Double Cross

Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls #3

by Beth McMullen

Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy meets Stu Gibbs’s Spy School series in the third book in the Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls series.

Abby and her classmates have all been invited to Briar Academy to participate in The Challenge, a prep school competition where teams compete for prizes and the glory of being the best of the best. While there, they figure out their nemesis, The Ghost, is using Briar as headquarters to plan a devastating attack on his enemies (a.k.a.: pretty much everyone) using a brand-new invention Toby developed. And this time, The Center and Mrs. Smith will be of no help as Abby suspects there is someone working for The Ghost on the inside—and they can trust no one.

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Adventure, Fiction, Audiobook, Espionage, Mystery Thriller

272 pages, Hardcover

First published August 6, 2019

About the author

Beth 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.

Reviews

[Gouri Verma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brillant end to a very fantastic series!!❤️❤️ I really loved this thrilling series very much!! And this third book was just awesome!! My favourite part was the kidnapping😂😂

I really loved Abby’s best friends, Izumi, Charlotte and Toby!! They were just too sweet!!💕💕 I do have some unanswered questions but I don’t think that this book was a cliffhanger!!! There were no twists in this one but I still loved it because of how gripping this adventure was!!😊

I loved it!❤️

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun conclusion to the series. As with the previous installments one has to dispense reality for the crazy adventures. The lovable characters and their friendships are the heart of all.

[madison m nikkola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish there was more!

I didn’t want it to end. I love how she takes you on an adventure in every book. Hoping for a 4th in the series!

[Love is Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

از لحاظ فجایع داستانی این جلد بهتر بود ولی انگار ایده‌های نویسنده ته کشیده بودن، خیلی دم دستی همه چی پیش میرفت. شما فک کن شرورِ داستان که میخواد کل دنیا رو تحت کنترل بگیره ۶ تا دونه نگهبان بیشتر نداره😒
بگذریم، خوشحالم که تموم شد و از دستش خلاص شدم همین😂

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to want to be a spy when I was a child! Those were the days of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin of MAN FROM UNCLE in France (Des Agents Tres Speciaux: Code U.N.C.L.E) on TV and we used to "play" that week's episode at recess. DOUBLE CROSS reminds me of those heady days on the play ground except they are facing real enemies! Lots of fun!

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I surely hope Abby matures a bit in the next book because she seems to have regressed in this book. Poppy while not likable at first, actually turned out to be an asset. It was a decent story but not as great as the first two books.

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 3rd, & I believe, final book in the series. I’m so sad it’s the last, but so happy I finally read this. Definitely made one of my new favorite series from 2022 video for a reason. This book was even better than the last. The friendship dynamics between Abby & her friends has only gotten better & better. Still the best dialogue & humor. Flew through these. Loved the mystery of this one, as well as the location. And the butterflies lol. Loved the new frenemy, & how that whole story played out. Very intriguing frenemy at that lol. Another thrilling, gripping, action-packed adventure full of cool gadgets, danger, amazing characters/friendships, & more. Highly recommend. Another BEAUTIFUL cover by Vivienne To as well.💜

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

262 pages. Great finish to a wonderful series. It was full of drama, competition, and teamwork. This time the characters are working to get into the spy school early by completing some tasks across the USA. Poppy Parsons presents a big problem for Abby. She works hard to win every competition and will not stop until she completes the job. Toby continues to invent more helpful gadgets while Abby enjoys trying them out in desperate moments. Kids will enjoy the drama and humor throughout the book. I was a little let down at the end but it was still a well-written series. Highly recommended for Grades 5-6.

[Kaelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great addition to the series!! I really love the character of Abby, Charlotte, Izumi, Toby, and plus the addition of two new characters!! :) :)( Poppy and Owen Elliott)
How under unlikely circumstances they have to work together. Excited to see what happens next in this series!!

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun entry into this series! Definitely read in order. Hand this to fans of Stuart Gibbs Spy School series while they wait for the next one. Recommended for grades 4 & up.

[Abigail]

I enjoyed it very much. I wish there was a continuation of the series with spy school 2.0

[Jf · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐

[Río · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was my least favorite so far, which is a bummer, since it had so many good elements!

pros:
- new characters
- fun gadgets
- seeing different kinds of strengths for spying
- different settings

cons:
- Abby somehow never gets in trouble for anything until after everything has wrapped up perfectly
- unrealistic plot points around phones and data (I know it is a silly story, but if you are using real-world tech I feel like you need to establish early on that you will embellish it, otherwise I expect that it will behave "normally" and get annoyed when it deviates)
- inconsistent "omniscient" mom - at one point she calls about a closed-door meeting that happened to Abby less than a minute prior and somehow knows the exact details of it, while at other points she is clueless of what literal state her child is located in
- I know that it is a fancy prep school with rich kids, but it kind of slid from "cool / imagine being able to do that!" to "damn, they really can just borrow their dad's private jet, huh?" which was a bit less fun and a bit more distancing

all in all, I am not upset I read it, but it doesn't leave me eager for more, it more leaves me ok with the fact that I have to end anyway since it is all that was written

[Jamie Krakover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abby and her friends have entered into a prestigious Challenge to compete against other teams at Briar Academy. The winning team brings glory to their school and stakes claim as the best and the brightest. While there, they discover that the Ghost is after some of the student's technology and Abby and her friends set out to stop him once and for all.

This was a fun final installment to the Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls series. It's a blast to follow these characters through their adventures and watch them get into trouble and figure out how they are going to get out of it. It's a great wrap up to the trilogy and I'm going to miss these characters and their personalities.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third installment in the Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls was a great read! I loved how each book gets a little more intense and Abby really grows into herself and her role as a "spy". I hope Beth writes more books in this series since the ending didn't have a "final book" feel to it nor was there an epilogue.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe I was just in the right mood, but I flew through this book. Fun pacing, continued ridiculous action. I think book 2 might be more fun and over the top, but I enjoyed this continuation.

Has some violence against people (in particular, burns) that could be disturbing if you focus on it, but it's largely glossed over.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

lots going on!

Fun book with some twists and a good ending. I hope the author writes about Spy School 2.0 one day! There are so many adventures Abby and her friends could have. There is still the Ghost and cleaning up the mess he made and Veronica and the Ghost and spy college and all that.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! I love how fast paced and thrilling the book is. There is SO much mystery and anticipation. I really want a book 4 to come out. What is Spy School 2.0? I have a couple ideas of what it might be.

[zizi ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

good finale, what's up with izumi gosh I knew I liked her, I still think poppy is slightly obvious and annoying, tf-why didn't Abby go to spy school like I get the friendship thing but that was like the main reasoning behind so much stuff

[Chaitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby and her friends are great as usual. I don't remember if we're ever given a reason for Mrs. Smith's dislike of her, but Mrs. Smith needs to go. I do wish we got more stories, including Poppy because she's got a valuable skill none of Abby's team has.

[Blaire Journey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsatisfying ending, leaves a lot to be wanted for me. It feel like this series avoided the cliches, and while that can turn our great, I just felt myself yearning for everything this series didn’t have

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was okay, not great, but if you need a quick in-between book, and your into adventure, go ahead. I had high expectations, coming out of several rereads of City Spies, but it's just a rather low quality story. It did left me on a semi-cliff hanger, so I wanted more context.

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good and adventure packed

[Rukky · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a nice and fun read, though I didn't LOVE it. But it was still pretty good.

[Elizabeth Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was not my favorite I will admit but it was a great way to end the series!

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series. My daughter and son both enjoyed reading this book. And I did as well!

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I look forward to more of these stories.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another well-written young adult book I enjoyed. Good action, good characters. A fast pace. I really like mysteries without blood and guts.

[aem · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Abby learned the importance of family and friends, did she finally gain confidence in her own abilities?