Spy Camp: the Graphic Novel by Stuart Gibbs

Ahh! Those warm days of summer camp spent eating s’mores, going canoeing, and telling campfire stories. Well, scratch that because in Stuart Gibbs’ Spy Camp the Graphic Novel, that’s all an illusion. At the Happy Trails Wilderness Camp for Boys and Girls, campers train with deadly weapons, like firing bows and arrows and learning how to carve their own spear. In protagonist Ben Ripley’s case, his summer will be a lot different than he ever imagined. In Gibbs’ first book in the series Spy School the Graphic Novel, Ripley first attended the school created to train CIA operatives. Alongside his friend Erica, they thwarted an evil organization by the name of SPYDER. Now, in the second book in the series, they are back at it again with more dangerous threats from SPYDER than ever before.

Spy Camp: The Graphic Novel written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar is an adapted version of the original Spy Camp novel.”

When Ben Ripley gets a job invitation from SPYDER, everyone enters a state of panic. Ben asks Erica for advice on the matter while their camp leader Woodchuck devises a plan to get SPYDER off their trail. Ben Ripley with the help of Erica and her father Alexander Hale (who isn’t as great of a spy as he claims) will have to adventure far into the wilderness to truly discover what SPYDER wants with Ben. When SPYDER takes Ben’s camp friends hostage, they know that they are in massive danger. The only way to get them released is to hand Ben over to the evil organization. They will have to think fast because they only have two days to make their decision. Follow Ben on this exciting adventure where they will have to escape danger at every turn.

Spy Camp: The Graphic Novel written by Stuart Gibbs and illustrated by Anjan Sarkar is an adapted version of the original Spy Camp novel. It is the second book in the Spy School series and it’s a mysterious, fast-paced and engaging story. Engaging and intense, there is something around every corner and you never know what will happen.

The story succeeds at using its characters’ previous experiences to influence their responses. The way Erica often subtly expresses her anger towards her father, for example, creates tension that builds throughout the story. Children are often far more astute and capable in this book than their adult mentors, which is sometimes overdone, but the interplay between Erica and her father strikes a balance, making for a more believable plot.  The threat that SPYDER poses is often vague or hidden, which gives them a much more menacing and scary presence.

Anjan Sarkar’s amazing illustrations evoke emotion, build up characters, and bring Gibbs’ story to life. They enhance and clarify the story and make the reading experience richer.

While this story resolves, it leaves room for a sequel, which is great because I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!


Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com.

Anjan Sarkar’s preferred illustration style is “wonky and slightly misshapen,” which he realized around the time that he started drawing with his children (who are masters of the wonky line). Anjan works from a little studio in his house in Sheffield, England, where he lives with his wife and two kids.

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (April 4 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 328 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1534499377
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1534499379