Top Secret by Crispin Boyer and Suzanne Zimbler

Learn what it takes to be a spy in this trivia-packed book from National Geographic Kids.

Top Secret: Spies, Codes, Capers, Gadgets, and Classified Cases by Crispin Boyer and Suzanne Zimbler. National Geographic Kids, 2021. 192 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended For: Middle Grades ages 9-15

Curious about what it takes to be a real spy? From dead drops to secret codes to undercover work? Are aliens real? How about tips for becoming a master of disguise?

Like many National Geographic Kids titles, this book is simply packed with trivia, information, pictures, timelines, and more. Chapters include: “Secret Agencies” (like spies), “Secret History” (many conspiracy theories), “Secret Identities” (including a creature from nature), “Secret Plans” (like a real life Willy Wonka), “Secret Gadgets” (even cloaking devices), “Secret Places” (such as Area 51), “Secret Codes” (Enigma Machine and more), and “Secrets All Around You” (such as food photography tricks). Kids who love spy history, the intrigues behind national events, and magic tricks will find this book absorbing; you might not see them reappear for a while. Each chapter includes a classified case from actual files and ends with a way to a apply that chapter through an activity (such as creating invisible ink). A fun book for break or vacation or just to leave lying around on the coffee table!

Considerations:

• In a book about spies, “capers,” and classified cases, it’s no surprise that it includes violence and drug use.
• References to Harry Potter and the Hunger Games

Overall Rating: 3.75 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 3.75 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader

• A Review: The Big Book of Spy Stuff covers similar territory.
• A Review: Explorer Academy is another code-breaking book for this age group.
• A Review: Bomb by Steve Sheinkin is about historical spies, codes, and intrigue

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