Congrats on the new book release! I’ve been a longtime fan of Spy School and have bought every book in the series as it’s come out. It’s pretty crazy to think I started reading the series in elementary school and have now graduated college. Picking up a new book always brings back good memories.
I was curious if you have any idea what the age breakdown of your readers looks like. I imagine there are quite a few people like me who grew up with the series and still follow it today.
I also wanted to share something I’ve been thinking about. I feel like the more recent books haven’t quite captured the same magic as the earlier ones, though I’m sure part of that comes from me getting older. I know you’ve mentioned that you don’t plan on aging up the characters, but do you think that’s something you might ever reconsider, especially given how many readers have grown up alongside the series?
Regardless, I’ll always be a fan and hope the series continues for years to come. Thanks for all the great memories!
Nostalgia
First of all, I am very pleased to learn that you have continued to enjoy my books.
I do not have exact figures for ho my audience breaks down. While I hear from many readers like you, I know that I still have a very large base of middle grade readers.
The fact is, it is very hard to age up a series, because I still need to appeal to my younger readers and write books that they can read. As far as I know, there is only one series in history that had such an enormous fan base that the author was able to age it up along with her readers: Harry Potter. Even Percy Jackson and Diary of a Wimpy Kid haven’t been able to do that.
And that does create a problem for Harry Potter (though it hasn’t really slowed the sales down.). New generations of kids often can’t read that entire series in one shot. My own children read a few books, then had to shelve the series for a while until they were old enough to continue it, which is a relatively common experience.
So I’m in a place where I really have to keep writing for the middle grade target audience — while at the same time trying to write books that older readers can still enjoy.
Mr. Gibbs
First, wow. I don’t know how you respond to all these people. I have read most of your books and I have a question. (Now, before you read this, I must warn you, it may or may not be a question you told everyone not to ask.) I think it would be really SWASOME if you made a spy school movie. I know it’s at least 50 million dollars to produce but I think you, with your movie directing experience, it would be an amazing movie to see in theaters. (While also maybe seeing myself on the big screen) Lastly, I want to say, thank you for writing all the books you have wrote and making my 13 year old brain think and get invested into books. Thank you for possibly responding to my message ?
Hiiiii I’m a huge fan of yours and have read all your books. I was wondering if you were going to make any more of the books that take place in space
Hi Mr.Gibbs
You’ve talked about keeping the age rating intended for middle school readers for the Spy School series, thus being the reason we don’t see any death. Would you be interested in exploring more mature topics in a different way? Something like mental health through a certain character or questionable moral decisions (eg. banality of evil, things that don’t fall under right or wrong/good and evil.) I think something that involves morality is definitely a lot for a younger reader to chew on. But maybe it could work out?
Something I really appreciated in the ending for Spy School Project X (without getting into spoilers) was the “solution” towards all the conspiracy theories revolving around Ben and the general public’s opinion. I think it opens an interesting parallel into how some things can’t be resolved in the real world. Obviously it’s easier said than done, It’ll definitely be a difficult task to communicate these themes towards a younger audience, but if it’s done right I personally believe it can be really effective while maintain everything the younger readers already like about the series.
Levi Loose
I have been trying to get a SS movie made for well over a decade… and if you read my blog, you will see that there is some good news on this front.
Rose
Sadly, I am not going to do any more MBA books. I have an older post on this blog that explains why I made that decision.
Alvin –
I try to take on mature topics in my books all the time. I have confronted things like the banality of evil, although I generally try not to be too heavy-handed about it.
Dear Mr Gibbs, I am a long time fan of yours and I adore your books. I have a few questions if I may ask; 1: are you planning on making FunJungle a graphic novel? 2: When or at what book are you planning end Spy School. 3: Besides The original SS (which I assume is your favorite) which SS is your favorite. I want you to know how much of a difference you’ve made in my life with your books. They always leave my 12-year-old brain craving for more and every time I read a different book about spies (besides The City Spies) I can’t stand it and go back to Spy School. Thank you so so much for making the best books on earth. Your biggest fan Everett.
Everett P
Thanks for your kind words about my books (and City Spies).
I hope that FJ will be turned into grpahic novels, but that is up to my publisher.
I don’t know how many books will be in the SS series.
To be honest, I don’t have a favorite of the SS books (including the original). I work too hard on each book to say that one stands out to me above all the others.
Hi, Mr. Gibbs,
You mention a lot about your writing, but not much on the publishing. I wanted to know the publishing process.
Chloe
If you look at my Writing Advice page, I explain how to get published.
If you want to know how a book gets published… I don’t really handle that. My publisher does. All I can say is that I submit a manuscript, which is edited, typeset, designed, printed and shipped.
Did you get you idea for momoko from sanrio (the company that makes hello kitty)?
abcdef
Momoko is based on many companies but Sanrio is one of them.
Are you going to make a new spy school called” Spy School Goes West” to finish the compass rose.
Spencer Burnham
I actually come up with my titles after I write the books, not before. So I can;’ say if there will be a west or not.
If you had to write another MBA book, what would it be about?
mo
I don’t know what it would be about. That’s one of the main reasons that I haven’t written it. (For more, see the post about why I ended MBA on this blog.)
Mr. Gibbs,
i made a custom Spy School Sweatshirt with all the book covers on them (pictures of the real books that i own). Could I share a photo of it with you?
Thanks!
Spy_School_Fan
Hi Mr. Gibbs,
this is Spy_School_Fan again. I was looking back in your blog for why MBA was discontinued, and I couldn’t find it. Could you maybe put the answer in like the books section or something?
Thank you!!
Spy_School_Fan
Spy_School_Fan
There is a blog post about why the MBA series has ended. I promise. It’s not hard to find. I can’t put the same info on every single page of my website.
will we see the news reporter on page 114 ever again, or are they a one-off character
tfived
I have published 47 books, so it would be really helpful to know which of those you are referring to.
Hi Mr Gibs
Random question. if erica and Svetlana got into a fight who woul win also if cyrus and erica got into a fight who would win
Valentina
When Erica and Svetlana did fight, it was a draw.
Erica could probably beat Cyrus now. Cyrus is losing his edge.
OH.MY. GOD. I can’t Celine there is a section for this. My dreams have come true. It is such an honer to talk to you. A few questions: 1- I can’t find spy school 13 through 17 as an audiobook on Apple Books. How would i find them. 2- what is your estimate of how many spy school books there will be. 3-could you find a way to make the series a little more mature? I love it as is but still.
Ori handelman
1) The reason you can’t find books 15-17 on Apple Books is because they don’t exist yet. As for 13 and 14… they ought to be there. I think. I don;t control what platforms carry my books, but they ought to be available wherever books are sold.
2) I don’t know how many SS books there will be.
3) My books are intended for middle grade audiences, so I cannot make them more mature. Sorry.
PLEASE bring Ben and Erica to Iran and let them meet a character named Sania (that’s me! ?). I don’t care if she’s a hero or a villain, I just NEED to be in the story! I’d literally freak out with happiness. PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN! ??
Sania
While i am certainly open to the idea of having scenes in Iran, I can’t name characters after everyone who asks. I get thousands of requests like this every year.
Hi Mr. Gibbs, I can’t really wrap my head around even reaching out to you. I am a big a fan of “Charlie Thorne” and the entire spy school series. The main reason I reached out is about the spy school show in development (which is amazing by the way, so kudos to you). I know its really early in the process to talk about casting and if its open or closed. I know that I am no better at acting then any other girl, but I have grit and I am willing to try as hard as I can to get the role of Erica Hale. ( practicing my cold stare now). So please if you can put a thought out for open casting. Congrats on the show!
why did you leave it at a cliff hanger!!!!!!! (spy school goes east)
Clara Heie –
It is really up to the casting director to decide if there will be open casting or not. If there is, I will post about it on my blog to let people know. I really can’t promise anything — though I guess it’s a good idea to keep practicing that cold stare.
Tobias da Silva
If I ever end a book hinting at the next one, it’s because I want you to read the next one.
Hi Mr. Gibbs,
Congrats on the new book release! I’ve been a longtime fan of Spy School and have bought every book in the series as it’s come out. It’s pretty crazy to think I started reading the series in elementary school and have now graduated college. Picking up a new book always brings back good memories.
I was curious if you have any idea what the age breakdown of your readers looks like. I imagine there are quite a few people like me who grew up with the series and still follow it today.
I also wanted to share something I’ve been thinking about. I feel like the more recent books haven’t quite captured the same magic as the earlier ones, though I’m sure part of that comes from me getting older. I know you’ve mentioned that you don’t plan on aging up the characters, but do you think that’s something you might ever reconsider, especially given how many readers have grown up alongside the series?
Regardless, I’ll always be a fan and hope the series continues for years to come. Thanks for all the great memories!
Nostalgia
First of all, I am very pleased to learn that you have continued to enjoy my books.
I do not have exact figures for ho my audience breaks down. While I hear from many readers like you, I know that I still have a very large base of middle grade readers.
The fact is, it is very hard to age up a series, because I still need to appeal to my younger readers and write books that they can read. As far as I know, there is only one series in history that had such an enormous fan base that the author was able to age it up along with her readers: Harry Potter. Even Percy Jackson and Diary of a Wimpy Kid haven’t been able to do that.
And that does create a problem for Harry Potter (though it hasn’t really slowed the sales down.). New generations of kids often can’t read that entire series in one shot. My own children read a few books, then had to shelve the series for a while until they were old enough to continue it, which is a relatively common experience.
So I’m in a place where I really have to keep writing for the middle grade target audience — while at the same time trying to write books that older readers can still enjoy.
Mr. Gibbs
First, wow. I don’t know how you respond to all these people. I have read most of your books and I have a question. (Now, before you read this, I must warn you, it may or may not be a question you told everyone not to ask.) I think it would be really SWASOME if you made a spy school movie. I know it’s at least 50 million dollars to produce but I think you, with your movie directing experience, it would be an amazing movie to see in theaters. (While also maybe seeing myself on the big screen) Lastly, I want to say, thank you for writing all the books you have wrote and making my 13 year old brain think and get invested into books. Thank you for possibly responding to my message ?
Hiiiii I’m a huge fan of yours and have read all your books. I was wondering if you were going to make any more of the books that take place in space
Hi Mr.Gibbs
You’ve talked about keeping the age rating intended for middle school readers for the Spy School series, thus being the reason we don’t see any death. Would you be interested in exploring more mature topics in a different way? Something like mental health through a certain character or questionable moral decisions (eg. banality of evil, things that don’t fall under right or wrong/good and evil.) I think something that involves morality is definitely a lot for a younger reader to chew on. But maybe it could work out?
Something I really appreciated in the ending for Spy School Project X (without getting into spoilers) was the “solution” towards all the conspiracy theories revolving around Ben and the general public’s opinion. I think it opens an interesting parallel into how some things can’t be resolved in the real world. Obviously it’s easier said than done, It’ll definitely be a difficult task to communicate these themes towards a younger audience, but if it’s done right I personally believe it can be really effective while maintain everything the younger readers already like about the series.
Levi Loose
I have been trying to get a SS movie made for well over a decade… and if you read my blog, you will see that there is some good news on this front.
Rose
Sadly, I am not going to do any more MBA books. I have an older post on this blog that explains why I made that decision.
Alvin –
I try to take on mature topics in my books all the time. I have confronted things like the banality of evil, although I generally try not to be too heavy-handed about it.
Dear Mr Gibbs, I am a long time fan of yours and I adore your books. I have a few questions if I may ask; 1: are you planning on making FunJungle a graphic novel? 2: When or at what book are you planning end Spy School. 3: Besides The original SS (which I assume is your favorite) which SS is your favorite. I want you to know how much of a difference you’ve made in my life with your books. They always leave my 12-year-old brain craving for more and every time I read a different book about spies (besides The City Spies) I can’t stand it and go back to Spy School. Thank you so so much for making the best books on earth. Your biggest fan Everett.
Everett P
Thanks for your kind words about my books (and City Spies).
I hope that FJ will be turned into grpahic novels, but that is up to my publisher.
I don’t know how many books will be in the SS series.
To be honest, I don’t have a favorite of the SS books (including the original). I work too hard on each book to say that one stands out to me above all the others.
Hi, Mr. Gibbs,
You mention a lot about your writing, but not much on the publishing. I wanted to know the publishing process.
Chloe
If you look at my Writing Advice page, I explain how to get published.
If you want to know how a book gets published… I don’t really handle that. My publisher does. All I can say is that I submit a manuscript, which is edited, typeset, designed, printed and shipped.
Did you get you idea for momoko from sanrio (the company that makes hello kitty)?
abcdef
Momoko is based on many companies but Sanrio is one of them.
Are you going to make a new spy school called” Spy School Goes West” to finish the compass rose.
Spencer Burnham
I actually come up with my titles after I write the books, not before. So I can;’ say if there will be a west or not.
If you had to write another MBA book, what would it be about?
mo
I don’t know what it would be about. That’s one of the main reasons that I haven’t written it. (For more, see the post about why I ended MBA on this blog.)
Mr. Gibbs,
i made a custom Spy School Sweatshirt with all the book covers on them (pictures of the real books that i own). Could I share a photo of it with you?
Thanks!
Spy_School_Fan
Spy_School_Fan
Wow! That sounds like a great sweatshirt!
You can email me a photo at stuart.gibbs@rocketmail.com
Hi Mr. Gibbs,
this is Spy_School_Fan again. I was looking back in your blog for why MBA was discontinued, and I couldn’t find it. Could you maybe put the answer in like the books section or something?
Thank you!!
Spy_School_Fan
Spy_School_Fan
There is a blog post about why the MBA series has ended. I promise. It’s not hard to find. I can’t put the same info on every single page of my website.
will we see the news reporter on page 114 ever again, or are they a one-off character
tfived
I have published 47 books, so it would be really helpful to know which of those you are referring to.
Hi Mr Gibs
Random question. if erica and Svetlana got into a fight who woul win also if cyrus and erica got into a fight who would win
Valentina
When Erica and Svetlana did fight, it was a draw.
Erica could probably beat Cyrus now. Cyrus is losing his edge.
OH.MY. GOD. I can’t Celine there is a section for this. My dreams have come true. It is such an honer to talk to you. A few questions: 1- I can’t find spy school 13 through 17 as an audiobook on Apple Books. How would i find them. 2- what is your estimate of how many spy school books there will be. 3-could you find a way to make the series a little more mature? I love it as is but still.
Ori handelman
1) The reason you can’t find books 15-17 on Apple Books is because they don’t exist yet. As for 13 and 14… they ought to be there. I think. I don;t control what platforms carry my books, but they ought to be available wherever books are sold.
2) I don’t know how many SS books there will be.
3) My books are intended for middle grade audiences, so I cannot make them more mature. Sorry.
PLEASE bring Ben and Erica to Iran and let them meet a character named Sania (that’s me! ?). I don’t care if she’s a hero or a villain, I just NEED to be in the story! I’d literally freak out with happiness. PLEASE MAKE IT HAPPEN! ??
Sania
While i am certainly open to the idea of having scenes in Iran, I can’t name characters after everyone who asks. I get thousands of requests like this every year.
Hi Mr. Gibbs, I can’t really wrap my head around even reaching out to you. I am a big a fan of “Charlie Thorne” and the entire spy school series. The main reason I reached out is about the spy school show in development (which is amazing by the way, so kudos to you). I know its really early in the process to talk about casting and if its open or closed. I know that I am no better at acting then any other girl, but I have grit and I am willing to try as hard as I can to get the role of Erica Hale. ( practicing my cold stare now). So please if you can put a thought out for open casting. Congrats on the show!
why did you leave it at a cliff hanger!!!!!!! (spy school goes east)
Clara Heie –
It is really up to the casting director to decide if there will be open casting or not. If there is, I will post about it on my blog to let people know. I really can’t promise anything — though I guess it’s a good idea to keep practicing that cold stare.
Tobias da Silva
If I ever end a book hinting at the next one, it’s because I want you to read the next one.