut novel! Very fast paced and enjoyable for this tired brain. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
April 1, 2025
It's like a younger, cleaner version of Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter.
Read
February 26, 2026Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls
Abigail Hunter receives a latter welcoming her to the Smith School for Children’s class of 2019. Abigail doesn’t want to leave her school Sweetbriar Montessori but she sometimes (a lot) gets into trouble. Her mother tells her she needs focus and discipline. Plus its going to be a complicated year and there are places she has to be and things that need doing. She can’t watch over her every second.
One night, Abigail sneaks out to find out who Mrs. Smith really is. She follows Mrs. Smith to her office and finds her meeting with a mysterious man. From Abagail’s hiding place behind the couch, she can see that he’s holding parchment paper and his calf has what looks like a triangle-shaped bruise.
Mrs. Smith says she doesn’t know what it is. The man says in disbelief that they’re that close to discovering the Ghost’s identity and she can’t figure out the code. Even tho the man says they use to be friends, she says she hasn’t worked with “Teflon” in a decade. He can’t expect her to get inside her head and figure out what she’s doing. She says she doesn’t want to use the girl on a wild goose chase, but the Mystery Man says “Teflon is deep under and no one knows where the evidence is except for her.”
Her orders her to get a line on Teflon and send her out. She kicks him out and he tells her she better find a way out of this mess, her superiors won’t be happy. (Before this we’re told that a girl named Veronica that has disappeared). An image is projected on the wall of a girl bound and tied to a chair. She has two holes in her neck and they’re gushing blood. There’s a deep scar along her chin. She whispers “Help me.”
It’s Veronica. She starts to laugh like a maniac and then she transforms into something hateful with black empty eyes and a voice scraped raw. It tells Abigail it sees her and she better get out of there before she’s caught. Abigail faints. Abagail wakes up with Nurse Willow over her and after making sure she’s ok, Mrs. Smith is there. Mrs. Smith wants to know what she heard but Abagail lies and says she saw her light on and went to talk to her about missing her mom but she feel and bumped her head and didn’t hear anything.
She tells her to try again and touches her finger. Abagail confesses she snuck into her office on a dare and really did bump her head. She then asks her how she got into the office and she tells her about sneaking out by tying sheets to her desk. Her room is only a story up. Mrs. Smith smiles at her icily and says not anymore.
Abagail is moved from the first floor to the fourth (where the pipes rattle and hiss all night). Abagail has two friends at boarding school (Charlotte and Ixumi). She tells them about what happened but leaves out seeing Veronica’s projection and fainting. Toby tells Quinn, Abagail and Charlotte that Veronica’s friend CeCe Lyons was found in the catacombs and now she’s gone. Abagail receives a text that her punishment will be sixty hours on a work crew to include kitchen duty, bathroom cleaning, and tutoring Tucker Harrington III in Chinese History three times weekly until such time that he passes the final exam. When she sees Tucker shove a Lower Middle into the pond, she decides she’s outta there.
Abagil tries to run home to NY, but on the bus a man sits next to her and stops her from leaving (demanding to know where something is). She’s able to get out the bus and into the train station. He follows her. She hides inside a ladies room and is able to escape from a small window and get unto a bus. He’s able to get into the bus but she sets off a buzzer and gets off in time. Unfortunately, a hand clasps itself over her mouth when she gets off. Everything goes black.
When she comes to, she’s looking at Mrs. Smith and with her is Veronica Brooks (which confuses Abagail). Mrs. Smith explains to Abagail that she’s running a spy school for girls. Toby (whose there) helps with some of the technical aspects of the missions. She tells him what he wants to know about “Lotus Man” and he says it confirms “Teflon” got what she wanted.
It turns out the school’s students don’t even know who are spies in the school. Mrs. Smith says she needs her help. Her mother who’s affiliated with the Center (what they call their organization) has gone missing. When they last spoke to her she was in NY. She might be in danger and have something people wants. There’s something really unclear that Veronica tells Abigail about Toby. Then Toby says they’ll meet again tonight in the catacombs (and not to tell anyone anything). Veronica we find out is a top agent in her field and for some reason doesn’t like Abagail.
Abagail again tries to sneak out that night., but Toby finds her in Mrs. Smith’s office. Mrs. Smith starts the meeting by saying Jennifer was last tracked at J. F Kennedy International Airport to Charles de Gaulle in Paris. It had to do with the Ghost-a dangerous man- who’s wanted all over the world. Jennifer is obsessed with the Ghost. Jennifer’s been searching for him for years. Now it becomes clear what all the traveling around the world was for. Jennifer was spuppoed to meet with a man named Peter Rhodes for information at the Effiel Tower, but a picture turns up of him dead. Found in the Seine.
They know she’s returned to NY but there have been no signs of her. So, they’ll use Abigail to lure the bad guys and then Jennifer will surface and they’ll grab her. Abigail has basic training with Veronica who tells her the reason that she doesn’t like her is because she acts entitled-not knowing that Abigail didn’t know who her mother was-. Mrs. Smith tells Abigail she’ll be going to San Fransico because she has it on good authority that Jennifer is there. Toby gives her a Iphone with special apps and an indestructible backpack.
At practice Veronica teaches Abigail techniques called “Snake In the Grass” and “Crow” She says lesson four is acting normal. It comes in handy when being invisible around adults. Before boarding the plane, Toby describes The Ghost further. He says he’s to imagine a giant wheel where each spoke is a different criminal element, like drugs and weapons and human trafficking and cyberterrorism and regular terrorism and all that other stuff you see on TV. There’s even a spoke for people who sell kids. And the Ghost is at the center of the wheel. He’s the guy who keeps the thing rolling. He connects everyone and helps them get what they need to commit their crimes. And they pay the Ghost for the privilege.
On the plane, Abigil tries to send a text to Jennifer using her alias “Teflon”. She also notices it has a Panic button. Toby makes the directory inaccessible to Abigail. At the airport, she’s greeted by Bronwyn who questions her on the way there whether she knew what Jennifer was given. Abigail says she doesn’t have a clue. Bronwyn then takes her to her hotel room and leaves saying she’ll call Mrs. Smith to let her know she arrived.
The next day, Bronwyn introduces Abigail to Tom and says it’ll make it look more normal if they just look like their two kids hanging out. While out, Abigail notices Tom calls Bronwyn Suzie. Abigail starts to get suspicious and thinks maybe the Ghost’s people have kidnapped her and intend to use her or the same purposes the Center did. But the Bronwyn at the airport had the flower! And the password! She starts to get a bad feeling someone’s sold her out and then she dragged away by someone in a wet suit and a neoprene mask on a hydra foil board. The kite flyer has a tatoo of a surfing falcon. Abigail gets away from him by using the IPHONE’s hot water app.
Toby then directs her to safety and then she’s picked up by… a car that doesn’t have a driver. Abigail notices the tracker on her. Then she notices Tom in the car. He says he’s going to take her to the safe house in the mountains. He asks to see her phone. She said she lost it on the water. Before she knows it they’re at the safe house. Abigail plays along to the fake Bronwyn -who doesn’t know she knows they’re the bad guys- and then asks if she can be shown to her room to rest.
She wonders if these are people that also think she can lead them to Jennifer (aka information about The Ghost). She decides Jennifer isn’t gonna help get her out of this and she’ll have to think of way to escape on her own. Abigail finds out that she’s in the Ghost’s people’s house. Toby tells her to sit tight. Veronica and Mrs. Smith will come get her. But she escapes out the window when Tom and “Bronwyn” fall asleep. She almost makes it but then she hears Tom calling to her -asking what she’s doing out-.
So, she takes off running. Tom calls to “Suzie” that she’s getting away. They catch up to her because of her footsteps but Abigail uses “Snake In the Grass” on Suzie and she gets away. Suzie almost falls into a pond and Abigail attempts to pull her out. Tom makes no moves to pull her out and then Abigail pulls him in. Veronica shows up and they take down Suzie, Ripcurl, and Tom. Mrs. Smith is aggravated. Toby later tells Abigail it wasn’t her fault. It turns out Jennifer wasn’t there after all.
Mrs. Smith tells Abigail she can go back to her normal life but Abigail says she wants to do this and be as good as her mom. Mrs. Smith says she tested her and she doesn’t have a future in it and her decision is final. Mr. Roberts asks to speak with Mrs. Smith in private. When she comes back Abigail is dismissed. Abigail vows to show Mrs. Smith and Veronica that firing her was a mistake.
Abigail ends up telling her friends everything when they confront her about how weird she’s been. They agree to help her find what Jennifer’s hidden-despite what Toby says-. Toby says he’ll go to and then admits if he wants to get into the School of Strategies and this is how he’ll get in. He admits he was working on a new device in Mrs. Smith’s office (the Veronica projection).
Abigail has confiscated a sketch from Mrs. Smith’s desk. It might be the first clue. There are symbols that the paper forms in the creases and they decide to go to Jake’ s Pizza Place (a place Jennifer always liked to go because she uses the board to communicate). They find out that she did bring in the sketch. She was twitchy. He describes Mrs. Smith when they ask if he knew who took the sketch. They suspect that Jennifer left it for her as a clue but Mrs. Smith couldn’t figure it out. Toby mentions the Persephone Club This makes Abby think about the statue of Persephone at the Frick Museum.
So, they decide to go have a look. They decide to take an Uber but Abby doesn’t get a good feeling about it. There are 9 symbols. They find them all in the museum. They find a box and in the box is a miniature video tape. But they have to find the obsolete camera that will play the tape. Toby says there might be a way to watch the tape and he leads them to a golden building-where he lives-
Drexel has a collection of obsolete technology and he finds the camcorder. There are scenes of Veronica as a little girl and her daddy. This is somewhat confusing because it implies that the Ghost is Veronica’s father. They decide to hand the tape over to Mrs. Smith but the tape turns into goo in the cam corder. Back in the car, they notice they’re going in the wrong direction. It’s a Faith Browyn-aka Suzie-. She tells them to pass her their back packs. She says she’s taking them to an airport in Queens.
They’re taken to an interrogation room. She destroys everything in the back pack and demands to know where it is. She knows about the video tape. They get away from Suzie and the guards but Abby’s IPHONE is destroyed in the process. Mr. Roberts comes to escort them back. Abby remembers that Mr. Robert was the one in office and she remembers his tatoo. Mr. Roberts is the traitor. Abby tells her friends he works for the Ghost. She’s seen the triangle tat on his ankle.
At first, he denies it, but her friends say they believe her. Mr. Roberts says she’s been causing a lot of problems just like her mother and then slaps her. A dark car pulls out and her mom gets out. We find out that Mr. Roberts betrayed them for the Ghost because he was over looked to be head of the Center. He got stuck teaching and Lola Smith got to be the head. He says it’s no different than what she did. He then shoves Jennifer out of the way, and puts his arm around Abby’s neck, and tells Jennifer to drop the gun. She kicks it too him. He says they’re going to tale a trip downstairs.
Abby gets an idea and uses the catch phrase “Toby is cool!” Then she yells out “Solitaire” Earlier in the book, Abby is warned by Tobby that if she tries to play Solitaire the whole phone explodes. When she comes too, she’s right back in Nurse Willow’s office. Toby, Charlotte, Izumi and Veronica are there and tell Abby that Roberts has been locked up.
Jennifer tells her she’s proud of her but she’s grounded. Abby demands to know where she was. She says she didn’t know she was in California until Charlotte used Uber. She had planned to tell her everything when she got older. Mrs. Smith she says never should have dragged her into it. She violated every rule in the book but she was desperate for a win.
She says she’ll get the Ghost without sacrificing Veronica. She doesn’t know what’s on the tape and never needs to. Abby notices her mom is in a suit and finds out that she’s going to be the Interin Headmaster while Mrs. Smith is on vacation. Abby still has questions but her mom says she’ll answer them all when she’s rested. She sees a piece of paper in her hand it’s the Persephone Club (Izumi, Charlotte, Toby, and her).
Rating: 5 and a half. I can’t get it a 5 because it wasn’t boring, but I can’t give it a full 6 because after all this buildup about the Ghost, we don’t even get the Ghost. We get a random teacher. And then with all the build up about finding Jennifer she just shows up at the end. So, what was it really all for? Also, it irritated me that through this whole book Abby thought she was so “clever” disrespecting her mother by calling her by her name just because she made a decision she didn’t like and it was probably nine times out of ten to keep her off the Ghosts radar. So, in a lot of ways that slap from Mr. Roberts was kind of deserved.
Abigail Hunter receives a latter welcoming her to the Smith School for Children’s class of 2019. Abigail doesn’t want to leave her school Sweetbriar Montessori but she sometimes (a lot) gets into trouble. Her mother tells her she needs focus and discipline. Plus its going to be a complicated year and there are places she has to be and things that need doing. She can’t watch over her every second.
One night, Abigail sneaks out to find out who Mrs. Smith really is. She follows Mrs. Smith to her office and finds her meeting with a mysterious man. From Abagail’s hiding place behind the couch, she can see that he’s holding parchment paper and his calf has what looks like a triangle-shaped bruise.
Mrs. Smith says she doesn’t know what it is. The man says in disbelief that they’re that close to discovering the Ghost’s identity and she can’t figure out the code. Even tho the man says they use to be friends, she says she hasn’t worked with “Teflon” in a decade. He can’t expect her to get inside her head and figure out what she’s doing. She says she doesn’t want to use the girl on a wild goose chase, but the Mystery Man says “Teflon is deep under and no one knows where the evidence is except for her.”
Her orders her to get a line on Teflon and send her out. She kicks him out and he tells her she better find a way out of this mess, her superiors won’t be happy. (Before this we’re told that a girl named Veronica that has disappeared). An image is projected on the wall of a girl bound and tied to a chair. She has two holes in her neck and they’re gushing blood. There’s a deep scar along her chin. She whispers “Help me.”
It’s Veronica. She starts to laugh like a maniac and then she transforms into something hateful with black empty eyes and a voice scraped raw. It tells Abigail it sees her and she better get out of there before she’s caught. Abigail faints. Abagail wakes up with Nurse Willow over her and after making sure she’s ok, Mrs. Smith is there. Mrs. Smith wants to know what she heard but Abagail lies and says she saw her light on and went to talk to her about missing her mom but she feel and bumped her head and didn’t hear anything.
She tells her to try again and touches her finger. Abagail confesses she snuck into her office on a dare and really did bump her head. She then asks her how she got into the office and she tells her about sneaking out by tying sheets to her desk. Her room is only a story up. Mrs. Smith smiles at her icily and says not anymore.
Abagail is moved from the first floor to the fourth (where the pipes rattle and hiss all night). Abagail has two friends at boarding school (Charlotte and Ixumi). She tells them about what happened but leaves out seeing Veronica’s projection and fainting. Toby tells Quinn, Abagail and Charlotte that Veronica’s friend CeCe Lyons was found in the catacombs and now she’s gone. Abagail receives a text that her punishment will be sixty hours on a work crew to include kitchen duty, bathroom cleaning, and tutoring Tucker Harrington III in Chinese History three times weekly until such time that he passes the final exam. When she sees Tucker shove a Lower Middle into the pond, she decides she’s outta there.
Abagil tries to run home to NY, but on the bus a man sits next to her and stops her from leaving (demanding to know where something is). She’s able to get out the bus and into the train station. He follows her. She hides inside a ladies room and is able to escape from a small window and get unto a bus. He’s able to get into the bus but she sets off a buzzer and gets off in time. Unfortunately, a hand clasps itself over her mouth when she gets off. Everything goes black.
When she comes to, she’s looking at Mrs. Smith and with her is Veronica Brooks (which confuses Abagail). Mrs. Smith explains to Abagail that she’s running a spy school for girls. Toby (whose there) helps with some of the technical aspects of the missions. She tells him what he wants to know about “Lotus Man” and he says it confirms “Teflon” got what she wanted.
It turns out the school’s students don’t even know who are spies in the school. Mrs. Smith says she needs her help. Her mother who’s affiliated with the Center (what they call their organization) has gone missing. When they last spoke to her she was in NY. She might be in danger and have something people wants. There’s something really unclear that Veronica tells Abigail about Toby. Then Toby says they’ll meet again tonight in the catacombs (and not to tell anyone anything). Veronica we find out is a top agent in her field and for some reason doesn’t like Abagail.
Abagail again tries to sneak out that night., but Toby finds her in Mrs. Smith’s office. Mrs. Smith starts the meeting by saying Jennifer was last tracked at J. F Kennedy International Airport to Charles de Gaulle in Paris. It had to do with the Ghost-a dangerous man- who’s wanted all over the world. Jennifer is obsessed with the Ghost. Jennifer’s been searching for him for years. Now it becomes clear what all the traveling around the world was for. Jennifer was spuppoed to meet with a man named Peter Rhodes for information at the Effiel Tower, but a picture turns up of him dead. Found in the Seine.
They know she’s returned to NY but there have been no signs of her. So, they’ll use Abigail to lure the bad guys and then Jennifer will surface and they’ll grab her. Abigail has basic training with Veronica who tells her the reason that she doesn’t like her is because she acts entitled-not knowing that Abigail didn’t know who her mother was-. Mrs. Smith tells Abigail she’ll be going to San Fransico because she has it on good authority that Jennifer is there. Toby gives her a Iphone with special apps and an indestructible backpack.
At practice Veronica teaches Abigail techniques called “Snake In the Grass” and “Crow” She says lesson four is acting normal. It comes in handy when being invisible around adults. Before boarding the plane, Toby describes The Ghost further. He says he’s to imagine a giant wheel where each spoke is a different criminal element, like drugs and weapons and human trafficking and cyberterrorism and regular terrorism and all that other stuff you see on TV. There’s even a spoke for people who sell kids. And the Ghost is at the center of the wheel. He’s the guy who keeps the thing rolling. He connects everyone and helps them get what they need to commit their crimes. And they pay the Ghost for the privilege.
On the plane, Abigil tries to send a text to Jennifer using her alias “Teflon”. She also notices it has a Panic button. Toby makes the directory inaccessible to Abigail. At the airport, she’s greeted by Bronwyn who questions her on the way there whether she knew what Jennifer was given. Abigail says she doesn’t have a clue. Bronwyn then takes her to her hotel room and leaves saying she’ll call Mrs. Smith to let her know she arrived.
The next day, Bronwyn introduces Abigail to Tom and says it’ll make it look more normal if they just look like their two kids hanging out. While out, Abigail notices Tom calls Bronwyn Suzie. Abigail starts to get suspicious and thinks maybe the Ghost’s people have kidnapped her and intend to use her or the same purposes the Center did. But the Bronwyn at the airport had the flower! And the password! She starts to get a bad feeling someone’s sold her out and then she dragged away by someone in a wet suit and a neoprene mask on a hydra foil board. The kite flyer has a tatoo of a surfing falcon. Abigail gets away from him by using the IPHONE’s hot water app.
Toby then directs her to safety and then she’s picked up by… a car that doesn’t have a driver. Abigail notices the tracker on her. Then she notices Tom in the car. He says he’s going to take her to the safe house in the mountains. He asks to see her phone. She said she lost it on the water. Before she knows it they’re at the safe house. Abigail plays along to the fake Bronwyn -who doesn’t know she knows they’re the bad guys- and then asks if she can be shown to her room to rest.
She wonders if these are people that also think she can lead them to Jennifer (aka information about The Ghost). She decides Jennifer isn’t gonna help get her out of this and she’ll have to think of way to escape on her own. Abigail finds out that she’s in the Ghost’s people’s house. Toby tells her to sit tight. Veronica and Mrs. Smith will come get her. But she escapes out the window when Tom and “Bronwyn” fall asleep. She almost makes it but then she hears Tom calling to her -asking what she’s doing out-.
So, she takes off running. Tom calls to “Suzie” that she’s getting away. They catch up to her because of her footsteps but Abigail uses “Snake In the Grass” on Suzie and she gets away. Suzie almost falls into a pond and Abigail attempts to pull her out. Tom makes no moves to pull her out and then Abigail pulls him in. Veronica shows up and they take down Suzie, Ripcurl, and Tom. Mrs. Smith is aggravated. Toby later tells Abigail it wasn’t her fault. It turns out Jennifer wasn’t there after all.
Mrs. Smith tells Abigail she can go back to her normal life but Abigail says she wants to do this and be as good as her mom. Mrs. Smith says she tested her and she doesn’t have a future in it and her decision is final. Mr. Roberts asks to speak with Mrs. Smith in private. When she comes back Abigail is dismissed. Abigail vows to show Mrs. Smith and Veronica that firing her was a mistake.
Abigail ends up telling her friends everything when they confront her about how weird she’s been. They agree to help her find what Jennifer’s hidden-despite what Toby says-. Toby says he’ll go to and then admits if he wants to get into the School of Strategies and this is how he’ll get in. He admits he was working on a new device in Mrs. Smith’s office (the Veronica projection).
Abigail has confiscated a sketch from Mrs. Smith’s desk. It might be the first clue. There are symbols that the paper forms in the creases and they decide to go to Jake’ s Pizza Place (a place Jennifer always liked to go because she uses the board to communicate). They find out that she did bring in the sketch. She was twitchy. He describes Mrs. Smith when they ask if he knew who took the sketch. They suspect that Jennifer left it for her as a clue but Mrs. Smith couldn’t figure it out. Toby mentions the Persephone Club This makes Abby think about the statue of Persephone at the Frick Museum.
So, they decide to go have a look. They decide to take an Uber but Abby doesn’t get a good feeling about it. There are 9 symbols. They find them all in the museum. They find a box and in the box is a miniature video tape. But they have to find the obsolete camera that will play the tape. Toby says there might be a way to watch the tape and he leads them to a golden building-where he lives-
Drexel has a collection of obsolete technology and he finds the camcorder. There are scenes of Veronica as a little girl and her daddy. This is somewhat confusing because it implies that the Ghost is Veronica’s father. They decide to hand the tape over to Mrs. Smith but the tape turns into goo in the cam corder. Back in the car, they notice they’re going in the wrong direction. It’s a Faith Browyn-aka Suzie-. She tells them to pass her their back packs. She says she’s taking them to an airport in Queens.
They’re taken to an interrogation room. She destroys everything in the back pack and demands to know where it is. She knows about the video tape. They get away from Suzie and the guards but Abby’s IPHONE is destroyed in the process. Mr. Roberts comes to escort them back. Abby remembers that Mr. Robert was the one in office and she remembers his tatoo. Mr. Roberts is the traitor. Abby tells her friends he works for the Ghost. She’s seen the triangle tat on his ankle.
At first, he denies it, but her friends say they believe her. Mr. Roberts says she’s been causing a lot of problems just like her mother and then slaps her. A dark car pulls out and her mom gets out. We find out that Mr. Roberts betrayed them for the Ghost because he was over looked to be head of the Center. He got stuck teaching and Lola Smith got to be the head. He says it’s no different than what she did. He then shoves Jennifer out of the way, and puts his arm around Abby’s neck, and tells Jennifer to drop the gun. She kicks it too him. He says they’re going to tale a trip downstairs.
Abby gets an idea and uses the catch phrase “Toby is cool!” Then she yells out “Solitaire” Earlier in the book, Abby is warned by Tobby that if she tries to play Solitaire the whole phone explodes. When she comes too, she’s right back in Nurse Willow’s office. Toby, Charlotte, Izumi and Veronica are there and tell Abby that Roberts has been locked up.
Jennifer tells her she’s proud of her but she’s grounded. Abby demands to know where she was. She says she didn’t know she was in California until Charlotte used Uber. She had planned to tell her everything when she got older. Mrs. Smith she says never should have dragged her into it. She violated every rule in the book but she was desperate for a win.
She says she’ll get the Ghost without sacrificing Veronica. She doesn’t know what’s on the tape and never needs to. Abby notices her mom is in a suit and finds out that she’s going to be the Interin Headmaster while Mrs. Smith is on vacation. Abby still has questions but her mom says she’ll answer them all when she’s rested. She sees a piece of paper in her hand it’s the Persephone Club (Izumi, Charlotte, Toby, and her).
Rating: 5 and a half. I can’t get it a 5 because it wasn’t boring, but I can’t give it a full 6 because after all this buildup about the Ghost, we don’t even get the Ghost. We get a random teacher. And then with all the build up about finding Jennifer she just shows up at the end. So, what was it really all for? Also, it irritated me that through this whole book Abby thought she was so “clever” disrespecting her mother by calling her by her name just because she made a decision she didn’t like and it was probably nine times out of ten to keep her off the Ghosts radar. So, in a lot of ways that slap from Mr. Roberts was kind of deserved.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2020
295 pages. I loved this book! It was a little bit older in the ages of the characters than I usually buy for elementary level, but it was an amazing story. Abigail is a girl who does not want to go to boarding school, but after reluctantly agreeing finds herself in the middle of some amazing adventures. This book will take you on a ride, with a plot full of so many twists and turns you will get carsick fast! It is non-stop mystery, drama, and lots of rule-breaking. I really think kids will love this series. I began book 2 immediately. Highly recommended for Grade 5 girls...but boys may like it.
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