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Out of Sight, Out of Time Ally Carter

Cammie remembers leaving school to find the Circle of Cavan, to keep everyone else out of danger.

She wakes up 4 months later in a convent in the Alps.

She remembers nothing in between.

But suddenly she's back at school, trying to discover what she did on her summer vacation. The adults are freaked. Her friends are treating her oddly. And Zach is apparently now a student.

Oh, and if you think that the teachers at Gallagher Academy will cut you a break because you have amnesia and missed the first month of class, then you haven't been paying attention.

Love! First, off Gallagher Girls, of course there's love.

I like Cammie's struggle as she tries to come to terms with this person in the mirror that she doesn't recognize, as her friends try to come to terms with her, their anger at her leaving, the mystery of what the hell happened.

Not as many cool gadgets, or spy lessons, but enough snipers and car chases and explosions to keep a girl happy. This book really focuses on who Cammie is now, and the mystery of what happened to make her that way.

Now, some things I caught onto right away (and if you know how "Early one Morning" and Spike go together, you will, too.) But who the bad guys were and why was a surprise.

It's a page turner that kept me up all night.

AND! MY FAVORITE PART! I can't talk about here, because it's a spoiler, but click here if you've read it already.

Book Provided by... the publicist, for review consideration,

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

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Only the Good Spy Young Ally Carter

I'm sure I'm not the only blogger who has this problem-- you read a book and are ready to review it, only to realize that you never reviewed the previous book in a series? Or am I the only who's stupid enough to try to review every book they finish?

And it's not because I didn't enjoy the book. I mean, I pre-ordered this one and it arrived on my doorstep during ALA Annual 2010. Now, 2010 was in DC, so after a day of conferencing, I came home to shower, eat, change and then go back for the Printz reception. Only, NEW GALLAGHER GIRLS. Never mind the huge bag of highly-anticipated ARCS I had just carried home. NEW GALLAGHER GIRLS. Of course I started reading it. Of course I got so caught up in it that I was late the Printz reception and missed the 1.5 acceptance speeches.

But, afterwards, I got to talk to Ally Carter herself. And tell her that I was late and missed speeches because her book was (so far) really, really good. She didn't look at me like I was crazy or nuthin'. Because she's nice.

And then MT Anderson dropped some cake on me, but that's another story.

Anyway, because I've waited so freakishly long to blog about this (ALMOST 2 YEARS?! WTF?!) The details are hazy, so here's the description from the book jacket:

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn't know was that the serious, real-life danger would start as soon as her junior year. But that's exactly what happened when she faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie "The Chameleon" can't hide. When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most trusted allies is actually a rogue double agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers--or even her own heart.

Despite the fact the details are hazy, here is what I remember

OMG SO FREAKING GOOD!

A whole new level of excitement and danger-- it's not a game anymore and things are getting real.

Shifting alliances-- you really don't know who's good and who's bad anymore-- lots of gray areas.

Even better? Lots of backstory. Exciting exciting backstory that's super-relevant to the plot.

LOVE this series. And luckily the next installment is out! Huzzah!

Book Provided by... my wallet

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.

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For today's enjoyment, I bring you two books about teen spies. Because, what's better than teen spies? Nothing.

Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover Ally Carter

The third book in the Gallagher Girls series, this one sees Macey's senator father running for vice-president. Cammie goes to visit Macey on the campaign trail and foils a kidnapping attempt. When school starts, the girls must balance their spy-training coursework with a busy campaign schedule, and the fact that someone is after them and no one will tell them anything.

This is a little different from the previous books, because in them, the girls were never in any danger. One of my favorite things about the Gallagher Girls series is that it never puts minors in harm's way, which is a conceit used in most other books of this genre. This one, however, features tons to real danger and real-life situations that the girls have to use their spy-training to get out of. Now, the adults don't want them in danger, and do everything they can to keep the kids out of it, BUT, when someone is actively trying to kidnap you, you're bound to run into trouble. Lots of action, suspense, cool spy stuff, and boys that mess with your mind. What more could you want?

Fans of the series need to check it out, but you need to read the earlier ones first, I think.

Now, I'm super-intrigued to see what the ARC read like. I can't find the post, but I swear to all that I'm sure Liz B blogged about the fact she was warned there were significant differences between the ARC and the final book.

Spy High Mission One AJ Butcher

Bond Team is not getting along. They have one more chance to beat the virtual simulation test, or they're getting their memories wiped and getting kicked out of Spy High. No one wants that, but no one's willing to put their differences and egos aside to start working as team, which is the only way they'll pass. Then, the head of their school has another idea that sends them straight into the face of danger, but might be the only way to get them to work together.

Ok, this is one of those where the plot is absolutely redonkulous (but mutants are always cool, so it's ok!) the characters are stock and flat, but I still rather enjoyed it. This is a fun, fast read. Some of the characters annoyed me (Hi Ben! You suck!) but the plot was fast paced and so ludicrous it was awesome. Was it good? No. Am I glad I read it? Totally.

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Cammie is excited to visit her friend Macy in Boston at the political convention where Macy’s father will accept the nomination for vice president. The last thing Cammie expects is to have to use her Gallagher Academy training when they are surrounded by Secret Service Agents but Gllagher girls are taught to always be prepared so when Cammie finds herself without Secret Service Agents in the

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by Ally Carter

I want to be a spy.
I'm serious, I really, truly do. (Please don't laugh!) As in, I ache a little when I read about such things. Books like the Gallagher Girls series (of which this is the third), the Kiki Strike series, Genius Squad, etc. all make me want to be an honest-to-goodness teen spy or detective or something like that.

Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover starts at the end of summer vacation, but quickly moves into the girls' junior year at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. (FYI: you're going to want to read the previous two books in order to appreciate this one.) Cammie's pal Macey is under the eye of the world as Macey's father runs for vice president of the US. As threats and kidnapping attempts surround Macey's new life, it seems as if the girl she used to be is slowly getting lost under her new cover....

It was perfect timing to read this, with the book's prominent election theme being particularly intriguing. (Since we ourselves have been currently gearing up in real life for a historical Election Day happening today!) There were times while reading when the pacing felt a little off and I really wished I could hear more about the girls' new classes. But overall I enjoyed it very much. Plenty of action, suspense, and a bit of character-development. A couple of new characters were introduced, both of whom I grew to be quite fond of.

I'll be interviewing the author for the upcoming Winter Blog Blast Tour, so stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, I'm looking into a summer spy camp offered by a college on the East Coast....

(disclaimer: sorry, guys, this book won't be released till June '09...)

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You know how I said I was doing a lot of spy book reading lately? Yeah. This is a really long post.

First up,

Down to the Wire Shannon Greenland

Y'all know I loved the first in this series, Model Spy. The Specialists are back, but this time, it's Wirenut's case.

But GiGi is still narrating. The action starts with how Wirenut was conned into joining the Specialists, and then jumps to Gigi's narration of the action picking up where the last book left off. It's a little weird.

Basically, the guy who hacked Wirenut's family to death is hiding some top-secret biological weapon in the handle of the sword that was used to hack his family to death. Wirenut's the only one who can break into the museums to get the clues to lead to the sword, GiGi's the only one who can decode the clues...

Murder. Mayhem, some girls, some kissing, and a whole lot of David-related angst.

All the techno babble is utter crap, and the countries are made up but... I still get totally sucked into these books and can't wait for the rest of the series. Excellent titles for reading while lying in the hammock on a hot day.

The Squad: Perfect Cover Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Toby Klein is the ultimate slacker, so why is she being invited to try out for Varsity Cheerleading?! Something weird is going on, especially since Toby's cheer invites are being written in code.

Fast forward. Toby's on the squad, only cheerleading is a cover for a group of elite teen CIA operatives. Cheerleaders are peppy and dumb, right? Wrong, but it's the perfect cover for girls like Toby with ninja-like martial arts skills and hacker skills to beat GiGi's from The Specialists. Sadly, being on the squad means getting a Level 6 makeover (which means that the cheerleading twins have come in and completely replaced Toby's closet.) Sure, her new trendy belt buckle doubles as a camera, but her new highlights are just that, highlights. And Toby's dorky brother? In loooooooooooooooooove with cheerleaders and thinks he is quite the ladies man. (He's not.)

Toby is now one of those girls. Yes, catching terrorists is cool, but she does still have to learn how to do pyramids and something called a herkie...

Here's why I love this: The technology is vaguely plausible (in that James Bond way). Also, Toby does NOT appreciate going from invisible girl to overnight in-crowd. She doesn't handle it well. Toby's voice is perfect sarcasm. I love her.

Example (Hayley is pissed off that she didn't make the squad and Toby did. She's been spreading gossip and the rest of the squad keeps telling Toby to ignore it.):

"Well, I heard that she's a complete lezbo who's sleeping with one of the other girls on the squad. Can you say casting couch?"

I had to hand it to Hayley Hoffman. She was creative and she must have had an excellent command of acoustics, because she pitched her voice just loud enough so that I could hear her, but not loud enough that Tara, Bubbles, or April could. I thought about just sucking it up and taking my place at the center table, but I couldn't quite bring myself to turn the other cheek, because the fact that Hayley was using that particular term as an insult meant that her words weren't just insulting me. With that in mind, I waled toward the JV table, ready to draw blood, metaphorically speaking. Probably.

That awesome, awesome voice continues in:

The Squad: Killer Spirit Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Check it out:

Less than an hour ago, all I'd wanted was detention. Now, I was nominated for homecoming court and going to the big dance with the hottest guy in the school. Somewhere out there, God was laughing at me. I was sure of it.

And that sets up the plot. There are a ton of baddies in town, and the Squad isn't the only crew tracking them. The Big Guys keep trying to take away the case and Brooke's trying to keep control. Plus, Toby's on homecoming court and Noah's trying to do anything possible to make her queen. Someone's trying to kill Toby. If the mission succeeds and Toby survives, Brooke will take her out if she steals the crown... what's a cheerleader to do?

What I liked about this is the stakes were a little higher, but we also learned some info on Brooke that rounded her out a bit as a character.

I'm looking forward to future volumes, but can't find if any are forthcoming... :(

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan goes to en elite boarding school. Everyone else thinks it's where the daughters of the country's richest go, but really, it's a boarding school for spies in training.

They only take the best and the brightest and they take classes in foreign language and covert operations. When they grow up, the NSA and CIA are ready to take them.

Cammie Morgan may speak over 14 languages, but none of them is "boy." When she starts falling for a boy from town, it's up to her and her friends to use all their training to find out if he likes her not.

This is fun. I really like that Cammie and Co. don't go on any missions to save the world. Unlike these other books, where kids are thrown into hardcore situations with only a month or two of training, Cammie is getting a complete education and not going on any serious missions until then.

Not that she can't find other uses for her skills...

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy Ally Carter

After what happened last semester, something new is coming to Gallagher Academy. Boys. Boys will be taking classes and training with the girls.

But who are these boys and why are they really here? And who's been leaking Gallagher information to the outside world?

And what could be more mortifying than running into your ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend while you're wearing a comms unit that your entire class and teacher can hear over?!

If you liked the first, you'll like this. More action, more intrigue, even though I guess the ending, I still liked reading it.

James Bond, you're on. Girls are coming to get you.

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Why?

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3) Help you establish yourself as expert in the world of children’s writing and publishing. Even before you are published, you can interview more experienced children’s writers and post these interviews to your blog or write reviews of new children’s books.

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