A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2019

The Spy Museum’s “Top Spy Books”

A Junior Library Guild selection

Spies:

The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia

A thrilling, critically-acclaimed account of the Cold War spies and spycraft that changed the course of history, perfect for young readers of Bomb and The Boys Who Challenged Hitler.

The Cold War spanned five decades as America and the USSR engaged in a battle of ideologies with global ramifications. Over the course of the war, with the threat of mutually assured nuclear destruction looming, billions of dollars and tens of thousands of lives were devoted to the art and practice of spying, ensuring that the world would never be the same.

Rife with intrigue and filled with fascinating historical figures whose actions shine light on both the past and present, this timely work of narrative nonfiction explores the turbulence of the Cold War through the lens of the men and women who waged it behind closed doors, and helps explain the role secret and clandestine operations have played in America's history and its national security.

What People Are Saying About Spies

"Heart-stopping...At a time when we're entangled in a new escalation of cyber espionage with Russia, Spies provides a concise history of these national antagonisms for young readers, reminding them of the lengths people went to in the past to protect secrets--and to betray them."

―New York Times Book Review

"Spies is enjoyable, educational and hard to put down. It reads like the best spy fiction but has the benefit of all being true. For someone who lived in the shadows battling the Soviets and Russians, his portrayal captures the reality of that charged and dangerous time."

―John Sipher, former head of Russia operations and member of Senior Intelligence Service, CIA

"The spies' personal depths of dedication to creating false identities and the stress of shouldering secrets-or selling them-will inspire even reluctant historians to dig deeper and deeper. Ian Fleming couldn't have dreamt up anything better."

―Kirkus Reviews

"Marc Favreau's endlessly engaging book brings this dangerous struggle alive and will take his readers on a rollicking ride through the thrills, fears, and cliff-hanger contests of those tumultuous years."

―John McLaughlin, former acting director and deputy director of the CIA