Getting kids interested in reading can betricky, right?
The secret is that you need to choose booksthat will appeal to their interests and if you have a child who dreams of beinga spy then we’ve got the perfect recommendations for you.
We’ve compiled a list of the best spy booksfor kids and teens – just what you need to get your family reading!
Table of Contents
1 Brainiac’s Secret Agent Activity Book
By: Peter Pauper Press
Fun Activities for Spies of All Ages (Activity Journal Series) makes the perfect gift for children ages five and up and is jam-packed with puzzles, mazes, and word searches.
Kids will even be able to fingerprint theirfriends and use the invisible pen to write secret messages!
This book is ideal for young readers andwill keep them engaged for hours on end as they learn the ins and outs of thespy world.
Includes:
- Activity book
- Fingerprint ink pad
- Invisible ink pen
2 Secret Decoder Activity Book – The Case of the Runaway Ruby
By: Melissa & Doug
Activity books are an excellent way to keepyoung kids entertained during a flight or any type of long wait when you don’twant them glued to their screens.
This Melissa & Doug On the Go Secret Decoder Activity Book is ideal for budding kid spies and includes 18 fun activity pages, a built-in decoder wheel, and magic-reveal pen.
This exciting spy activity book is perfectfor kids in the six to nine age group.
3 The Real Spy’s Guide to Becoming a Spy
By: Peter Earnest & Suzanne Harper
The official handbook for kids who dream ofbecoming secret agents.
This book will appeal to older kids because it focuses on how to become a real spy and not just like those you see in the spy movies. Parents will be impressed by the level of detail it provides while children will be mesmerized by the coverage of real-world operations and strategies.
The Real Spy’s Guide to Becoming a Spy was created by a former operative in the CIA’s Clandestine Service so it’s definitely the real deal. Here we recommend also the real spy gear for kids.
4 The Spy School Collection
By: Stuart Gibbs
In this fun fictional series, an undercovernerd by the name of Ben Ripley is recruited to the CIA’s Academy of Espionage.It’s a dream come true for him but it quickly becomes apparent that his lack ofcoordination and clumsy nature aren’t exactly what’s needed to become a spy.
The New York Times bestselling Spy Schoolseries consists of five books; Spy School, Spy Camp, Evil Spy School, Spy SkiSchool, and Spy School Secret Service, and is well-suited for kids aged eightto twelve.
5Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing
By:Paul B. Janeczko
Middle-school kids will get lost for hourson end in this spy-themed book, learning all the secrets of codes!
Concealed within its pages are real-worldcode secrets, information about cipher systems and instructions on concealedwriting.
Kids will not only learn interestinghistorical facts but the book is also packed with plenty of activities for themto experiment with.
6 I Was a Third Grade Spy
By: Mary Jane Auch
Josh is a thrid-grader who has somethingtruly unique: a talking dog named Arful!
When Josh and his friends decide to entertheir schools’ talent competition they use Arful to spy on their competition –a group of girls. Just wait until you see what he uncovers!
This is a fun take on the classic boy vsgirls theme which is popular with kids ages eight to twelve.
7 Brainwashed: Crime Travelers Spy School Mystery
By: Paul Aertker
Brainwashed follows the secret urbanadventures of the New Resistance, a school of international teenage spies ledby thirteen-year-old Lucas Benes.
Their mission, as they make their wayacross Paris, is to sabotage the Good Company which has restarted itsprofitable brainwashing business…
This high-energy adventure story is idealfor children ages eight to fourteen.
Bonus: if your kids love this story there are more books in the Crime Travelers Spy Series!
8 How to be an International Spy
By: Lonely Planet Kids
This top-secret guide is filled to the brimwith everything aspiring spies need to know. With everything from crazy spygadgets to ingenious codes and unbelievable decoys, this book will keep youngreaders glued to its pages.
Not only will they learn inside informationon secret intelligence by they will also gain insight into the lives oflegitimate spies and undercover agents such as Edward Snowden and Ian LancasterFleming.
How to be an International Spy: YourTraining Manual, Should You Choose to Accept it is ideal for any prospectivespy kid aged eight and up.
9 Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1)
By: Mac Barnett
Mac is a spy kid, but not just any spy kid.He’s a spy for the Queen of England herself!
When the priceless Crown Jewels are stolenMac is called into action, and, with the Queen depending on him, he takes offon a global adventure to find her lost treasure. The only question is: can hefind it in time?
This book is sprinkled with historicalfacts and fuelled with adventure and comedy, making it ideal for readers agedseven and up.
10 Epic Zero Box Set: Tales of aNot-So-Super 6th Grader
By: R.L. Ullman
Imagine being born into a superhero family.Sounds pretty sweet, right? Especially if you also want to be a superhero!
But what happens when everyone in yourfamily has superpowers, except you?
That’s exactly the problem that ElliottHarkness faces in Epic Zero: Tales of a Not-So-Super 6th Grader. While hisfamily is off having incredible adventures thanks to their special powers, he’sstuck in school.
This is a perfect read for both boys andgirls aged nine to twelve.
11 Greyson Gray: Camp Legend (The GreysonGray Series)
Kids who love a fast-paced adventure willdevour this book and probably ask for more. You might even find yourselfreading it too!
Before Greyson Gray embarked on anexhilarating mission to serve his country he, like many of us, attended sportscamp.
This is where he learns the thrill ofcompetition and the first awkward moments of a budding crush. And all this isideal because he needs plenty to distract him from the haunting memory of hisfathers’ strange disappearance.
12 Stormbreaker (Alex Rider)
By: Anthony Horowitz
The idea of a 14-year-old MI-6 spy mightsound a little far-fetched but Anthony Horowitz makes it seem wholly believablein this epic spy adventure.
If you have a teen who is obsessed withhigh-tech gadgets and action-fuelled stories, this book (now also a majormotion picture) is a must-have.
The author of this thrilling spy kidadventure book is currently the onlywriter in the world who is authorizedby both the Arthur Conan Doyle and Ian Fleming Estates to write originalSherlock Holmes and James Bond novels, proving that he truly is the master ofthis genre!
13 Independence Hall (I, Q Book 1)
By: Roland Smith
This is the first book in the I, Q seriesand it’s bound to have young readers hooked from the start.
The main character in this story is Quest,a thirteen-year-old who embarks on a year-long cross-country with his mom andnew step-family. It’s meant to be a year of fun and adventure but strangehappenings seem to plague them from the start.
Quest soon realizes that the trip is notturning out the way his parents had hoped and it’s up to him to solve themystery.
14 George Washington, Spymaster: How theAmericans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War
By: Thomas B. Allen
Often the best stories are true stories andthis one is no exception.
Based on actual events and carefullyresearched by author Thomas B. Allen this book offers a surprising new look atone of the most important eras in America’s history.
When George Washington found himself facinga war with the British in 1775 he knew that he was in trouble. His resourceswere low and he was up against the world’s most powerful nation.
His only hope was to delve into the shadowyworld of spies, covert operations, codes and ciphers to try and outwit theBritish.
Readers will meet the members of theelusive Culper Ring, learn how invisible ink works and how even a clotheslinecan be used to send secret messages.
This book even includes Washington’s ownsecret codebook, published here for the first time, which is sure to be a bighit with teens!
15 Code Girls: The True Story of theAmerican Women Who Secretly Broke Codes in World War II
By: Liza Mundy
“Mundy highlights the lives of themany brilliant women who secretly served the code-breaking mission against NaziGermany and Imperial Japan… A solid resource for youngerresearchers.”―School Library Journal
This book is perfectly suited for olderteens, especially those who enjoy true stories.
It’s a little-known fact that during WorldWar II more than ten thousand women were recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy tolearn the secret act of codebreaking.
While their husbands, brothers, andboyfriends fought on the other side of the world, these women cracked some ofthe most intricate German and Japanese military codes.