Totally True Tales from World War II (Spy School Secret Files) - Hardcover

Gibbs, Stuart

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1665986808 ISBN 13: 9781665986809

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2026

Synopsis

Ben Ripley—the middle school superspy in Stuart Gibbs’s New York Times bestselling Spy School series—shares true stories of World War II operations, some never before disclosed, in this “energetic…exciting” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) nonfiction middle grade book packed with maps, diagrams, and mission briefings!

Benjamin Ripley, young spy-in-training at the Central Intelligence Agency, has always been impressed by super-cool, incredibly capable spies from movies. But there have been plenty of real spies throughout history that no one has heard of because they operated in secrecy on classified missions. But now, some of those amazing stories are declassified…

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.

About this title

About the Author

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

Ward Jenkins is and illustrator and animator from Atlanta, Georgia. He’s illustrated several picture books, including Chicks Run Wild, as well as the Good Crooks chapter book series. Ward lives with his wife and two kids and hasn’t shaved his beard since 2010. Find him online at @WardOMatic.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1665986808
• ISBN 13: 9781665986809
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Jenkins Ward
• Number of pages: 128