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About The Book

In the ninth addition to the New York Times bestselling Spy School series, Ben Ripley faces his nemesis, Murray Hill, on the high seas.

Thanks to the evidence Ben uncovered in his investigation of the Croatoan, the CIA has tracked his nemesis, Murray Hill, to Central America, where they believe he is boarding the world’s biggest cruise ship, The Emperor of the Seas, on its maiden voyage around the world.

His mission: Pose as part of a family, with Alexander and Catherine Hale as his parents, Erica as his sister, and his best friend Mike as his brother, to find out what Murray is plotting.

At first, it sounds exciting to have a mission on the most glamorous ocean liner on earth, but as usual, nothing goes according to plan. There is action, danger, and plenty of surprises as Ben and his team quickly find themselves in hot water.

About The Author

Photograph by Dashiell Gibbs

Stuart Gibbs is the New York Times bestselling author of the Charlie Thorne series, FunJungle series, Moon Base Alpha series, Once Upon a Tim series, and Spy School series. He has written screenplays, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, been a newspaper columnist, and researched capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at StuartGibbs.com.

Why We Love It

“Stuart Gibbs is a master of mysteries and this next high-stakes adventure featuring our beloved Ben Ripley outsmarting the bad guys on a high-end cruise line will not disappoint.”

—Krista V., Senior Editor, on Spy School at Sea

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (August 31, 2021)
  • Length: 352 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781534479456
  • Grades: 3 - 7
  • Ages: 8 - 12
  • Lexile ® 860L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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"Recommended purchase for all libraries where plucky kid sleuths and the “Spy School” is popular."

– SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

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