Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation is awesome middle school Bourne

Stuart Gibbs Level Up.  The name of the book is Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation. However, when we were reading it that’s what we kept thinking of the book in our head. Stuart Gibbs, the author of Spy School book series that upper elementary and middle students love has really upped his game with Charlie Thorne. This is the series that fans of Spy School need if they want their action and story just a bit older than Ben Ripley. A side vision in my mind had Gibbs thinking to himself, “You want a book that has more action and will demo just slightly higher? Take that!” He’ll then drop the mic and challenge someone to a dance off in the street.

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation starts out in the past. We see a dying Albert Einstein. He’s trying to communicate something to doctor who has been called out for an emergency to see him. Unfortunately, the doctor doesn’t speak German and Einstein is breathlessly speaking something that seems to be incredibly important. Immediately after his death, mysterious figures show up at his apartment, one of Einstein’s best friends tries to burn his writings and the story in the book starts running.

Ben Ripley is the main hero from Spy School. He’s about the same age as Charlie Thorne. She might be an older 12 year old, whereas Ripey is a young 12 year old. Regardless, they’re both in middle school, but the differences between the two books are written in a big, bold line.

Charlie Thorne is an action-adventure spy series that those in middle school and up will love. The “and up” descriptor is important because the book reads like an adult thriller that’s slightly more kid-friendly. It does this without watering down the action. It’s not graphic, but the real-time feel of the book, coupled with its complexity makes it a more mature read than Gibbs’ other popular series.

Each chapter in Charlie Thorne is around six pages long. This length is great for those middle school readers. It allows them to easily read one or two chapters at a time. Older readers will find themselves devouring five, six or more chapters in one reading. This is a fast book that older readers will draw parallels to a James Bond, Jason Bourne or Mission Impossible movie.  One could easily imagine it being a big screen film, as long as Universal made it.

The level of action and real-life consequences, but with just a subtle wink of kid friendliness is refreshing to read. It’s real, yet with a 12 year-old hero whose back story makes you want to believe that such a genius child could exist. This is a fun book and this series is one that middle school-and some upper elementary readers will embrace like an asset to a safe house in broken cover.

#ThereAreSomeAffiliateLinksInThisPost