Hi everyone! As has been the case with every Spy School novel since Evil Spy School, Barnes & Noble and I have collaborated to create an exclusive edition of Spy School Goes North.
This edition will feature an exclusive jacket with a secret map on the reverse side, along with several pages of hilarious content created solely for this book: never-before-seen letters from Ben to his parents, Erica to her sister, Zoe to her true love… and plenty more.
And here’s the best part: It’s exactly the same price as the regular edition! That’s right. You get all that bonus material for free!
Click here to pre-order your exclusive edition now!
Hi, Mr. Gibbs! I noticed you forgot to capitalize the B in Ben when you wrote “…never-before-seen letters from ‘ben’ to his parents…” (Gibbs).
Definitely getting that! so excited!!
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
When will you reveal the title, cover and plot of OUAT 4?
Also, will there be an ESSGN
Odo –
I don’t know when I will do a cover reveal for OAUT 4. I don’t have the cover to reveal yet.
And there will be graphic versions of all the SS novels.
Stuart Gibbs-
When will you reveal the cover for Charlie Thorne 4? How many Charlie Thorne books are you planning to make?
Teddy –
Don’t expect a cover for CT4 for several more months. I am not sure how many books there will be in the series.
Dear Mr. Gibbs,
In your book “Whale Done”, you mention that the chances of recycling put in recycling bins actually getting recycled are very slim. What does that mean? Doesn’t everything that gets put in recycling bins get recycled? You also say that California has a relatively strong recycling program, but that plenty of states don’t. What is it like for other states?
Thank you,
Evan
Evan –
It is possible that not all the plastic you put in the recycling bin gets recycled for lots of reasons. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t still put it in the bin and hope it gets recycled, but there is a chance it might not be.
The fact is that plastic is tougher to recycle than other things, like aluminum (although we are getting better at doing it).
And yes, some states have better recycling programs than others, or make it easier to recycle than other states. I can’t say which states are the best, honestly, but California has long been a leader in recycling (and now composting as well).
what happens after ss 11
What’s an example of why something might not get recycled?
Will SPYDER ever come back in ss
jaxson –
Since SS11 hasn’t even come out yet, I am not about to spoil what happens in ss12.
jaxson –
What happens in future books is classified.
Also, are planning to make an evil spy school graphic novel?
Jaxson –
The plan is for there to be graphic novels for all of the SS books, with one coming out every spring.
Hey if Erica Hale could defeat a group of men with guns and weapons instantly, how come she can’t defend herself like in Spy Camp when Spyder had cornered them and raised their weapons or in Spy School Revolution when they were cornered by Ms. E or all of the other occasions?
just wondering, thanks!
GlucoseSyrupVonEiffelTower – are you talking about a sentence in the book?
pop –
No two action sequences are exactly the same. In any dangerous situation, a good spy needs to assess the skill of the enemy and the odds of survival and act accordingly.
Mr. Gibbs,
So, I am planning on writing a mystery book, but I’m struggling with POV. Sometimes, I like first person will help with character building, but third person may help with suspense. Do you ever have this problem? How do you figure out which POV to use?
Caesar the Chimp
POV is a huge decision. I don’t know that first person necessarily helps with character building, because third person allows you to say a lot more about character. First person is merely a good way to tell a story if you want to stay with one character the entire time and really get into how their mind works. But ultimately, the issue is which one will best serve your story, and that is an intensely personal decision.
Hello, just a quick question for Stu, have you read Alex Rider by Anthony Horowitz? Or watched the TV show? They’re coming out with season 3 later this year and I’m super excited for it (Just in case you haven’t, don’t watch the movie, It’s garbage).
Cason Thomas –
I haven’t read the Alex Rider books or seen the movie or the TV show — although I love Anthony’s mysteries for adults.
I’m in Scouts and I’m an Eagle Scout. In Scouting, they have an award for reading the most (I forget exactly what it was for). The winners are included in the Scout Life magazine. They winners say what their favorite book was. One person read Space Case and said it was their favorite.
I thought I’d share that on here
Wesley Crusher –
Thanks for sharing that.
I wish I could get SCGN but my parents are struggling financially so im sad:(
Hello Mr. Gibbs!
Me again!
Just have a quick question from you incredible FunJungle series…
In Belly Up, Doc states, “‘Then he blackmailed me. If I didn’t do his dirty work, he’d turn Susie in to the FBI.’”
But in Lion Down, apparently Doc’s daughter, who was involved in the meat plant operation and was currently lying low, same as the person “Susie” in Belly Up, was stated to be named Lily.
Does Doc have more than one daughter? I am a little confused here. Thank you so much!
Oh! So sorry, I just read another comment and got my answer to the question I wrote earlier above. Sorry, it was a comment written a year ago, I just stumbled upon it now. Sorry!
Sofie –
Sometimes, when you write two books eight years apart, you forget a character name. And so does everyone who works at your publisher. That was a mistake. Doc has one daughter.
? That’s okay. It doesn’t affect the quality or plot of the book. I appreciate you replying so quickly. I just have one more question…
What’s Doc’s backstory?
I haven’t read the two latest Funjungle books yet, so maybe my answer lies deep within its pages. But why doesn’t Doc ever bring up his wife? Why doesn’t Lily talk about her mother? Perhaps it’s the reason why Doc is so cold to everyone? I know you plan your book months, if not years ahead, but maybe a visit from her would finally bring some happiness to Doc. (I know, it’s weird. They’re fictional characters, I can’t help it. ?)
Sofie –
If I haven’t explained Doc’s backstory that means:
1) I didn’t feel like it was the right time to do that yet.
2) I don’t feel like it’s necessary. (I can’t give the backstories for every character in a series.)
Hi Mr. Gibbs!
Just wondering as a question, do you know how many books there will be in the Spy School Series? Like 15, or 20? Because I just want to know how long the series will be in general.
Bobby –
I do not know how long the SS series will be.
Hello Mr. Gibbs!
Another question…
How specific do you plan your books? I know that brainstorming a good book could take months, if not years, but how vague or specific are you? Do you plan your books down to every prank Teddy plays? Or every time Erica says “I’m studying to be a spy. It’s my job to know things.”? Or do you write down the big moments and just fill in some humor every few pages?
Thank you!
Sofia –
I do not plan my books out down to every detail. I plan out the basics of what I am going to do but then I like to leave room to be creative as I go.
Hello Mr. Gibbs,
I know, I know. You did a blog post about where you get all your inspiration from (Appreciate it) but I have another question if you traveled about the lava crater or visited the Zoo and you still can pinpoint what to write about next what would you do? I´m asking because… I´m stuck. Me and some friends are competing for the best short story and I´m writing something that I know about and that I´m interested in as well as doing research but I still can not write!
Thanks,
Darron
Darron –
You are asking for a very difficult thing. Here’s the deal: What really makes someone a writer is that they have ideas that they are excited to write. That is not exactly something that can be taught or explained. If you are having trouble motivating yourself to write… then maybe writing isn’t your thing.
Hello!
Just something I’ve always wanted to know…
What does your daily schedule look like? I’m sure you don’t just wake up, pull your computer out and write your books all day, right? How often do you meet with your publishers? How much free time do you get? Do you have to work certain times a day, like 9:00 – 5:00 schedule? Or are you just given a due – date for you books and you get to choose how fast you write them? Or do you have control over when you want to publish the cover, plots, and final products?
Thanks so much!
Mr. Gibbs,
Greatly enjoyed your latest release! Did you know ahead of time what you imagined the characters in the Spy School Graphic Novel would look like? Did that go the way you expected? Also, I noticed the characters aren’t using guns as much as they do in the novel. They are just using a pick axe or a knife. Is that for a certain reason?
Appreciate it!
Bret Davidson
Mr. Gibbs,
While SCGN just came out, I am already excited for the ESSGN! When you do you think we will possibly get some information about the book? I am just really excited.
Mr. Gibbs,
I’ve read all 10 of your currently available Spy School Book, and loved them, I usually don’t like reading as I am dyslexic, but as a new teen, I’ve come to enjoy your action, espienage, adventure filled books! I actually read your Spy School at Sea book in 8 hours! Which is impressive if you have dyslexia (a mental condition that makes reading and writing more difficult, to clarify) and I would like to thank you! Not just for getting me into books, but for helping me WANT to read books. I can’t wait to see what happens in Spy School 11 and 12! I know it’s probably classified like Security Level AA2 (for your eyes only) kind of classified, but can you give a “tiny” spoiler, please?
Sofie –
For day to day writing, I am on my own schedule, but i do my best to work a general 9-5 day. I have a due date for the different drafts of my books and have to arrange my time properly to hit those deadlines. I coordinate with my editors and publishers about other aspects of publishing, like covers and book design.
Bret –
The characters in the graphic novel are drawn the way that Anjan Sarkar imagines them to look, although I gave approval. They are not necessarily exactly how I might have imagined them, but I suspect that the only person who could draw the characters exactly the way I imagine them would be me — if i had the artistic talent to do that, which I do not.
Yes, the characters don’t use guns in the GNs, because showing a character with a gun is very different than describing them with a gun. They wouldn’t be allowed to have guns in movies either.
The 8th Grader –
Don’t expect any info on the ESSGN for a while.
William –
I am very pleased to hear that you have enjoyed reading my SS books — but I cannot give any more information about them than I have revealed on this site already. A tiny spoiler is still a spoiler, and spoilers ruin your enjoyment of a book.
Mr. Gibbs,
Simon & Schuster revealed a pre-order thing for OUAT4. Its called, “The Quest Of Danger” ?????? Have you posted something about this, or did this just happen? It also has the cover….
Hello Mr. Gibbs!
I’m working on a book review for a book my Language Arts class is currently reading. It’s a really great book, but I’m not exactly sure how to write a good book review without adding spoilers, or just a good book review in general.
So I thought, “Hey! Why not ask an actual author who might be able to provide some advice? He probably knows TONS about book reviews, right?”
What makes a book review a good one? How can I write an appropriate book review without spoiling it or making it sound corny?
Thank you! 🙂
The 8th Grader and Stu –
Yeah I see that too…
I have a suggestion:
A Spy School Down Under (Australia)
& a Spy School Safari (Africa) would be cool
The 8th Grader –
Oh! I didn’t realize they had released the cover yet. I’ll have to put up a post.