Spy High is an English book series by English writer A. J. Butcher about a high school for secret agents in training. It is divided into two series of six books each. Series One, first published in 2003 and 2004, is about Bond Team as a whole. Series Two, first published in 2004 and 2005, follows each member of Bond Team on a mission, taking place two years after graduation.
A reviewer for The Nelson Mail called the series "high-action, tongue-in-cheek stor(ies) from an Ian Fleming of the next generation," writing that the "characters and locations are classic Bond - casinos, dashing love interests, tropical islands, and nerdy tech-heads loaded down with gadgets. There's style, one-liners, and enough action to keep younger readers turning the pages. Ben Howey, book reviewer for the Evening Chronicle, describes the series as "very definitely the best books for 13-plus readers, all about a group of teenagers who just happen to be spies like James Bond.... powered by suspense and there's lots of humour too with funny characters, lots of one-line jokes and exciting gadgets."
Only the first five books of Series One are released in the United States, although the sixth was scheduled and pulled prior to publication. Series one and series two have been released in the United Kingdom.
Series one
The Frankenstein Factory They can hack any computer, break any algorithm, take out bad guys with SleepShot from two hundred metres, and vanish utterly without trace. The one thing Bond Team haven't got their heads round is, er, bonding. Jake and Ben want to kill each other, Jen thinks Lori is an airhead bimbo, and the only thing Eddie respects about Cally is her butt. All this is very bad news. Because if they don't get it together for their first term exams, if they can't defeat the infamous Stromfeld Program, then they can forget about ever graduating Spy High. And with a mind-wipe greeting all those who flunk out, we mean that quite literally.
The Chaos Connection (US: Chaos Rising) Bond Team are back, and preparing to battle for the prestigious Sherlock Shield. Victory means a place in the Deveraux College hall of fame. But to win, they'll have to beat their arch-rivals – and Solo Team is prepared to do anything to stop that from happening. Bond Team will have to watch their backs. And maybe everywhere else too, because in the world outside of Spy High, a terrorist organisation is about to send its first explosive announcement: Chaos is coming!
The Serpent Scenario There's a deadly new drug on the streets of America. Drac is instantly and horribly addictive and turns its users into zombies with a desperate craving for blood. Every agent from Spy High has been assigned to discover its source – even the trainees.
But one member of Bond Team won't be joining the hunt. Jennifer Chen is following a dangerous trail of her own. She's got some private business with a street gang called the Serpents. And it's a business of revenge.
The Paranoia Plot Rebecca Dee has spiked green hair, a lot of body piercings and even more attitude. But that's not what's bothering Jake, Cally and the others. They're more worried about the 'accidents' that seem to happen whenever their new team mate is around. And about where she keeps sneaking off to late at night. Because with strange and dangerous events unfolding in the world outside Spy High, her unusual behaviour is looking like more than just coincidence. In fact, Bond Team are beginning to suspect that Rebecca Dee is a double-agent....
The Soul Stealer (US: Blood Relations) Things are not looking good for Benjamin T. Stanton Jr. His grades are dropping, his relationship with Lori has hit a major low, and his leadership of Bond Team is in serious doubt. If Ben can't pull things around, he's in real danger of flunking his Spy High exams. And that means one thing – Mind-wipe. Ben is desperate for the chance to prove himself in a mission situation, but then Bond Team become embroiled in the investigation of a sinister cult and he suddenly wishes he could be anywhere but Spy High. Because this time the suspects aren't just random terrorists, or crazed megalomaniacs – they include members of Benjamin T. Stanton Junior's own family.
The Annihilation Agenda Bond Team have a LOT on their minds. Not only are they about to get their exam results, they're also caught up in Spy High's investigations into terrorism at the Solartech power plant. And while Lori, Jake and the others may be freaking out about the exams, their discoveries at Solartech are way more worrying. Because Bond Team have uncovered a plot that's going to make those exam results seem pretty irrelevant. Because humanity is about to be wiped out, and there's nothing anyone can do to stop it.
Series two
Edward Red Eddie Nelligan is an Irish boy with red hair. The only thing he is good at is making jokes, trying to flirt with all the girls on his team, and sky biking. He is known to be the best in the history of Spy High. He is posted in London, and soon starts facing the threat of a huge terrorist attack poised to stop Britain from joining Europa, a group of European countries.
Angel Blue Lori Angel is a graduate of the Deveraux College, the highly secret school for teenage spies. She is the former girlfriend of Ben Stanton. Until now she has been posted on the coast, mostly surfing and partying. But then a fellow graduate turns up at her apartment. Dead. Stashed in his rucksack are a series of clues that will lead Lori into the most dangerous situation of her life. And into conflict with a secret society, every member of which is supposed to be dead.
Benjamin White Benjamin Stanton Jr. is a graduate of the Deveraux College, the highly secret school for teenage spies. His old girlfriend is Lori Angel. When Spy High's old enemy, President Vlad Tepesch of Wallachia, steals an alien device from a Deveraux Moon Colony, Ben's mission is pretty straightforward: Get it back. Standing between Ben and his goal are enemy soldiers, ferocious vampires, a jealous rival, and a singularly disturbing prophecy. Clearly this won't be as easy as it sounds. Bond Team has already lost one member to the Wallachian president – could Benjamin Stanton be next?
Calista Green Orphaned computer expert Calista Cross is a graduate of the Deveraux College, the highly secret school for teenage spies. And at the moment, she's not coping. Recent events have hit her hard and she's so unfocused that she's in danger of being mind-wiped and expelled by the Deveraux organisation. What Cally needs is some action, and a new case involving the suspicious deaths of several nanotech specialists seems just the thing. But an anonymous email hinting that Cally could be close to finding out about her parents, turns the case from professional to very, very personal. And more than one surprise is waiting for her.
Jake Black Disillusioned with Spy High's methods, Jake chooses to join the Deveraux organisation's secretive Black Ops Division, where the rules don't matter as long as you get the job done. Now, the newly authorised Jake Black must infiltrate a group of apocalyptic terrorists and shut down their mad scheme to destroy the Earth. But Jake's about to find out that if you fight fire with fire, sooner or later you're going to get burned...
Agent Orange When Rebecca (Bex) Deveraux's father – the lord and master of Spy High – sends her friend for mind-wiping, Bex realises her dad may be becoming just what his institution was created to counter: a raging megalomaniac! He's sending more and more spies on suspect missions and he's increased the armaments at Spy High threefold. Worse, Bex has discovered plans that suggest her dear old dad is building a vast mechanoid army. And she's fairly sure he won't be employing them to tend the grounds at Spy High.
Teams Bond Team is the team in which all the main characters reside, however there are four teams: Bond, Solo, Hannay, and Palmer, all named after fictional spies – James Bond, Napoleon Solo, Richard Hannay and Harry Palmer respectively.
Bond Team of 2064 Hand-picked by Senior Tutor Elmore Grant.
Benjamin T. Stanton Jr. Codename: Benjamin White--Region White
Benjamin Tiberius Stanton III is the blue eyed and cocky leader of Bond Team. He has short cropped blonde hair, and was born in the United States to the wealthy Ben and Nancy Stanton, with no mentioned siblings. He is the heir to the Stanton fortune, which makes its money in a law firm, as referenced in Benjamin White. His birthday party is in the final term (Soul Stealer is set entirely in the final term), and his birthday is 1 August.
He has the highest aggregate score since the advent of the college, and is Best in School after examinations. He remained Team Leader until midway through Soul Stealer, when he fought with rival Jake Daly. He has had relationships with Lori Angel (books 1–5) and Calista Cross (books 6-end). In the first book, he voted for Eddie Nelligan as Team Leader partly as a joke, because Eddie was apparently an unfit leader and Ben could not vote for himself. Later, after losing leadership, he votes for his ex-girlfriend, Lori.
His region, white, extends from Eastern Europa all the way to the shores of the Pacific and includes some former Soviet satellites. His field handler and cover identity remain unmentioned. He is based in New Moscow and is assigned to recover an Alien Device from Vlad Tepesch, who used minions to steal it from the moon as a weapon against the Western Powers. His mission objective is to get rid of the starstone, not to get rid of Tepesch, though he ends up resolving to do so anyway after witnessing how Wallachia is ruled by fear and oppression. He fails to save EXIST member Tolly Porter from suffocating after he runs out of oxygen. (EXIST is a Deveraux suborganisation created after the Diluvian incident, which specialises in examining extra terrestrial threats.)
He is known for getting at least one line in all 12 Spy High books. His solo novel, Benjamin White, is the third in Series Two. Ben is absorbed into the Starstone as alternative energy in Benjamin White. He returns in Calista Green thanks to cyborg Adam Thornchild's matter converter machine. In Agent Orange, he is the joint-last to be pixellated and deleted from the system along with Jake. They were on the stairs going to Deveraux's rooms, and a laser bolt scorches his leg at the same time a shock blast nicks Jake's arm. They charge Deveraux's hordes as they become pixellated to give Bex more time...but not before their differences are resolved.
Ben is focused, determined, and smart. He is fiercely competitive and at times arrogant, though this changes after The Soul Stealer (Blood Relations in the US).
Lori Angel Codename: Angel Blue--Region Blue
Lori Angel has no known middle name, and has long blonde hair and blue eyes. Her parents' names are unknown, but she has a steady family according to an interview with author A.J. Butcher . She has no known siblings. Lori's birthday is never mentioned in the book, although it is listed on the website as 3 January. The website also says that she is Canadian, but the books never reference this. Lori has the second highest aggregate score in the history of the college and passes her examinations, probably second to Ben in results.