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Double Cross (3) (Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls) Hardcover – August 6, 2019
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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.
- Reading age9 - 13 years
- Print length272 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level4 - 8
- Lexile measure660L
- Dimensions1.02 x 5.83 x 8.54 inches
- PublisherAladdin
- Publication dateAugust 6, 2019
- ISBN-101481490265
- ISBN-13978-1481490269
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About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
IF YOU WANT TO BE a spy, and possibly save the world, you have to practice. Take advantage of every opportunity to improve your skills. Me and my best friends, Charlotte and Izumi, are serious about spying, which is why we’ve spent the last month of summer on the Smith School for Children campus perfecting a karate move we call Deadhead the Rose, where we roundhouse kick the withered flowers from their stems to make way for new blooms. As a gardening technique, it is much faster than pruning shears. We’ve gotten pretty good. I can deadhead an entire rosebush in under a minute.
We’re kicking roses outside Headmaster Smith’s office window, in New England heat so unrelenting Charlotte keeps pretending to faint just to get a break, when Izumi whispers, “You guys. Come here.”
We peel off our gardening gloves and squeeze in tight next to Izumi under the window, wide-open in hopes of catching a passing breeze. The air is a thick, humid blanket we cannot throw off. Staying low, we peer over the window ledge. Inside, Mrs. Smith alternately studies a piece of paper and fans herself with it. These original Smith School buildings have no air conditioning. Global warming is now in a race with tradition to see who breaks first. Mrs. Smith wears a headset and her resting expression, which is total annoyance.
“It’s not without precedent,” she says into the headset. “I started with the spy school well before sixteen, as did others. If I want to let this girl in early, I’ll do it. She could be our next Veronica Brooks. She has a brilliant mind. We don’t want to lose students who are truly exceptional.”
Everyone knows Veronica Brooks is the gold standard in spying, but who is the other girl Mrs. Smith is talking about? There’s a pause in the conversation. Izumi elbows me, eyes wide.
“I’m not asking you,” Mrs. Smith continues. “I’m informing you. As a courtesy. Now, you have a lovely day.”
She tosses the headset on her desk in a way that leaves the lovely day sentiment in doubt. We crawl away from the window on our hands and knees, to a safe distance, and all begin talking at once.
“Is it us?” I whisper. Me? Is she finally going to let me into the spy school?
Before this gets really confusing, an explanation. The Smith School for Children is exactly as it sounds: a preppy paradise of redbrick buildings, climbing ivy and students in uncomfortable uniforms. We have a Latin school motto, which loosely translates to “don’t be a jerk,” and a coat of arms featuring a roaring lion (not kidding). Our hallways are lined with portraits of former headmasters, none of whom look like they can take a joke.
But get closer. Go deeper. Look underneath the school. And I don’t mean that metaphorically. Below the buildings in the old tunnels and passageways, the Center hides the spy school, a secret training facility for teenage girl spies, kids who are innocent-looking on the outside but sharp on the inside. These are the girls getting done what the adults cannot. Because, after all, who suspects a kid? Unless we are noisy or badly behaved, we are invisible. We can move through the world without warranting so much as a second glance. By the time you realize the Center spies have come for you, it’s too late.
Mrs. Smith was a founding member of the spy school. As was my mother, Jennifer Hunter. Yes. My mother was a spy. Is a spy? Being as I didn’t find out until I was twelve, and then only by accident, I’m still a bit fuzzy on the details. Right now I could not tell you where Jennifer is or what she is doing. At home in our tiny New York City apartment reading the latest Stephen King or apprehending a notorious arms smuggler in Yemen? Your guess is as good as mine. A proper teenager would rebel against all this spy nonsense and possibly choose a life of crime just to spite her spy mom. But I’m not ordinary. I want in on the spy gig. Badly.
Alas, spying is only for those sixteen and older, which means too bad for me, despite having saved the world twice on behalf of the Center. But this new evidence suggests that Mrs. Smith might have changed her mind about the age limit.
“We need to get in that office,” says Charlotte. “As in right now.”
Izumi puts her hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “Is this a good idea?” she asks. “I mean, the whole reason we’re here working the grounds during vacation is because we’re being punished. Remember?”
Oh. Right. True. A few months ago, a disgruntled ex–Smith School student named Zachary Hazard tried to take over the world. We had to stop him. I’ll admit we didn’t follow our orders exactly, but the situation called for immediate action. Who knew that saving civilization as we know it was not a good enough excuse for breaking the rules?
“How could I forget?” Charlotte replies.
“But you don’t care,” Izumi says flatly.
“She cares a lot,” I say.
Charlotte grins. “I do. So much. About who Mrs. Smith was talking about.”
“We’re going to spend the rest of our lives cleaning this campus,” Izumi mutters.
We crawl back to the window and glance inside, making sure Mrs. Smith is gone. “Boost me up,” I whisper. Izumi and Charlotte give me a shove over the window ledge. I fall headfirst into Mrs. Smith’s office and freeze. What if she comes back? I can’t very well say I’m pruning her desk fern. Quickly, I swipe the paper and throw myself back out the window. I have a lot of experience throwing myself from windows, so this is no big deal. The mound of decapitated rose heads cushions my landing. “Got it!”
We dash to the gazebo next to the Cavanaugh Family Meditative Pond and Fountain. It has shade, and if we sit in the corner we get a little bit of spray from the fountain. Desperate times. Sweat drips from my forehead, making damp splotches on the paper.
“What does it say?” Charlotte asks, wedging in for a better view. I stink like mulch, and yet she manages to smell like rose petals. How does she do that? Izumi lies flat on the gazebo brick floor, blowing her straight dark bangs out of her eyes.
The girl on the paper is not me. Or any of us. That’s bad. What makes it infinitely worse is whose name is on the paper.
Poppy Parsons.
Product details
- Publisher : Aladdin (August 6, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 272 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1481490265
- ISBN-13 : 978-1481490269
- Reading age : 9 - 13 years
- Lexile measure : 660L
- Grade level : 4 - 8
- Item Weight : 12 ounces
- Dimensions : 1.02 x 5.83 x 8.54 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #802,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,572 in Children's Books on Girls' & Women's Issues
- #5,780 in Children's Mystery, Detective, & Spy
- #17,256 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Beth McMullen lives and works in Northern California with her husband, two kids and two very self centered cats. Visit her at bethmcmullenbooks.com
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PHENOMENAL!!!!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2019My daughter is a reluctant reader but this series is one of the first to truly capture her attention and make her voluntarily pick up a book to read on her own.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2020Daughter loves these books. She can’t wait for the next one to come out
- Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2020My 4th grader loves this series.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2019Perfect for our big reader!
- Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2023This 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.💜
5.0 out of 5 stars PHENOMENAL!!!!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.💜
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2023
Images in this review - Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2020Such a FUN third book. I have been having trouble reading with the shelter-in-place and COVID- 19 anxiety, but this book got me out of the slump. It is witty, adventurous, and good fun. James Bond but with a PG rating. There is a great collection of characters that are old enough to appeal to all middle grade and middle school, yet I feel confident handing this series to my fourth graders. Abby and her friends are in mortal danger and face tough situations, but with the help of some seriously cool spy phones and each other, they make it through. Thanks for such a fun series! #LitReviewCrew
- Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2020I love this series I really wish their was more to read please write another book. I recommend if you want a good spy and adventure book this is it.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2020I disliked the book because of its story line and how it completely throws you off. Starts nice but never introduces the people in this book and instead of truly giving a good introduction it just skips to her undercover with other people the reader has never been introduced to. This book could be a good one with a bit more work but for now i do not really recommend it. Thank you for reading! and remember this is just my opinion and that it was not for me.
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on November 1, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
My kiddo couldn’t put the series down.
- ianReviewed in Canada on September 19, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars quick
perfect and quick