Spy School Goes South

What I Loved: Ben once again is the center of a SPYDER-related mission when Murray Hill agrees to reveal everything he knows, but only to Ben and only if they get in an airplane to the new SPYDER base. Erica convinces Ben it will be an easy surveillance mission and they could learn so much.
Mike and Zoe stow away on the plane. It is not surprising that the pilots end up being SPYDER double agents and abandon the plane leaving Murray to die with them during a missile attack. Using all of their skills they survive a plane crash, hungry crocodiles, underground caves, and iguana poop, leading them to join the Farkle family reunion in a swanky hotel in Mexico where SPYDER has been hiding since Ben blew up their base.
Now that Zoe’s crush has been exposed, Ben is taking a closer look at her and her skills. Zoe is irritated that all the boys swoon over Erica when she has the nickname of Ice Queen for a reason. She gets Ben to face the fact that Erica continuously puts him in danger and convinces him things will be easy just to pursue SPYDER. I am enjoying the evolving complexity of relationships between the group of friends as Ben tries to navigate his romantic feelings. Now that he is really noticing Zoe as a potential girlfriend it is going to force Erica, Ben, and Zoe to navigate more mature themes and work balance.
Final Verdict: I like the humor and Gibb’s ability to make events loosely believable. I love that as the series progresses so does the depth of the characters’ personal challenges. Once again, the audiobook made this a quick and easy read since our family mission seems to be to devour this series as fast as possible. All humor aside, I appreciated the Author’s note at the end about current policies and how they affected the ending of his book. He is becoming a trusted voice in our household for entertainment and having him discuss the ramifications of environmental practices and how his audience can help is meaningful.