Spy School #7: British Invasion by Stuart Gibbs

My name is Catherine, and I'm hoping to help my daughter and her friends finally bring an end to SPYDER. We've discovered a flash drive that can bring the evil organization down, but we need to find the creator to decode the encryption. Luckily, the criminal lives in England, where I'm from, but he lives in a remote castle and won't allow anyone inside. He doesn't trust humans, so all of his services and security are done by computer. We're used to Ben coming up with plans to save the day, but he seems to be off his game. I wonder if his crush on my daughter has anything to do with it, although Erica views friendship as a liability. SPYDER has something in the works that will happen very soon, and it will probably result in bad things happening to Europe and the United States. I think everyone has talents they can offer, although my ex-husband may be the exception. We're going to need all the help we can get. 

I've found you can enjoy these books independently, although it's always best to read a series in order. You just need to know the main characters are kids learning to be spies, and they're constantly trying to save the world. If you've read other books in the series, then you understand the gist of what's going on. Ben's always liked Erica, a superstar junior spy, but things get complicated with Zoe forcing him to decide if he actually has feelings for her. Ah, the complications of teenagers dealing with emotions. The entertaining parts of the book are Ben's plans to thwart SPYDER, the action, and the zany characters. The computer criminal is starving for attention, and Erica's dad is finally admitting that he's not a very good spy. The author adds a twist to the plot, as he suggests there might be another evil organization wanting to bring down SPYDER. It's not clear if this is true, but the possibility is still out there. Overall, this book and the rest of the series present adventures featuring teenage spies saving the world. Humor and emotion are sprinkled in to create engaging stories. I've enjoyed all of the books so far, and I recommend you give them a shot.