Spy School #3: Evil Spy School by Stuart Gibbs

It's Ben's second year at the secret CIA spy school, and he manages to get himself into huge trouble on the first day. It seems that blowing up the principal's office with a mortar shell will get you expelled. Ben returns to his old middle school, but he accepts a position at the evil spy school instead. The decision is a little strange, since Ben thwarted two evil Spyder plots in the first book. There are only three students at the school, and the teachers don't seem very evil. He starts to wonder until the other students break Murray Hill out of prison. Murray tried to kill Ben on more than one occasion, and Ben is the reason Murray was in prison. One thing is certain, Spyder has some big plans that involve blowing things up! Ben and Murray are going to have a memorable reunion.

You probably don't need to read the first book in the series, Spy School, in order to enjoy this one, but it was good too. Ben is a fairly normal kid, although the characters have special abilities. Ben's strength is math, a couple of other characters are very athletic, and one character is a superb gamer. Not the most impressive powers, but they make it easier to connect with the characters. Ben has ongoing girl problems, as he tries to save New York City. I've enjoyed the quirkiness of the character's personalities, and the new characters have their own issues and insecurities. Murray always seems to be eating after escaping from prison, and he has faith in Ben's evilness.