Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls

Gr 4–8—Twelve-year-old Abigail Hunter, occasional rule breaker, is adjusting to her new boarding school and scary headmistress, Mrs. Smith, when she stumbles into a web of intrigue centered on her own missing mother. Abby discovers that her mother has been living a secret life as a spy, and now both good guys and bad are trying to track her down. Guess who's the bait to lure Abby's mother into the open? After learning some handy self-defense moves from mean girl Veronica and being outfitted with fantastical spy technology (a self-destructing smartphone that shoots rubber bullets, for example), Abby is sent to California, where she must use all of her wits to escape the clutches of henchmen working for a mysterious villain called "The Ghost." The action continues in the Big Apple after Abby enlists the help of her friends Charlotte, Toby, and Izumi. Throughout the story, Abby's faith in her abilities, even when she is underestimated, shows strength of character and purpose. Abby's funny, over-the-top personality and the book's numerous, enjoyable secondary characters combine to create a solid foundation for further installments as Abby follows in her mother's footsteps to enroll in spy training.