MURRAY, Laura K. . Spies in the KGB . ISBN 9781608186174 ; ISBN 9781628322293 ; ISBN 9781566606646 . MURRAY, Laura K. . Spies in the Mossad . ISBN 9781608186181 ; ISBN 9781628322309 ; ISBN 9781566606653 . MURRAY, Laura K. . Spies in the SIS . ISBN 9781608186198 ; ISBN 9781628322316 ; ISBN 9781566606660 . ea vol: 24p. (I Spy). further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Creative Education . 2016. lib. ed. $19.95. pap. $9.99. ebk. $28.50. K-Gr 2 Focusing on agencies in the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, and Israel, these brief volumes introduce early readers to the world of espionage using easy-to-understand language and simple sentences. Students become acquainted with national agencies such as the CIA and KGB, spy history, various tools of the trade, and notable spies and their work. Archival images of people and artifacts, including fake passports and bullet pens, make the text more meaningful, while a "Top-Secret Activity" engages and supports relevant information introduced earlier in the text. Bright yellows, reds, blues, and greens pop against the white pages and work brilliantly as reminders that spies rely upon blending in, not standing out, in order to do their jobs effectively. VERDICT A fine introductory series for young readers.

The I Spy series offers the most basic of introductions to spy craft, sometimes in language so simple that it confuses more than it clarifies. Each book begins with an unnamed spy doing something dangerous mping out of a plane, doing a dead drop in a train station, sending a flashing code on a dark night. A few lines on each spread are then given to particular hallmarks of the spying in each country, along with profiles of famous spies. In CIA, children learn that America has had spies since the 1700s and that espionage training occurs at the Farm in Virginia. The full-page artwork varies in quality, from a good painting of Revolutionary spy Mary Bowser to a relatively useless picture of an unidentifiable metal "object for spying." These short, flawed books are best used to pique children's interest in an ever-fascinating topic, particularly the concluding activity and link to the International Spy Museum: KidSpy Zone.