The Renegade Spy Project: Book One of The Renegade Girls Tinkering Club

by Terri Selting David

Wren is impulsive, curious, and always in trouble. Can her flaws become her greatest asset?

Wren Sterling has a problem. She knows she's super smart and a good friend, but no matter how hard she tries, she can't shake her reputation as a troublemaker. It feels like the only people who believe in her are her three best friends in the Renegade Girls Tinkering Club. She’d hoped middle school would be different, but when her inability to control her temper causes an accident, even her beloved STEM Club is no longer a safe haven.



She has to find a way to fix it. When her idea to start a business inventing and selling spy gadgets succeeds, it looks like she's finally done something right! But then the Club is accused of a crime. Can they use their own gadgets, and a little bit of trouble to solve the mystery? If they can find the real culprit, Wren may just discover she has a bright future after all. If they can’t, she could lose her best friends forever.



“It’s The Babysitter's Club meets MacGyver!”

Build your own SPY GADGETS! Instructions included in this charming story about friendship, middle school, and the Engineering Design Process for kids ages 8-12.

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 13, 2020

Reviews

[Amy Mertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wren is impulsive, curious, and always in trouble. Can her flaws become her greatest asset?"
This is the story of a group of friends who make up the Renegade Girls Tinkering Club. They're all excited because they've finally gotten a shipment of slides to look at under a microscope that was gifted to them--but an argument breaks out and the microscope is broken. the rest of the book follows the domino effects that happen as a result of that incident, including starting a business and becoming pseudo-spies!
At first (as an adult reading this book) the picture of San Fransisco's elementary/middle school life seemed pretty idealistic, and the point of the book (girls in STEM) kind of hammered me over the head.
But the more I read, the more I thought, isn't this exactly the kind of world I hope my kid grows up in? One where student government is important, where the most popular kid in school is both an athlete and a mathlete (and a pretty nice person), where a girl's tinkering club is so interesting to the student body that it makes the front page of the paper? One where mistakes are made, obstacles are overcome, and friends are forgiven?
Just imagine if we modeled this kind of world for our kids every day?
I would absolutely recommend this to any late elementary-middle school readers! All of the experiments and inventions have the instructions right in the book so anyone can try them--it's very cool.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously, The Babysitter's Club meets MacGyver?! Totally had me there as I grew up on Nancy Drew and Babysitter's Club!!

This middle grade read is so fun! I love how there are easy STEM projects included with the book!! My girls (ages 10 and 8) are so excited to read it! And I love that they're reading a fun story that include girls and STEM stuff!! I really hope it inspires them! I can't wait to read the rest of the series!!

Way to go Terri! It's entertaining and inspiring girl power!! Fabulous read for all the tweens in your life!! Lol, even I had fun reading it and I'm definitely past my teens!

[Meigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE RENEGADE SPY PROJECT is the first in a delightful middle-grade mystery series with a strong focus on STEM. My 10 year old and I devoured this book in a less than a week, which is quite impressive for us both, considering 1) I’m a super slow reader these days, and 2) it’s rare that she finds a book that captures her interest enough to want to run back to it. She definitely ran back to this one.

I really liked the group of Renegade Girls, and how they figure things out through trial and error. It passes along the message of “learn from your mistakes”, which I think is a message that most middle graders often need a reminder of. I also really liked Wren, the main character, and how she was thought of as different. My 10 year old often has a hard time fitting in, and it was really great to have a protagonist she could identify with.

My little’s favorite part of the whole book was the inclusion of science experiments for the readers to try at home. I love it when books make readers a part of the story, and this was a great way to do that. Bottom line — 4 stars, and I will certainly be picking up the rest of the series for my middle grader.


*Free copy received courtesy of R&R Booktours and the author.

[Laurel Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨I loved this book. It was absolutely fantastic, and for all of the adults here who fell for the The Love Hypothesis this year because, among other reasons, we loved the portrayal of a woman in STEM, here is a true Middle Grade series that centered around four young friends pursuing their passions in STEM, even when it means they don’t quite fit in. I can’t wait to read this one with all of my kids and to watch them root for this band of girls who don’t fit in to the “norm,” whose brains just won’t allow them to be like everyone else, and who have to find their way forward together.

✨I truly enjoyed so many elements of this story, but let me focus on just a few:

-That cover. You already know I buy books for their covers, and this one is perfection. Also, I love the title. It’s absolute magic.

-Each of the girls is gifted in different areas of STEM, and they bring all of those skills to the table and to the reader during the story. There are also actual instructions and patterns throughout the book to replicate some of the “spy gear” they’re making, and it was so cool.

-The tinkering club is diverse in many ways. Not only is there racial diversity in the tinkering club but the girls also come from families of different incomes, number of parents in their homes, types of jobs, levels of education. It was great to see, and so important in a MG novel to see how that shaped them, but also how they worked through their different perspectives to see one another clearly.

-I thought I was getting into a book about a group of girl tinkerers/spies, and while that is absolutely a major component to the story, I was surprised and excited to see how much of the story was also them learning to interact and work through their problems both physical (a very expensive broken microscope needs to be repaired) and interpersonal. They experience tension, miscommunication, growing pains as they each try to navigate their individual identities and interests and how that impacts their closest friends.

-When the group is accused of something they didn’t do, they band together to use their skills to solve the mystery and prove their innocence. The back part of this novel felt a bit like a mystery, and I was here for it.

✨What I didn’t like:

-That I didn’t preorder the next two books ahead of time. Seriously, I’ll be getting on that. I can’t wait to see what happens to the girls over the next two books, and I am fully here for their whole story.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: The Renegade Spy Project: Book One of The Renegade Girls Tinkering Club
Author: Terri Selting David

Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 10/10
Writing Style: 9/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 5/5

Of the 15 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
14 felt it was easy to follow.
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
13 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“I liked Wren the most. She’s a bit of a troublemaker – or seems to be anyway, but she’s determined. I like that. There’s lots of drama in the story, and tons of spy gadgets. Very cool!” Girl, aged 12
“This is a sort of ‘solving problems’ books with lots of ‘angst’ thrown in. Wren acts a lot like a typical, stroppy teenager (at first), but she gets better. If I sat like that (chapter 1), I’d get expelled!!! I liked the STEM Club, and I liked that girls were the protagonists.” Girl, aged 12 – with a little help from her TA
“The way it’s written is the best past as (a) there’s lots happening (b) there’s lots of speech and (c) there’s no long, boring paragraphs describing how a room looks. I think this author know what kids enjoy reading – funny, clever plot, with smart girls.” Girl, aged 12
“I liked the mystery and all the spy gadgets. That was the best.” Girl, aged 9 – with a little help from her TA
“I read three books in February – Five Run Away Together, Shadow Jumper, and this book. The Renegade Spy Project was the best.” Girl, aged 10

To Sum It Up:
‘A chapter book for 8 – 12 year olds packed full of drama, suspense – and GADGETS! A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Dusty · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 3.5 STARS

The Renegade Spy Project, first in the Renegade Girls Tinkering Club series by Terri Selting David is a solid choice for any young inventor in one's life. I would recommend it to readers at the middle-grade level who enjoy a bit of mystery and innovation in stories.

Our main character, Wren Sterling is very intelligent but she's often overlooked by adults for being different. She and her group of friends, members of the Renegade Girls Tinkering Club must overcome multiple obstacles and secure their future in STEM before it's too late.

I think this book will be very encouraging to young readers interested in STEM. The main characters aren’t some group of super-geniuses where everything they attempt goes right on the first attempt. They make mistakes, they learn from them, and they get to increase their knowledge in the process. As a chemistry major in college, I loved how the author included instructions for DIY science experiments within the book - readers will get to attempt the same experiments the characters are working on. The format makes them very accessible for anyone to try, as Ms. David breaks the process down into simple steps. When some authors attempt this, it feels more like it was “dumbed down” but I never got that sense while reading the book. I hope more people discover this book in the near future!

Thank you to the author Terri Selting David and Shannon at Reads and Reels Book Tours (R&R Book Tours) for sharing a review copy of the book with me. I voluntarily read and reviewed The Renegade Spy Project. This did not affect my opinion of the book or the context of my review.

[Pete Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wren, a precocious middle schooler, has earned a reputation for being a troublemaker at school. She is bright and creative and thinks the only way to prevent herself from having to see the principal again is by being boring. Outside of school, she and three of her like-minded friends, form the Renegade Girls Tinkering Club. They love science, problem solving, and inventing things. When they have an accident with their expensive microscope, they must earn money to replace the magnifying eyepieces.

After narrowing down their ideas, they decide to invent a spy kit and sell their items to their classmates. Much of the story centers around inventing ideas for their kits. The author goes into specifics about creating each item, some of which are a bit hard to understand for the ordinary reader. Diagrams make it somewhat easier to follow. While these girls are obviously bright and not ordinary middle schoolers, I had some difficulty believing some of the engineering and sophisticated problem solving.

The latter half of the story picks up when the girls work together to try and catch someone who is apparently trying to frame them for stealing the votes in the Student Council election. One of the strengths of the book were the well-developed characters. I also thought it was realistic that the girls had peer disagreements among their group. The ending was solid but predictable.

[2manybooks2littletime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the concept behind this young adult book. It is definitely geared towards middle school females who are interested in science and math — the STEM kids 🙌🏼 As a math teacher myself, it is so important to ensure all of our students have the opportunities available. It is interesting how the author incorporates the boredom that Wren feels. When some students aren’t being pushed enough, they do act out because they are bored - definitely hit the nail on the head with that!

There are also several blurbs about important women in the history of math and science. It is neat that she includes the instructions to the inventions, so the reader can build his/her own spy gadgets. Overall, this is a must-read for all middle school girls (and boys)!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I loved more - the story or the "build your own spy gadgets" instructions included with the book. I love how real the characters felt, and how some obstacles the girls face is that they don't always succeed the first time they try something. It's so important, especially at the middle school level, that kids learn that it's ok to make mistakes and learn from them. I thought the author did a great job of conveying that message without making it feel like she was talking down to the readers. Wren and her friends are definitely girls young readers can relate to. A great book for kids who love mysteries, and for encouraging girls to follow their dreams in STEM fields.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like any good book, Renegade Spy Project has interesting characters and a storyline with intrigue and mystery that keeps the reader moving along. But there’s more. The author shows the reader how to solve problems and create devices through brainstorming and trial and error. The girls learn from their mistakes. Their relationships develop and grow through the stumbling blocks they encounter. It encourages girls to use their talents and intelligence and to enter the scientific world of discovery and invention.

[Aria Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way the author writes. I get memorized by every word. The author is extremely talented and cares about the impact of her writing. I recommend this highly.