Over the past few years, the question I have probably been asked on this website more than any other is: When will Spy School become a movie or TV series?  Well, the first step in that process has begun.

Here are the important points to know:

The show is being developed by Fox TV for Disney +.

It will be a streaming series, most likely with each season being one book in the series.

It will be live action, not animated.

Chris Fedak will be the showrunner. Previously, Chris created the show Chuck, which was also a CIA action-comedy. Interestingly, it is also the show that more CIA agents have told me is their favorite CIA show than any other.

It is being produced by Maximum Effort, which Ryan Reynolds’ production company, and by Emma Watts, who has shepherded such films as The Kingsmen, Deadpool and the Avatar films.

Now, I figure you have a lot of questions.  I will try to answer some of them.

Does this guarantee that the show will be on the air?

No. It is only the first step in what might be a long process. There is also a chance that, yet again, the whole thing might fall apart and not happen.

Why is it so hard to get a show or a movie made?

Because making a streaming TV show (or a movie) is really really really expensive. So a lot of things have to go right to make the studio decide to spend all that money.

What is a showrunner?

In TV, a writer generally oversees the show. Multiple writers will work on the show, but Chris will really be in charge. He is also writing the pilot episode.

Why is someone else the showrunner instead of you, Mr. Gibbs?

Because being a showrunner is a big job. I don’t have time to do it and write all my books. However, I am a producer on the show and will be involved in developing the season and will maybe even write an episode (or two).

Wait. Didn’t Disney + turn down the idea of doing Spy School several years ago?

Yes.

What changed their minds? 

I’m not sure, but I’m thrilled that they’re giving it another shot. I think Disney + is the right place for the show.

Can I be in the show?

That is not my decision. I am not in charge of casting.

Well, I’m a really good actor. Could you ask the casting person to consider me?

No.

Why not?

Because the casting person’s job is to find talent to play the characters on the show. My job is to write the books that the show is based on. The casting director does not make suggestions about what I should write in my books. And I don’t make suggestions about who they should hire.

However, if the casting director decides there will be an open casting call for the series, then I promise to post about it on my blog.

Do you know who is going to play any of the characters yet?

No. Casting has not begun. And as of this time, I am not sure when it might start.

Do you have any idea when the show might be ready for viewing?

No. But as of right now, July 9, 2026, I would say it will probably be at least a year.

Hopefully, I will have more good news to report about the show in the coming months, Stay tuned to this blog for more details!

For years, many of you have been asking me if I would ever start a new series.

Well, I’m starting one!

Here’s the cover for it:

And here’s the concept:

Johnny Day is not a good history student. He got a D-minus on his last exam. He can’t even decipher Roman numerals. So when Johnny visits his brilliant aunt at the groundbreaking company where she works, he never expects her to send him back to ancient Rome.

Click here to pre-order your copy today!

When I was a kid, Batman was always my favorite superhero. Since he didn’t have super-powers, he was the only one I could grow up to be. So the idea that, one day, I would get to be writing not just one Batman graphic novel, but a while series, is still astounding to me.

But that’s what is happening. DC Comics loved the original graphic novel I wrote for them — as well as the incredible art by Berat Pekmezci — so much that they asked us to do two more. (And possibly even more after that.)  Book two comes out at the end of this summer:

Being a secret vigilante isn’t easy.And trying to catch a villain in the act of villainy while trying to learn the ropes of the superhero thing has 13-year-old Bruce Wayne exhausted and struggling at school. Although he is far more frustrated by the fact that Selina Kyle has a crush on Batman—but not him.

When Jack Napier and his hulking sidekick Bane are recruited by Hugo Strange for a high-stakes heist at Gotham City Bank, Bruce will get a second chance to prove he has what it takes to defend the streets of Gotham. But Bruce gets more than he bargained for when he catches Selina helping Jack. Coming from a school full of heroes and villains, he should have known she would be more than she seems! And now Bruce will have to find a way to stop them all before they can accomplish their plan.

Click here to pre-order your copy today!

For years, readers have been asking if I am going to start a new series.

I am.       Sort of.

Spy School Secret Files is an offshoot of the Spy School series — but  instead of telling made up stories about spies, I and sharing true stories.

Yes, this is my first non-fiction book. It came about as a result of my visit to CIA headquarters. While there, I head so many fascinating true stories of espionage that I asked if I could share them and the CIA eagerly agreed. There were so many stories that I realized there would have to be more than one book, so I decided to focus the first book on tales from World War II, which really was the beginning of the modern CIA.  (Yes, that means there will be at least one more book in this series.)

To tie this to Spy School, I have Ben Ripley narrate the stories. So I hope you will enjoy reading as Ben shares the true stories behind World War II’s courageous spies, their inventive commanders, and the incredible things they did, like commando raids, code-breaking, double-crosses, disinformation, and inventing shark repellant and exploding pancake batter (really). There are amazing stories about famous spies like Julia Child, John Ford, and Sterling Hayden, plus countless others who risked their lives and took great risks to keep the world safe from evil.

Totally True Tales of World War II will be available on November 10, 2026.

Click here to pre-order it!

I have received a lot of messages from a lot of people wanting to know about this book. So I will not draw things out any longer. Here is the new cover and title:

And here is the synopsis:

When the seasoned adult spies of the Hale family mysteriously disappear on a mission to China, Ben Ripley and his fellow spies-in-training head east to discover what happened to them—and find themselves up against a villainous plot that will take them from the skyscrapers of Shanghai to the ancient ruins of the Great Wall to the remote regions of the Gobi desert.

It will be available on October 6. Click here to pre-order it! (Although a lot of sites may not have it ready for pre-order yet. They will soon, though.)

Now, here are the answers to a few questions I am sure I will get:

That’s it? That’s all the information you are going to share with us?

Yes. The less you know about a book before you read it, the more fun it is the read. I don’t want to spoil anything.

Can’t you tell me anything else? Even if I ask nicely?

Sorry, no. And if you send me an email or post a comment asking for more info, I will simply direct you back to this page.

Will there be an exclusive edition of this book with bonus content?

Probably, although that isn’t guaranteed yet. If there is, I will post about it.

Now that you have written Goes South, Goes North and Goes east, will there be a Spy School Goes West?

I don’t know. Strange as it might seem, I write the titles of my books last, not first. I wrote this book because I wanted to set a book in China, not because I wanted to call a book ‘Spy School Goes East.’ That title just ended up working better than any of the other options.

That’s right folks.  I have teamed up with Barnes & Noble yet again to create an exclusive edition of one of my novels!

This one has a special cover, an annotated map of Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda (home to the mountain gorillas), Teddy Fitzroy’s safari checklist and plenty of bonus animal facts. And, as usual, it costs the exact same amount of money as the regular book.

Click here to pre-order your copy today!

Hi all!  2026 is going to be a big year!

First up, on March 24, 2026 there’s the newest book in the FunJungle series, Ape Escape.

When a baby gorilla is stolen from an orphanage in Rwanda, Teddy, his parents, and an old family friend find themselves in a race against time to save it. Teddy has to piece together clues to figure out where the little ape is being taken while traveling through some of the most incredible—and dangerous—terrain in the world.

At the same time, he’s long-distance consulting with Summer to help solve another mystery back at FunJungle. Between facing down lions on the Serengeti and chasing poachers through the bazaars of Zanzibar, will Teddy be able to find the baby gorilla before it’s too late?

I’m pleased to announce that, once again, there will be an exclusive edition of this one available from Barnes & Noble, featuring an exclusive jacket, an annotated map of—plus bonus content that features Teddy’s safari checklist, fun animal facts and more!

Click here to pre-order your exclusive copy today!

Also on March 24, you can get the FunJungle MegaFauna Mystery boxed set!

This has paperback editions of Bear Bottom, Whale Done and All Ears — in a box!

Click here to get it!

Next up, on April 28… Spy School Secret Service, the Graphic Novel!

The New York Times bestselling Spy School series continues in graphic novel form with the fifth book as Ben Ripley goes undercover in the White House to take on a SPYDER operative determined to assassinate the president.

This will also have an exclusive edition at Barnes & Noble! It featuresan exclusive cover with shiny red foil, plus a double-sided, pull-out poster of Washington D.C. and Ben’s highlights of The White House!

Click here to pre-order your exclusive copy today!

Then, on August 18… Spaced Out the Graphic Novel!

The moon base commander has gone missing, and Dash Gibson is on the case in this New York Times bestselling, second mind-boggling mystery of the Moon Base Alpha series —now in graphic novel form!

Click here to pre-order it!

After that, On September 1… Bruce Wayne, Not Super: Bat Catastrophe!

When Jack Napier and his hulking sidekick Bane are recruited by Hugo Strange for a high-stakes heist at Gotham City Bank, Bruce will get a second chance to prove he has what it takes to defend the streets of Gotham. But Bruce gets more than he bargained for when he catches Selina helping Jack. Coming from a school full of heroes and villains, he should have known she would be more than she seems! And now Bruce will have to find a way to stop them all before they can accomplish their plan.

Click here to pre-order it!

Next, on October 6…. Spy School Goes East!

When the seasoned adult spies of the Hale family mysteriously disappear on a mission to China, Ben Ripley and his fellow spies-in-training head east to discover what happened to them—and find themselves up against a villainous plot that will take them from the skyscrapers of Shanghai to the ancient ruins of the Great Wall to the remote regions of the Gobi desert.

Click here to pre-order it!

On November 10… I will release my first non-fiction book!

Join Ben as he shares the true stories behind World War II’s courageous spies, their inventive commanders, and the incredible things they did, like commando raids, code-breaking, double-crosses, disinformation, and inventing shark repellant and exploding pancake batter (really). There are amazing stories about famous spies like Julia Child, John Ford, and Sterling Hayden, plus countless others who risked their lives and took great risks to keep the world safe from evil.

Click here to pre-order it!

That’s it! Six books released within one year.  I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do this again. But I worked really hard on each one of these… So I hope you enjoy them all!

I am thrilled to finally announce a project that I have been working on with Simon & Schuster for the past year:

Whether you’re a young writer looking for tips, a teacher hoping to educate your students about creative writing, or a homeschooler looking for some fun new lessons, Mission: Write should appeal to you.  There are currently six videos (with more coming in the future) hosted by me — and accompanying lesson plans written by the brilliant educator, Rose Brock.

Best of all, it’s free!  So take a look for yourself.  Just click here to watch and learn!

I, along with many of my favorite writers (and probably yours), have contributed to this amazing anthology:

In a collection of personal stories and essays, award-winning and bestselling authors write about how hope always wins, even in the darkest of times.  Here are just a few of the people who contributed to this book: Tom Angleberger, Sarah Mlynowski, Max Brallier, Julie Buxbaum, Pablo Cartaya, J. C. Cervantes, Rex Ogle, Matt de la Peña, Adam Gidwitz, R.L. Stine, Veera Hiranandani, Hena Khan, Karina Yan Glaser, James Ponti, Soman Chainani, Pam Munoz Ryan, Christina Soontornvat and Gordon Korman.  And oh yeah, the cover art is by Vashti Harrison, and the whole book is edited by the amazing Rose Brock.

I have read all these stories, and they are all truly wonderful.  If you have ever wanted to know more about the lives of your favorite authors, this is your chance.

The book is now available everywhere books are sold. Get it now by clicking here.

This should be pretty obvious from the title of this post, but Once Upon A Tim just got a rave review from the New York Times.

You can read the whole thing by clicking here, but here are some notable quotes:

“Fans of heraldic silliness like “The Princess Bride” and “Shrek” will delight in “Once Upon a Tim,” a charming take on the traditional knightly adventure.”

“The book’s fun comes from Gibbs’s deployment of deadpan humor and boisterous slapstick. Its heart lies in a clever subversion of type.”

“Writing may be magic, but so is reading.”

“This giddy romp through a medieval setting, complete with menacing trolls and gigantic, bloodthirsty butterflies, is the start of a promising series.”

Excited?  Ready for a good story?  Then just click here to order the book!

Also, I am happy with any good review, especially ones from readers.  So if you have enjoyed Tim (or any of my books) feel free to post a positive review on Goodreads.  Just click here.

(For tips on how to write a good review, check out this blog post.)