The thrillers and spies genre has been a staple of our modern culture, especially since the James Bond movies exploded onto the big screens in 1962 with Doctor No, and shows no signs of stopping. This year alone, we have Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Spectre, Kingsman: The Secret Service, London Has Fallen, and Hitman 47, and that’s not even counting the series premiering and being renewed on TV.
There’s no surprise, then, that this action-packed genre has infiltrated teen fiction. I’ve pulled together a bibliography of some of my tweens’ and teens’ favorite thrillers and spies books below the break. Know of others that I’ve missed or that your teens love? Share in the comments!
Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz: When his guardian and uncle is killed, Alex discovers that his vice president uncle Ian was actually a British spy. Now, the British government wants Alex to take over his uncle’s mission,, Codenamed Stormbreaker. Posing as a genius computer hacker, Alex is to investigate what Sayle Enterprises real plan is with their Stormbreaker computers and investment to place one in every secondary school in the nation. Philomel Books, Teen/Young Adult.
CHERUB series by Robert Muchamore: CHERUB agents look like any other teen on the street. 17 and under, they wear t-shirts and jeans, but are trained to take out drug dealers and hack computers for crucial documents, bug houses and spy on terrorists. Yet they do not exist. If they can survive the 100 day training period. Simon Pulse, Teen/Young Adult.
The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi: Everything Alix knows is a lie- at least, that’s what this stalker is telling her. But as she investigates the claims, they turn out to be more than rumors and crazy talk. Is it possibly that her father is really the villain and all the strangers claims are true? If so, where does that leave Alix? Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Teen/Young Adults.
Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter: Cameron Morgan is a legacy at Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, which fronts as a boarding school for genius young women while behind the scenes gives training in advanced martial arts and extra credit in breaking CIA computer codes. Problem is, while Cammie can speak over a dozen languages and take out a target multiple ways, she has no clue how to handle an ordinary boy. Or is he ordinary after all? Disney-Hyperion, Teen/Young Adult. Note: Also look for a cross-over with the Heist society series.
Heist Society series by Ally Carter: Kat has always been part of the family business- it just happens to be high priced burglary. But when Kat tries her hand at a “normal” life, it’s just when her father needs her the most. He’s the number one suspect in the theft of a mobster’s art collection, and Kat may be the only one that can clear his name. Stuck between Interpol and others wanting not only her dad but her, Kat has to clear her name in order to be safe. Disney-Hyperion, Teen/Young Adult. Note: Also look for a cross-over with the Gallagher Girls series.
H. I. V. E. series by Mark Walden: Otto may only be 13, but he’s already taken over his orphanage and tricked the most powerful man in the country. Any wonder he’s been hand-picked for the next class at the Higher Institute of Villainous Education? All his classmates are the elite of the elite- most athletic, most technically advanced, and most villainously bent. What Otto soon realizes is that HIVE is a 6 year program, and escape is most definitely not an option- but with the help of his new friends, can they achieve the impossible? Simon & Schuster Books for Young People, Middle Grades.
Jackson Greene series:by Varian Johnson: Jackson Greene swears he’s given up scheming for good. Really. He means it. But when the school bully announcing he’s running for student council, and Greene knows the bully could win with his “connections” with the school principal, what’s one last scheme? Pulling together his team, this one last con could gain him Gaby’s respect and save the school. Scholastic, Middle Grades. Note: The sequel, To Catch a Cheat, will be released in January 2016, with more planned.
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow: After a terrorist attack hits San Francisco, Marcus and his friends have been interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security on suspicion of terroristic intent. Released into what is not a police state, with their movements monitored and electronics confiscated, Marcus and his friends decide to fight back the only way they know how- hacking into the system. Tom Doherty Associates, Teen/Young Adult. Note: The sequel, Homeland, follows up on Marcus and his crew a few years later and further explores the same themes. Additionally, Cory Docotow loves freedom of information -a selection his books are available in most ereader formats for free on his website craphound.com
Love is the Drug by Alaya Dawn Johnson: Emily was raised not to ask questions. With the perfect hair, boyfriend, and perfect Ivy-League future ahead of her, there’s nothing to question, really. But when she has a chance meeting with Homeland Security Agent Roosevelt at a party for DC’s elite, she wakes up days later with no memory o fthat night, and the world has fallen apart around her. Everyone thinks that there’s something she should know about the virus that’s sweeping the nation- something that she can’t remember. But what she could find could be more dangerous than the virus. Scholastic, Teen/Young Adult.
N.E.R.D.S. series by Michael Buckley: Jackson Jones is the most popular kid at his school- until the day that he gets 14 pounds of orthodontics and headgear. From cool kid to loser, Jones is in the pits of dispair when he discovers the secret lair of the NERDS- National Espionage Rescue Defense Society- those who, with the help of high tech science, their nerd appearance and abilities are super enhanced to incredible abilities. Asked to join the NERDS, he quickly realized that not everyone wants him around, and must prove his worth to those that he was a bully to when he was popular before their foes can destroy everything. Henry A. Abrhams, Middle Grades.
Singular Menace series by John Sandford and Michelle Cook: Shay has one thing on her mind: finding her brother, Odin. Odin, a brilliant hacker, raided Singular Corporation’s lab with a group of radical animal rights activists, and escaped with his life, flash drives of highly encoded files, and a dog that has had some major surgery. When Shay gets a call from Odin she gets concerned. When she gets a visit from Singular’s security team, she’s frightened, and ready to take anything out to save her brother. Knopf Books for Young Readers, Teen/Young Adults.
Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs: Ben may only be in middle school, but he already knows his dream job- working in the CIA. Too bad for him, he’s awkward, geeky, and clumsy. So imagine his suprise when he discovers that the magnet school he gets into is actually a front for the junior CIA academy. Unfortunately, it’s a case of mistaken identity, but that’s not stopping Ben from making the most of it. Simon and Schuster, Middle Grades.
Unknown Assassin series by Allen Zadoff: He has no name, no home, no family but the Program. He shows up with a new name in a new town in a new school, and stays in one place just long enough to to make a few new friends, and for that new friend’s family to die. Then he disappears. Yet when he’s assigned his next mission, questions and memories begin to surface, and the kid he once was prods the young man he is to want out. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Teen/Young Adult. Note: The first book, I Am the Assassin, was first published under the title Boy Nobody, so you can find it under either title.