Alibi Junior High

by Greg Logsted

Alias for middle-grade readers!

Thirteen-year-old Cody Saron speaks five languages and has traveled to every corner of the globe with his father, an undercover CIA agent. Cody knows how to pick a lock or follow a trail, but he has no idea how to fit in with regular kids, or how to make it through a day of junior high. When the danger surrounding Cody’s dad heats up, Cody is sent to stay with his aunt in her small Connecticut suburb and must adapt to this foreign world of normal life. Author Greg Logsted weaves humor and heart with thrilling action and unexpected twists in this original, quirky, fish-out-ofwater story.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Middle Grade, Espionage, Action, Realistic Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 11, 2009

About the author

Greg Logsted has lived in Connecticut his whole life. He occasionally escapes but always comes back. He suspects that strings are attached. When he’s not writing he’s climbing ladders, drinking coffee, and turning night into day. He presently lives in Danbury with his wife Lauren Baratz-Logsted and their daughter Jackie.

Reviews

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cody was raised by his CIA father to be a junior James Bond. They travelled all over the world working together as a team. Then, a past enemey comes looking for revenge and Cody's father decides it's just too dangerous for them to be together. So Cody gets sent to live with his aunt in the United States. Now Cody must face the scariest place on earth - Junior High.

[David Castillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you think Junior High is tough? Apparently Cody does even though he can speak 5 languages, knows mixed martial arts, and has a father who is a secret agent. The genre of this book is realistic fiction. I honestly enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed it because the plot is completely new from what I've been reading lately. Also, Cody, the main character, is an awesome character and he's the same age as me, which makes the book better to read since I can relate to some of Cody's experiences.
The book is about the son of a secret agent who has never really had a "normal" life but knows a lot more then most kids. He's then sent off to live with his aunt who makes him attend Junior High. And for Cody, that is the toughest change he's experienced but for most kids it's just a normal day. The setting of this book mainly takes place at Alibi Junior High. Cody wanted to be with his father but his father had to go on a mission so Cody had to stay with his Aunt then must live a "normal" life. The type of conflict is person vs world since Cody must face a new way of life that he's not used to. Cody is a teenager who knows 5 languages, mixed martial arts, wears suits on an average day, and has a secret agent father.
The structure of this book is really good, because you understand what Cody's situation is even when most people don't live the life he does. I didn't like how the author started off the book because it started off at a random time in the airport. I liked how the author made Cody a teenager because most of the people who read this book are most likely teenagers so it makes the story easier to relate to for the readers. I can relate to the character, Cody, because he is a teenager in junior high just like I am & he also has some of the same struggles as I do. A major event that changed Cody was moving with his aunt and having to go to junior high.
This book can connect to a lot of teenagers because Cody finds a lot of challenges to go through and thinks that junior high is the hardest thing ever. There's one book I would compare this to but I forgot the name of it but it's about an orphan who has to adapt to living a new life with school and new people. This book can relate to my life because Cody is 13 just like I am. Also, he faces some of the same challenges as I do in middle school.
Overall I think this book was very good and it was also great because of all the connectionsiy it had. I would give this book an 8 out of 10. I give it an 8 mainly because it was a good book but didn't have the action I expected. I would recommend this book to people in middle school. Do you think Cody could survive junior high?

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cody has traveled the world with his father since he was born and has helped him on many CIA missions. In this book, Cody moves in with his Aunt Jenny when his father's life is in danger. Cody has never been in a public school before and has no idea how to live a "normal" life. He knows martial arts and can speak five languages, but he doesn't understand how to handle the other students, teachers, and his classes. Who gets sent to the office four times on their first day of school! Cody slowly starts to adjust to his new situation (I won't say he fits in) when he awakens in the middle of the night to see a man in black quietly stalking around the house. Have his father's assassins found him? He may need to seek help from the neighbor, an Army Ranger recently back from Afghanistan. Cody still needs to survive gym class with Coach Dinatelli "... a fun vampire, sucking the fun out of everything", bullies, and his first crush on a girl.

Most of the book reads like a realistic fiction novel, but there's the underlying adventure of Cody's life with the CIA. Cody has lived most of his life like an agent, but the conflict mostly centers around his attempts to adjust to junior high. His awkward interactions with other students are funny; he tries to take back his "Hi" to another girl when she doesn't reply to him. He corrects the Spanish teacher, because she learned the language in college while he learned it in South America. Cody intentionally angers the gym teacher when the teacher picks on another student. The plot takes on a more serious tone when he spots the ninja-like spy sneaking around his home. Overall, the book has the typical problems of teenage life mixed with the adventures of the CIA sprinkled in.

[Mekhi J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this book was really great. Alot of action inside the book Alibi Junior High. This book is about a boy named Cody Saron who has traveled all over the world, all of his life he has been homeschooled by his father who is apart of the most deaviest CIA gang called The New World Order. Other gangs all over the world are trying to look for Cody Saron and his father so Cody's father is trying to protect his son. Cody now has to try to live a normal life with his Aunt Jenny and go to school. Cody has been to many places around the world but has never been to a place called school.
Cody Saron has a very trained set of skills because he is a black belt in karate. Many people in school has tried to pick on him because the only thing that he wears to school is a suit with a tie. As bad as middle school can be with kids always picking on what your style is and what you wear. A group would gang up on Cody to pick on what he likes to wear. But little did they know that he was a black belt in karate. The next that Cody knew all six people that ganged up on Cody were all injured laying on the floor with a bunch of broken noses and other injured body parts. Will cody get the chance to become a normal kid at school, and ever get the chance to see his dad again.Once again the book is called Alibi Junior High, by Greg Logsted.

[Kate Coombs · Rating 4 out of 5]

What surprised me about this book was that it has such a clever premise that it sounded like one of those goofy slam-bang made-for-kids movies, but it turned out to be sort of poignant. It makes me wonder if the author started out goofy slam-bang, and then his story dragged him in a different direction.

Cody's father, an undercover CIA agent, has been dragging him all over the globe, teaching him spy skills kind of by default and exposing him to all kinds of danger in a really "guy" way. Now Cody has been dumped off with his aunt for safe-keeping and must attend a regular junior high for the first time, but he doesn't know how.

If someone taps him on the shoulder unexpectedly, a jumpy Cody is likely to hit him with some karate. And he says all the wrong things, especially to his first crush. The book is really a nice take on the social awkwardness so many kids feel in that sense. Befriending the Iraq War veteran who lives next door--and is an amputee--ends up bringing Cody out of his funk. Cody also realizes that his dad's world has followed him to his new home...

The writing here is workman-like, clear and direct. All in all, a good boy book, though more serious than it first appears.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is every bit as funny and cute as the cover makes it seem. Cody is a thirteen year old kid who's spent his life traveling the world with his CIA agent father. Now, with bad guys on the hunt for his dad, Cody's been sent to his aunt's house to live the life of a normal teen and stay safe while his dad tracks down the bad guys. Cody has never been around large groups of his peers, nor has he lived a normal life, so he has no idea how to act or how to even get along at school.

There were a lot of very funny scenes in this book, some having to do with Cody's attempts to fit in and others having to do with the insanity of junior high kids in general. I imagine that most people who have ever been through junior high could relate to a lot of it. Cody is likable and sympathetic, and I was definitely drawn in to the story quickly. There was also a surprisingly amount of heart in this book, sweet as well as funny.

This reminded me a lot of Gordon Korman's book Schooled, as both dealt with non-typical junior high students having to blend in at school, but both were enjoyable in their own ways. I'd easily recommend this to others seeking a quick, amusing, and sweet read.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cody's used to traveling all around the world helping his dad with top secret missions, but after the terrible explosion in a South American cafe, he's shipped off to live with his Aunt Jenny for awhile. That means being away from his dad, trying to deal with traumatic memories of the explosion and, worst of all, entering the 8th grade. As Cody tries to navigate the tricky waters of junior high, he befriends a young military man who's recently come home from Iraq and they investigate mysterious men that seem to be following them.

This was an enjoyable read, but the plot was somewhat uneven. It starts off as a funny boy-spy-entering-school story and then reverts to action-adventure at the very end. Still, this will definitely appeal to fans of spy books. It's kind of I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have to Kill You for boys. It might appeal to fans of Stormbreaker, but the tone is very different. Somewhat graphic violence in places might be too much for the elementary school set, but I wouldn't hesitate to hand it to middle schoolers.

[Heather E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cody Saron has grown up with his deep undercover CIA dad - at the age of thirteen he is a martial arts expert, speaks five languages, and has almost finished high school. But when the bad guys come after their team, Cody is sent to live with his Aunt Jenny, his new cover that of a normal junior high kid. Now Cody must deal with not fitting in and learn that there is more to life than hustling from mission to mission.

From the title I had assumed this would be a light-hearted Spy Kids type read. Instead, it turned out to be an angst-filled essay on the importance of having loving family and friends. The premise might have been interesting enough to carry this through, but about halfway through Logstead's plotting grows diffuse. Some of the most intriguing plot threads never go anywhere at all, Cody's super-spy training doesn't mesh believably with his inability to blend in at his school, and the "surprise" ending is a let down after the rest of the book's promise of an explosive reveal. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone over age thirteen.

[Laura Aase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I thought it would be an exaggerated spy story, but it was a very touching and exciting story! Cody has spent his life traveling the world with his spy father. Due to a horrifying, near death event, he is sent to live with his aunt. He must try to fit in to a school that isn't open to creative thinkers (and he's always been home schooled), deal with the horror of the bombing he experienced, and he is very worried that he is being followed. A Iraq War vet next door becomes his friend and partner in crime as they try to figure out who is after him. He also collects a band of unlikely friends along the way. This was a fantastic book!! 6th grade and up would enjoy it.

[Fritz42 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Cody has only known the life of a spy, traveling around the world with his CIA father, helping his father with his missions. After a tragic event, he is sent to live with his aunt, and for the first time in his life, he is faced with something daunting, something that he hasn't been able to train for: junior high.

I found the book funny and engaging. The times that Cody ends up in the principal's office were numerous because of his lack of understanding how things are. Through all of it, he learns to navigate things in his own way and finds some friends because of it. There is intrigue and suspense along the way, and the ending tugged at my heartstrings.

I can't wait to recommend it to kids.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cody has lived in almost every country in the world and knows five languages. He helps his dad profile suspects for the CIA. But one of those suspects gets too close and Cody has to stay with his aunt while his dad tracks down the man trying to kill him. Cody is unprepared for the dangers of middle school. He has no idea how to manage the other students, and he already knows everything they talk about in class. There is an up side - his aunt, his aunt's neighbor Andy, and the girl Cody likes, Renee. Cody can't settle though, because someone is still following him.

Interesting story - it seems a little far-fetched. But Cody is a believable character and there is enough action to keep the story interesting.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cody's father works for the CIA. Cody has helped his father in his assignments and been on the run with him since his mother's death. He has traveled the entire world, speaks five languages, and has two black belts. When he and his father survive an assassination attempt, his dad sends Cody to live with his Aunt Jenny in a small Connecticut town. He now must endure the most fearful terrifying trial he has ever had to face - the typical American junior high. A charming book filled with excitement. A must read for teenage boys.

[Izzy STITCHLOVER]

If you like a good story read this!

[Tayler Morrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is definitely a boy book! Easiest way to describe it to all you mid-twenty to thirty year olds–it’s as if Agent Cody Banks had to fall off the grid and hide out for a bit as a normal kid. Yep, you heard me. And guess what, the protagonist’s name is Cody! All this life, he has traveled with his CIA agent father, helping him in his missions–he knows numerous languages, is a genius, can take apart and put together weapons, and is a black belt. However, he and his dad were attacked in a bombing, so his dad sends him to a backtown in New England with his aunt to be safe. But, for all the missions Cody had been on and all the bad guys he’s brought to justice, Junior High seems to be the most impossible mission ever. Thankfully, his next door neighbor’s older brother came home from Special Ops in the Middle East and is a kindred spirit to Cody as he deals with bullying, unfair teachers, and his first crush.
The main reason I didn’t like this book was the unavailability of the protagonist. That’s the reason I didn’t even really like Agent Cody Banks or Spy Kids…it’s ridiculous. But, I did like how it showed how tough junior high can be–I taught junior high for three years, so I know. I also really like the character of Andy, the Special Ops who lot his arm in a bombing. He was the most believable. But, I know junior high boys will eat this book up!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This book is great honestly, the plot is great, the story itself is well written and engrossing. Overall great book

[Branchsuper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent teen read as a young man raised as and by an undercoer spy tries to fit in as a normal junior high student.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6th grade son said this was the best book he read all year, and that it was a page-turner because it included action and adventure while being set in middle-school.

[bilan · Rating 1 out of 5]

hated the writing style, felt boring

[Originalish · Rating 4 out of 5]

alright book worth reading

[Aleph Solomon · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really liked this book

[Ari Sharks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much. I read it in a few hours. It was so cute to see Cody trying to impress a girl he likes, and when the guys started teasing him and all that... I dunno, I just thought it was cute. It made me smile. I like smiling.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Thirteen-year-old Cody doesn't know much about normal life. He's been living and traveling all over the world with his father, who works for the CIA. Together, they've formed a research team responsible for tracking the bad guys.

But, someone's caught on. An explosion outside a café in France, where they barely escape with their lives, leaves the team shaken.

Cody's father puts him on a plane and tells him to become invisible until he reaches his destination. Cody's headed somewhere safe from danger: his aunt's house. He's infiltrating junior high, where he must assume his most challenging role ever - himself. Cody's used to being home-schooled by his father, wearing suits every day, and defending himself against anyone who looks at him funny.

Now he's dealing with school rules, clothes that are cool but don't feel right, and bullies plaguing him and his friend. Cody has a feeling that somewhere, someone is watching him. At night he takes sweeps of the house, only to find that his new friend's brother, who just came home from the war, does the same thing. Together, they keep tabs on the area.

Is Cody paranoid? Has he finally found a place to call home or will someone make the family connection and come after him?

Greg Logsted writes a quirky but lovable character who just wants to be himself. I liked the witty smart aleck personality of Cody. This book takes a spy and places him in the normal world - without a mission, making this a unique tale. As a sucker for spy novels, I hope this isn't the last I read about Cody Saron.

[JilltheOWL]

t has been the summer of books that surprised me! When I first got this book I had a completely different idea of what it was about. I was thinking it would be a book about a young boy who was a genius or something and works for the CIA on some "teen spy team"! WRONG! Yes the CIA is in the story, but it's Cody's father that works with them not Cody. And yes Cody knows a lot about spying, fighting and CIA type stuff (and we see him use it), but it's more than that.

Cody has to live with his aunt while his dad works out some problems they are facing. While living there we find out how both dangerous and sheltered Cody's life has been. Dangerous because he knows how to take down a grown man with his bare hands. Sheltered because he has no clue how to be a kid. He wears suits all the time and hasn't ever really watched tv. I felt his embarrassment and frustration as he struggled to fit in - the teasing from the students was pretty realistic. At the same time he's trying to figure out if he's mad at his dad for limiting his life or grateful. I could feel how torn he was. I, in parts, wanted to find his dad and YELL AT HIM for raising Cody the way he did. I guess it was the mom in me! In between all this, there is suspense and tension as Cody worries that the men after his dad will come after him. These two part are well mixed.

I'll leave it at this: Yes it has action. Yes it has humor. And yes it has heart. A fun read. I'll definitely recommend it to my 7th graders.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cody is not just an ordinary boy. His father is a secret agent who works all over the world quietly and discretely putting wrongs to right, and he takes his son along with him wherever he goes. Cody is a black belt, speaks many languages fluently, knows how to handle firearms, to track and avoid being tracked, and all the other skills of a first class secret agent.

What he has no knowledge of is how to be an ordinary middle schooler in a normal American junior high. So when things get nasty one day for Cody and his father, and he is sent to his aunt for safety, he is plunged into a world that he is ill equipped to deal with. Turning up on the first day in uncool clothes, and labelled as a boy with an attitude problem, things go from bad to worse.

This book was very enjoyable. As in the Alex Rider books or CHERUB books, Cody is one of those protaganists that boys in particular will enjoy very much - because who didn't want to be a secret agent with the ability to kick the local school bullies into next week?

The story is rather cliched though. There are not really any surprises in this book, nor are there any meaty themes - although the friendships that are formed are suitably warming. This is a good pass time read, which children and young adults will very likely enjoy, but not a book that crosses over into the adult market.

[carissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended Ages: grades 5-8

Thirteen-year-old Cody Saron has never lived in one place longer than a few weeks, and has never attended a regular school. Growing up on the run with his father, an undercover agent for the CIA, Cody has traveled the entire globe; he speaks five languages, and he has two black belts. What Cody isn't prepared for is...junior high.
When the danger surrounding Cody's dad heats up, Cody is sent to stay with the aunt he's never known, Jenny, in her small Connecticut suburb. Cody has no idea how to fit in with other kids, how to handle his first crush, or how to make it through a day of classes.

As Cody struggles to adapt to the one thing he's never experienced -- a normal life -- he starts to fear that his father's world has followed him and no one he loves is safe.

[Sandra Stiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of the Alex Rider series I recommend this book. Cody Saron is comfortable teaming up with his CIA father, traveling the world and helping track down bad guys. His father has prepared him for just about any situation. He speaks five languages; he knows how to get out of dangerous situations. He is used to facing death. When Cody and his father barely escape an explosion in France Cody finds him being shipped to his aunt’s house. Unfortunately as prepared as he is to deal with the dangerous lifestyle he has always lived, his is just as unprepared to live the life of a normal junior high teen. He has run INS with his teachers, his principal and other students.
This was a very fun book to read. I have no doubt that I won’t be able to keep it on my shelves at school. I am hoping this will become a series. I would definitely purchase them for my shelves.

[Tlovesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that I can see this as a movie!! The premise - think James Bond but in junior high.

Cody, at 13, has seen some thing that no grown man of 40 could even dream. He's travelled the world, learned five languages and even helped plan a variety of jobs with an international spy. A spy who happens to be his father.

After an attempt has been made on their lives, Cody is forced to move in with his aunt so that he can be safe and live an easy life. Once he arrives to Connecticut, it's clear that things aren't going to be very easy for a 13 year old who prefers suits to cargo shorts, feels sick at the sight of New York Yankees baseball caps, and likes to go out late at night to his own type of neighborhood watch.

Read this book!! It will make you laugh, cry and want to make an alibi as to why you can't wait for a sequel.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cody Saron is not your typical teenager. He has traveled the world with his CIA agent father and has learned survival skills that no other teen his age should know. Cody's father knows he is endangering his son so he asks his sister-in-law to care for Cody as he enters his 8th grade year in a new school. What Cody and his father don't realize is that danger has followed Cody to the small Connecticut suburb in which he now lives. While Cody deals with his first crush, fitting in at a new school, staying out of the principal's office, and teaching his friends karate in his neighbor's basement, Cody's dad is trying to protect him the only way he knows how. I really enjoyed Cody's voice - his thoughts, humor, and practicality which made his character one that I will remember.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cody Saron has lived with his dad all his life, been home schooled, taken karate, learned how to shoot guns, be aware of his surroundings, watch for suspicious sounds and people, and be a junior CIA field agent. He worked as a team with his dad until one day it went sour. Then he had to live with his aunt and go to 'real' public school. Bus rides, classmates, and bullies were harder than gangsters. He found himself in the principal's office four times on the first day of school, and he couldn't work his locker either.
I enjoyed the story. There is a little mystery, and of course the funny events that happen every day in a public school. It has a little bit of a first love. The neighbor, Adam, a recently returned Ranger helps Cody solve his mystery and becomes his friend.

[Brandi Bette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Cody Saron has never lived in one place longer than a few weeks. Growing up on the run with his father, an undercover agent for the CIA, Cody has traveled the entire globe; he speaks five languages, and he has two black belts. What Cody isn't prepared for is...junior high. As Cody struggles to adapt to the one thing he's never experienced -- a normal life -- he starts to fear that his father's world has followed him and no one he loves is safe. Greg Logsted weaves together action, humor, and heart, building to a surprising revelation about what Cody has always believed to be true.


From Benicia Middle School Booktalks 2010-5
Benicia Public Library Call Number: X LOGSTEAD