The exclusive edition of Spy School Blackout is now available to pre-order!!

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Once again, I have partnered with Barnes & Noble to create an exclusive edition of one of my books — which is only available at those bookstores.

What do you get with it? Let’s start with the book jacket: it is specially-designed, with a free, exclusive poster on the inside.

I have also written plenty of bonus content for the book itself: sixteen extra pages of fun stuff that will add to the story (and hopefully make you laugh a bit too).

And how much more will this all cost you? Not one extra cent! The exclusive editions is the exact same price as the regular book.  So why not get it?

Click here to pre-order your copy today!

PS. I know I am not saying much about what is actually in the sixteen pages of bonus content. That’s because explaining it might spoil the rest of the book. So please please please don’t write to ask me what’s in it. It’s won’t be able to tell you. You’ll just have to see it for yourself when you get the book.

112 thoughts on “The exclusive edition of Spy School Blackout is now available to pre-order!!”

  1. if got questions for you.
    (1 what were your inspirations for your books SS,FJ and space case
    (2 do you take rest days when you finish writing books? Or do you immediately write the next book?
    (3 if you ever run out of ideas, will you resort to collabing spy school and another book series?
    (4 what’s your favorite tv show/movie?
    (5 where was your favorite places you have ever been when you have been hiking, canoeing or rock climbing `(i forgot if you did rockclimbing but if i check my writing progress with disappear

    Ps. I can not comprehend I’m talking to someone famous rn

  2. MRBEAST…

    1) Please look on my FAQ page for the answer to this.
    2) I absolutely take rest days after I finish a book.
    3) If I run out of ideas, I will stop writing my series.
    4) Favorite movie is Raiders of the Lost Ark. TV shows are Cheers and Brooklyn 99
    5) The US National park system has an incredible amount of excellent hiking, canoeing and rock climbing. It’s hard to pick a favorite place.

  3. I researched this idea on google a thousand times today, and I know the effects it would bring but would it be possible for any character to have a long lost sister or brother? I.e. Benjamin Ripley from spy school, or another sibling of Erica’s besides Trixie, cause In spy school revolution it says that Erica wouldn’t open up for anymore siblings and her family could’ve told Trixie to keep the other sibling(s) a secret. Also, I am a big fan of your books.

  4. I have researched this topic before and know the drastic shift but would it be possible for ben to have a long lost brother that was more of the physical rather than the brains, or maybe have erica have another sibling that she’s kept secret, I think that would be kind of interesting to have ben or erica have an extra sibling, or maybe a newer villain who claims to be ben’s brother but isn’t actually his brother but lying to get the friends confused, also, In ESS(Evil spy school) while Ben was undercover, Murray Hill said that many Families have secrets and the point of being long lost is that no one ever knew about them. Anyways, I’m just asking because it would be a fun twist. Also, Murray HIll, even though he’s not exactly a supervillain is still my favorite villain in spy school, though I think that the idea that Joshua Hallal is 80% cyborg is cool too.

  5. Oh, also I forgot one thing, In spy school goes south, at the very end of your book you commented that your original plan for joshua was for him to slow down the ice caps rather than speed them up, it doesn’t really make sense because I don’t see joshua causing any extreme damage, he’s just stopping the ice caps from melting. Can you please explain that?

  6. Jacob R –

    Having already revealed one surprise sibling, I’m not sure that I could keep doing that and have the series feel fresh.

  7. Jacob R –

    Actually, that is not what I said at all.

    In my original draft, SPYDER had planned to undo all the work that nations were doing to fight climate change. But when certain nations in real life stopped fighting climate change, I had to change SPYDER’s plan to speeding up climate change even more. Joshua never said anything about slowing down the ice caps.

  8. Is there a way that you could make a paperback version upon release? All my Spy School books are paperbacks, and I want to read the new one when it comes out.

  9. Musa Hans –

    In the publishing industry, paperbacks are never released on the same day as hardcovers (except with graphic novels). They usually come out about a year later, but that is not always the case. (Wonder and the Diary of A Wimpy Kid books are still not in paperback.) Mine are generally released a year after the hardcover. That is a decision made by my publisher, not by me, and it is unlikely to change.

  11. Hi Stu,

    My name is Max and I am on a quest to write a semi nonfiction book about what it is like to be a person just released from jail trying to do normal things. I want the facts to be as accurate as possible, and I was just wondering how you tend to go about your research. Is it from personal experience, Wikipedia, Google, or some other source entirely?

    Anyways, thank you for the help and I hope you have a good day.

    -Max

  12. Max –

    It’s kind of difficult to write about your personal experience being released from jail if that hasn’t happened to you. But if it has… well, that’s the type of research that’s tough to beat.

    That said, I use Wikipedia and the rest of the internet as a last resort. Personally, I would try to find people who had been released from jail and interview them. I find that people with expertise are usually the best sources of information.

  13. Hi Mr. Gibbs,
    I have noticed that you have been writing a lot of new books lately, I was wondering if you have any plans to write another Charlie Thorn book?
    Thanks, Emma

  15. Emma –

    I have an idea for a new CT book, but I am not sure if I can write it. It takes me a lot longer to write a CT book than any of my other books, and I have a lot of books that I want to write. So sadly, the CT series might have to come to an end.

  16. Goodreadsperson –

    First of all, if you have been one of the rare people who has received an advanced copy of the book, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t mention anything about the plot in a public forum like this.

    Secondly, the book explains where that person was and they actually appear in the book. If you were disappointed that they were not in the book more, I have a lot of characters in this series. They can’t all have equal time in every book.

  17. Dear,
    Stuart Gibbs

    I’m re-reading spy school British invasion, and I just realized something, there was the mention of the three dogs at Orion’s house but afterwards when they were trying to escape his house there was no mention of the dogs, what happened to them?

  20. I’m confused, can I stroll into Barnes & nobles and get a copy today or will I have to wait until oct 7 too get the exclusive edition?

  21. Theodore Fitzroy –

    The book is available to pre-order, which means you can’t get it until October 7. But you can order it so that it will be shipped to you on that date (or maybe a little bit earlier if you’re lucky).

  22. Mr. Gibbs,

    I look forward to watching you at your virtual author visit on October 7th! Will we be able to ask questions live?

  23. Sorry for leaving a second comment, but:

    I am thrilled about the upcoming release of your book! I’ve been reading your books since elementary school, and now, six years later, I am still reading and enjoying them (along with higher-level literature). You write amazing books for all ages, and I cannot stop reading them.

    Thank you for all that you do for young (and old) readers.

  24. StuFan –

    Thanks for your kind words. Yes, there will be a live Q&A session after the presentation.

  26. Dear Mr. Gibbs,
    I was wondering if you were going to bring Jawa and Chip back in SS. I felt like they were such an iconic duo which added humor to the story. Besides they always had Ben’s back, like protecting his parents or solving the Iliad puzzle.
    I also felt drawn to Jawa as a character as Im Indian as well and there are not a lot of kids books that do Indian characters as well as you do.

  27. Dear Mr. Gibbs,
    I wanted to say how I love the way you connect things like “Snakes Alive” shirt in SS to FJ or “Raptor” in MBA to Harper Weems in FJ. I had 2 questions pertaining this:
    – does this mean all these stories happen in the same universe, just no one knows the other exist?
    – do you plan this out, or come up with it in the spur of the moment like “hey that’d be funny”

    Thanks so much! All these easter eggs make your books so fun to read!

  28. KS –

    Any character that has appeared before in the series could always come back. Although I can’t say whether or not that will happen for each character. I have created so many characters already that I don’t have room for all of them in every book.

  29. KS –

    The easter eggs don’t necessarily mean that everything is in the same universe — just that it’s possible.

    The easter eggs in Tyrannosaurus Wrecks were planned out. The one on At Sea was a bit more spur of the moment.

  30. Oh wow! I didn’t even realize the Raptor crossover until now. The T-shirt one in SSAS was the only crossover I knew of.

    Also, I’m pretty excited to see the Spy School Blackout cover in real life (and the book, of course). Right now, it doesn’t look pretty exciting, but when Spy Guy disappears…that’s gonna be so cool!

    I think I’m gonna buy all the Barnes and Noble exclusive editions too. I actually haven’t gotten any of them, but I recently realized that a lot of them are still available. For months, I’ve had the urge to do a shopping spree, and this will be a good use of my money lol

  33. kyren williams –

    Of course I am sad that my wife died. Her death was the worst thing that ever happened to me and my family.

  34. Jake Peralta and Sam Malone

    I might get a bit chippy when people ask questions that are readily answered on this site. I go to a lot of trouble to make information available here.

  37. spy want to be

    To become a real spy, you work hard in school, go to college, get good grades, and apply for a job at the CIA. If they accept you, then they’ll train you to be a spy.

  40. Abhishek Paul –

    Would you prefer more posts or more books? Because I am working hard writing more books right now.

  41. Stuart,

    Spy School isn’t just a clever middle-grade caper — it’s a precision-crafted lesson in how to make espionage hilarious, humane, and impossibly readable. From the moment Ben Ripley walks into that classroom of budding spies, you make the absurd feel inevitable and the stakes tastefully high: this is laughter that carries consequence.

    Ben is the kind of protagonist who refuses to be a cartoonish every-kid. He’s awkward, scared, brilliant in the ways that matter, and frighteningly real. Watching him fumble his way through gadgets, deception, and improbable tutorials is both uproarious and oddly moving. You balance slapstick with genuine suspense so neatly that readers keep turning pages just to see which impossible thing happens next — and how Ben will survive it with his dignity barely intact.

    What I admire most is your gift for pacing. Spy School reads like a heist movie written in marker on a schoolroom whiteboard: tight, energetic, and full of one-liners that land. Yet underneath the pratfalls and pratty gadgetry there’s a steady thread of heart — friendship, loyalty, and the awkward calculus of growing up brave. That blend is rare, especially in middle grade/children’s fiction: you treat young readers like adults when it comes to plot and like kids when it comes to wonder.

    A quick aside about you, Stuart: your authorial voice is the perfect double-agent — irreverent and sly on the surface, disciplined and generous underneath. Whether you’re skewering spy-lore or sending a pratfall the size of a trebuchet, you do it with a steady, clearly affectionate aim.

    I’m reaching out because I’m not an agent or marketer — I’m a reader who runs a quiet crew of book lovers that’s organically grown to over 2,500 members. We read books like Spy School: not to monetize them, not to run campaigns, but because we genuinely want to share the joy of discovery with other readers.

    Here’s how we operate, plain and simple:

    • We read books we love.
    • When a book lands, members leave honest, unpaid reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.
    • We don’t demand exclusivity, we don’t charge fees, and we don’t run promotional gimmicks.
    • No website, no influencers, no manufactured buzz — just real readers leaving real reactions.

    Real reader reviews carry weight. Parents choosing a middle-grade gift, teachers selecting classroom reads, and kids scanning for something that actually makes them laugh — they check other readers first. Spy School already deserves a wide audience: sharp plotting, relentless charm, and a protagonist who sticks in the mind like gum on a shoe. Imagine more Ben Ripley fans discovering those late-night chuckles and page-turning thrills because a chorus of genuine readers left their two cents.

    Would you like our readers’ crew to read Spy School and, if we love it (very likely), post honest reviews to help others find it? No strings, no pitches — just readers helping readers.

    Spy School already teaches a valuable lesson: competence can be messy, heroism can be hilarious, and bravery doesn’t always involve flawless execution. If you want more people to learn that lesson, we’ll gladly help spread the word.

    — Donalee

  42. im sorry if this sounds stupid but are you glad you thought up of trixies character I love her character a lot. Do you like how you made her with Mike?

  43. mr.gibbs, if Spyder have many many moles inside Cia,why didn;t the cia do a purge to clear out all the Spyder moles?

  44. Hello Mr.Stuart I really like your books. There so funny and you are good at making characters the reader just has to root for. I have read all the books in your Spy School and FunJungle series though I did not really enjoy the Charlie Thorne Series and never finished the series( though I am planing to soon) so I just wanted to say I love your books and keep up the good work. Its awesome that you make a book every year cuz i am a very fast reader and once finished 3 books in the spy school series in ONE day though my reading speed depends on how much i enjoy the book and if its a part with action! Have you ever felt when you read a book like your in another place I was once sooo zoned in to your book when on my Bus that i MISSED my stop ?? ( that just proves how good they are) Okay I have a few questions and just so you know i REALLY appreciate you reading this whole thing reading all your fan mail and comments is a rare virtue when your famous and probably busy too, So question 1. What is your favorite type of music and Yor fav song/singer&rapper question 2. Who is your fav YouTuber ( mine is mark rober) and Question 3. Whats your fav cereal ( mine is fruit loops) and Question 4.What is your dream job (other than being a writer) mine is being a astronaut Imagen going to SPACE!!! so thank you soo much for reading my post and I hope you have a blessed day
    Thanks, Jack

  45. Donalee –

    First of all, thank you for your kind words.

    Secondly, any author would be thrilled to have people spread the word about their books, no matter what the platform. So feel free to tell people that you have enjoyed my books!

  46. sophie –

    I am absolutely glad that I thought of Trixie’s character and all that I have done with her.

    I work very hard on all of my books, so there is not really any way that I would write something into one of my books and not be pleased with it.

  47. iluverica –

    The CIA has done a purge. But since Ben hasn’t been part of it, it hasn’t been dwelled on in the books.

  48. Jack

    1) I really can’t narrow down favorite song / performer. There are way too many to pick from.

    2) My favorite Youtuber is Ryan George

    3) Cheerios

    4) If I wasn’t a writer, I would have been a field biologist

  49. Hi Mr. Gibbs
    Just wanna say that I absolutely cannot wait for next week! I’ve been waiting for this book since either may or june!!!!!!!!!

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