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    Also Known As
    Also Known As
    Also Known As
    Audiobook6 hours

    Also Known As

    Written by Robin Benway

    Narrated by Robin Benway

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Maggie Silver has never minded her unusual life. Cracking safes for the world’s premier spy organization and traveling the world with her insanely cool parents definitely beat high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations. (If it’s three digits, why bother locking it at all?)

    But when Maggie and her parents are sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her world is transformed. Suddenly, she’s attending a private school with hundreds of "mean girl" wannabes, trying to avoid the temptation to hack the school’s elementary security system, and working to befriend the aggravatingly cute son of a potential national security threat...all while trying not to blow her cover.

    From the hilarious and poignant author of Audrey, Wait! comes a fast-paced caper that proves that even the world’s greatest spies don’t have a mission plan for love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateFeb 26, 2013
    ISBN9781469277196
    Author

    Robin Benway

    Robin Benway is a National Book Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author of nine novels for young people, including Far from the Tree, Audrey, Wait!, the AKA series, and Emmy & Oliver. Her books have received numerous awards and recognition, including the PEN America Literary Award, the Blue Ribbon Award from the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books, ALA’s Best Books for Young Adults, and ALA’s Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. In addition, her novels have received starred reviews from BookPage, Kirkus Reviews, ALA Booklist, and Publishers Weekly and have been published in more than twenty-five countries. Her sixth novel, Far from the Tree, won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the PEN America Award and was named one of the best books of the year by the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, NPR, PBS, Entertainment Weekly, and the Boston Globe. In addition to her fictional work, her nonfiction work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Bustle, Elle, and more. Her newest book, The Girls of Skylark Lane, will be in stores in Fall 2024. Robin grew up in Orange County, California, attended NYU, where she was a recipient of the Seth Barkas Prize for Creative Writing, and is a graduate of UCLA. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Hudson.

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    Reviews for Also Known As

    4/5

    133 ratings25 reviews

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    • 4/5
      It was a fun short story I enjoyed reading or more correctly listening to it's a very nice coming-of-age story
    • 5/5
      Loved it! Maggie was adorable. Full review to come.

      Update 3/03/13: Ok, I'm giving this a 4.5 at this point. I've read it 3 times already and it was published less than a week ago! Still working on a full review.

      ***************

      I decided to pick up a copy of Also Known As by Robin Benway because it sounded like a quick, cute read and I wanted to add some more books to my YA Contemporary Reading Challenge. I got exactly what I expected, but what knocked me off my feet was how much I enjoyed it…so much, that I’ve already read it three times! In a week!

      What I Loved

      A Spunky Heroine: I totally got Maggie the moment I “heard” her voice in my head. Spunky, confident, with a humorous and positive outlook, she grabbed my attention and kept me entertained through every page. She is just the type of lead character I adore. I loved how determined she was to perform her first solo assignment – get close to the cute and charming Jesse Oliver – to the best of her ability, and how quickly she found herself sidetracked by her own emotions. I loved her sense of humor and the funny comments she made about such things as the “scandalous” school uniform she was required to wear and her complete inability to accessorize it. Here is one of my favorite moments, as Maggie walks into the administrative offices of the school to see about changing her schedule so she can have more classes with Jesse:

      This is always my favorite part of the job.

      The administrative office smelled like old paper and burned coffee and looked like the kind of room where dreams go to die. There was a halfhearted GO HARPER! sign stretched across one wall, but it just looked ambivalent. It could have said, WE LOVE CHEESE! for all it seemed to care. (Chapter 4)

      Seriously, a sign looked “ambivalent”?!? This paragraph has me chuckling every time I read it, because I’VE BEEN IN ROOMS LIKE THIS! Love it. Oh yeah, and Maggie’s the best darn safecracker in the world.

      Characters That Pop: In addition to the incomparable Maggie, I was treated to her new BFF Roux (pronounced “roo”), a former “mean girl” who has fallen off her pedestal and is now ostracized by everyone at school. She is the type of character who would be exhausting if she was real, but is laugh-out-loud funny on the page. She is definitely NOT a good example for teens since she drinks, swears and is a pariah for sleeping with her former best friend’s boyfriend, but I love her anyway. Her interactions with her building doorman Harold are a riot!

      Before Roux Maggie’s world was filled with adults, including her active-duty spy parents and professional forger Angelo, who provided Maggie with lock-picking tips. Maggie’s mom and dad are cute, but Angelo is the standout here with his perfectly cut suits, matching tie and pocket-handkerchief, and sympathetic nature. When Maggie is falling apart, he is there with coffee or ice cream to help her through. And when he and Roux meet…priceless.

      Of course I cannot forget the “mark” in this story, Jesse Oliver, a seriously adorable young man who matches Maggie perfectly. He’s been through a bad breakup and his mother just left, so inside he’s a hurting pup, but Maggie is just the girl to give him the confidence to try again. I loved their first official date – very romantic and funny – and his devastated reaction late in the book when he thinks Maggie wants to break up with him. Soooo cute! I think his character could have used a smidge more development, but overall I loved him.

      What I Liked

      A Bit Of Mystery: There is actually a little mystery at the heart of this story (after all, Maggie is assigned to Jesse for a reason), which I enjoyed. It wasn’t very deep, but it did its job of moving the story along and giving Maggie a purpose. It also led to a little excitement at the end that had Maggie, Jesse and Roux running for their lives through the streets of Manhattan, so I have to give it points for that. Of course, author Robin Benway could have added some real thrills to her story by amping up the mystery, but since the focus appears to be more on a fun, light read I’m not going to knock down my rating.

      Narrative Style: Robin Benway has a nice, relaxed style that showcases a dry sense of humor. By making Maggie, Jesse and Roux lean towards “drama queen” status (yes, even Jesse has his moments), she is able to give the style full rein and just have fun with the story. Fast-paced and entertaining, I ripped through Also Known As in a matter of hours. The style, wit and charm of Benway’s writing – along with Maggie’s “voice” – keep bringing me back to this story and have me reading it over, and over, and over…I think I have another “comfort read” to add to Hannah Harrington’s Speechless and Abby McDonald’s Getting Over Garrett Delaney. :)

      What I Didn’t Like

      I Want More: It’s not so much that I disliked anything, it’s more a case of wanting more - deeper character development with Jesse, more moments of suspense with the mystery, a bit more information on Maggie’s parents. Also Known As is a light and bubbly confection, and I just want a little more fizz.

      Conclusion

      Robin Benway’s Also Known As is a quick, light read about a teenaged safecracking spy that is told with wit, charm and plenty of laugh-out-loud humor. Maggie is an entertaining and relatable heroine determined to prove she can be an asset in the field – if only she doesn’t get sidetracked by her emotions first. With secondary characters that pop and a bit of mystery mixed in, Also Known As is a fun story that has already become one of my favorites.
    • 5/5
      I just loved this funny contemporary story. Maggie is a spy. She is also seventeen. She and her parents have traveled the world working for the Collective—a super-secret organization. Her mother is an excellent hacker, her father has a gift for languages, and Maggie is an excellent safe-cracker. Their latest case—and Maggie's first solo job—has her entering new territory. She has to go to high school! Maggie is enrolled in an exclusive New York City private school where she has to befriend Jesse Oliver in order to find out if his magazine owner father is going to publish an article that will out Maggie and the other spies who work for the Collective.Maggie wasn't expecting to find a friend or to fall in love with her target. Almost the first person she meets at the school is Roux who is a friendless poor little rich girl. Their personalities click and Maggie becomes her only friend. It is a nice benefit that she has also known Jesse since they were pre-schoolers. When Maggie meets Jesse, she is immediately attracted to him because he is smart and nice and funny. She goes to his Halloween party and manages to find a flash drive in a hidden safe but she also gets closer to both Roux and Jesse making her feel really guilty about the secrets she has to keep.I loved the humor in this story. I still break out laughing when I think about Jesse and Maggie's first date and ice skating. While I was reading that scene, I had to keep setting my Kindle down to wipe away the tears of laughter that kept blurring my vision. I loved the relationship that Maggie had with her parents and their friend Angelo. It was clear that they were both loving and supportive and Angelo filled the role of a benevolent uncle. Maggie's relationship highlighted the bad relationships that both Jesse and Roux had with their parents. Roux's parents had more or less abandoned her. She lived alone in a luxurious penthouse apartment with a housekeeper who didn't work evenings or weekends. Lots of Roux's problems came from her innate loneliness and her desire to find someone to love her. Jesse's parents had just been through a divorce. His father was so obsessed with his business that he didn't talk to Jesse and his mother has disappeared out of his life.Readers of contemporaries will find much to love in the novel. I look forward to sharing it with the students in my high school media center.
    • 4/5
      Also Known As is a fast-paced fun story about a family of spies. Maggie and her parents have been spies for as long as she can remember. Her special talent as a safe cracker and lock picking prodigy make her invaluable to her parents, but their next assignment takes them to New York where Maggie must go undercover as a high school student in order to stop the printing of a newspaper article that is about to be written unveiling the organization that Maggie and her parents work for called "The Collective." When Maggie falls for her "target," Jesse, and makes more than a pretend friendship with a sassy loner named Roux, things get more complicated than Maggie ever imagined. This story has lots of action and scenes that are both funny and poignant. Overall a nice light and enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      Love Robin Benway's books. This is an extremely fun, frothy spy thriller with excellent supporting characters. It's all sorted by the end, but I think there are the doings here for a great series a la Gallagher Girls.
    • 5/5
      It was one of those books I was sad to finish.
    • 4/5
      I got this for my daughter, but decided to read it first. I'm so glad I did! I really enjoyed it. It was hard to put down, the characters were believable, the dialog between the teenagers as well as the thoughts expressed by the lead 'spy' were hilarious, insightful, and enlightening. I hope the author continues the series. I'd like read more.
    • 4/5
      Also Known As is a fast-paced fun story about a family of spies. Maggie and her parents have been spies for as long as she can remember. Her special talent as a safe cracker and lock picking prodigy make her invaluable to her parents, but their next assignment takes them to New York where Maggie must go undercover as a high school student in order to stop the printing of a newspaper article that is about to be written unveiling the organization that Maggie and her parents work for called "The Collective." When Maggie falls for her "target," Jesse, and makes more than a pretend friendship with a sassy loner named Roux, things get more complicated than Maggie ever imagined. This story has lots of action and scenes that are both funny and poignant. Overall a nice light and enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      It was a fun book and I enjoyed it, but it was far from the best teenage spy novels that I've read. It was perfect for those days when you don't want to think too much though. The plot is pretty straightforward. Maggie is a girl whose assignement is to get close to a young boy, in order to gain access to his father's documents. Of course, she falls in love with said boy. As soon as a few things are revealed, it is also rather obvious what is really going on. This is the main flaw of Also Known As. What I suppose was meant to be a big plot twist was not surprising at all.

      The best character was Roux, the third member of the teenage trio. She is a girl who likes parties too much and who lives more or less alone, because her parents travel a lot. She's funny and, even though she may not look like it, resourceful when it's necessary.

      It took me ages to finish this book because I barely had time to read, not because it was bad. It's the kind of book that you can read in an afternoon. Not a bad book if you want something a bit mysterious, but don't want to think too much.
    • 3/5
      After reading a few heavier books, I needed a lighter, fun read, and Benway provided just that. Also Known As is a refreshingly cute story about a teenage spy, Maggie, who has to balance the world of espionage with high school. Both sides offer entertainment, whether it be trying to stop pertinent information from leaking or falling for a boy for the first time. Maggie's quirky quips and inner dialogue make this the perfect lazy day read.
    • 4/5
      Such a cute light hearted book! Maggie has to go under cover at a private school in Manhattan to prevent befriend Jessie Oliver in order to prevent his father from printing a damaging story about the collective. It starts out as just a job and knowing the people at the school can't be her real friends but by the end she has a best friend and boyfriend. I loved the ending!" This just means so much to me! I'd like to thank all the little people that I crushed on my way to the top."" I'll give you twenty bucks if you shoot her with a tranquilizer dart." " I'll do it for ten, he said. " Holiday Sale"
    • 4/5
      Maggie Silver, the daughter of spies who cracked her first lock at age 3, is given her first solo assignment in New York City. Having just enrolled in a private school, Maggie's assignment is to hook with Jesse Oliver, whose magazine publisher father had information that could be damaging to the Collective. Maggie's assignment is more difficult than she realizes as she finds herself falling in love with Jesse. Found this fast-paced as well as humorous, with memorable characters such as Maggie's new friend Roux and her mentor Angelo.
    • 4/5
      What a fun book this was! I haven't read the Gallagher Girls series, but I'm guessing that they are similar. Also Known As is laugh-out-loud funny, the dialogue is fast and witty, the plot is really exciting (there is a chase scene which is heart-pounding), the supporting characters are awesome, it is set in Manhattan, and the romance is adorable. I loved that the main character had great parents who were very much a part of the story and who expected certain behavior out of their daughter. The main character is snarky and oh so funny, but she loves and respects her parents and tries very hard to live up to their expectations. The best friend has all the classic bad-girl habits, but she improves. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book is it wasn't for the concerns below. Areas of concern: There is a lot of cussing with many uses of the *s* word and the *a*-*h* words. The *f* word is started but never finished. The best friend character has a "swear jar" deal with her doorman and has to pay 5 dollars for every swear word. He is making a killing off of her. The best friend has totally absent parents and there is talk of her having slept with her old best friend's boyfriend. She takes her mom's prescription pills, she gets completely drunk at a party, and seems to have a history of pills and alcohol.The teenagers skip school at the drop of a pin.There is kissing, not anything too graphic.This all sounds really bad, but I will say that the main character doesn't drink, refuses pills, and respects her parent's authority (while being snarky about it). You are left with the feeling that the best friend's behavior will change drastically as she becomes more involved in Maggie's family.
    • 4/5
      Robin Benway certainly does not disappoint in this laugh-out-loud adventure! I believe I loved Audrey, Wait! a tiny smidgen more, but then again I didn't expect AKA to outshine one of my favorite contemporaries.

      This book is slightly similar to the Gallagher Girls series, although not really. Okay, maybe I'll back myself up and make more sense. The "spies" and tone are very similiar. Except the plot is totally different and a little more sophisticated. I think I may have liked it more than Gallagher Girls... and that is saying something. (Little Note: If you haven't read Gallagher Girls, you should!)

      The characters are really sweet. And super funny. Not just Maggie (Who was amazing) but also her friends and family. I loved how each character had such a memoable personality.

      This book was ridiculous. I mean this in a good way. Maggie is just plain quirky! I am so happy she wasn't another predictable, overused YA character. Also, some of the past spy expeditions Maggie mentions are pretty funny/ridiculous.

      The synopsis mentions a lot about "Private School". I think this is bringing the focus off what most of the book is about. I mean I LOVED Maggie's experiences there. But, mostly, AKA is about making friends, afore mentioned ridiculous conversations, and learning what it means to be a spy!


      Such a funny read!
      4/5 bookcases
    • 3/5
      As the active-duty daughter of international spies, sixteen-year-old safecracker Maggie Silver never attended high school so when she and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, Maggie is introduced to cliques, school lunches, and maybe even a boyfriend.
    • 5/5
      This was such a fun and cute book! I listened to the audiobook of this, and couldn't stop listening to it. This is definitely the kind of book I look for when choosing an audiobook. It's fun and not too complicated, but still keeps me invested in the story. Maggie has a great personality, and I loved the relationship between Maggie and her parents and Maggie and Roux.
    • 4/5
      Also Known As features Benway’s trademark humor and this time centers on a family of spies. I found it highly enjoyable, witty and fresh, and AKA even made me LOL at times. ;)

      I expected AKA to be a kind of funny Heist Society type novel, with lots of gadgets and dangerous missions. Where this book is a little different is that the main character gets to experience a normal life for the first time. She’s always lived the life of an international spy, never putting down roots anywhere. Now she’s getting her first taste of high school and being around teenagers, and it’s out of her comfort zone but in a good way.

      There’s a great cast of characters in AKA. Maggie has a mentor and coffee buddy in the forger Angelo, and Maggie’s parents walk the line between over-protective mom and dad, and stern bosses. Maggie is clever and sarcastic and is used to talking to adults all day. Her new friends are independent and loner types (but the filthy rich kind) like her. But together they click as a band of misfits.

      I loved the smart and snappy dialogue in AKA. The novel flows in a conversational and easy way and is a quick and fun read. Benway’s wit shines through the pages, and the story is full of action, friendship, and heart. The New York setting is also used to advantage with several scenes taking place in familiar landmarks. I found it humorous that Maggie has to be a “spy” for her Halloween costume and doesn’t know how to dress the part.

      In addition to Maggie torn between the spy world and wanting a normal life, there’s also a mystery to solve and the clock’s ticking. The stakes are high for her family and for the first time Maggie has friends that she doesn’t want to let down.

      I think anyone that enjoys humorous YA contemporary books will love Also Known As. The spy twist is fresh and a blast to read. And even though there is a sequel in the works, this book has a satisfying conclusion on its own. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

      Full review can be find at The Reading Date
    • 3/5
      Pros:
      * Teenage spies
      * New York City
      * New school drama

      Cons:
      * Plot seems secondary
      * Ending comes with very own bow

      I liked this book, I just didn't love this book. There wasn't anything bad about it, and I wouldn't say I disliked the way the ending wrapped up neatly and ridiculously quick; I just didn't love it.

      Plot always feels almost tertiary in Benway's novels. She excels at creating fun, unique characters that walk the balance most of us did as teenagers -- some days you feel really awesome, and some days you trip while walking down the stairs at lunch. But plot never feels important, it is just there to guide characters through both simple and complex relationships.
    • 5/5
      As funny & awesome as expected from the author of Audrey, Wait! Yay!
    • 5/5
      I have so much respect for every one of Robin Benway's novels. Each one has a totally unique premise and main character, but they're all somehow easy to relate to and more fun than the last. The protagonist in Also Known As, Maggie, reminds me of a younger version of Stella, Charlize Theron's character, from the movie The Italian Job, which is one of my absolute favorites. Maggie is a teenaged safecracker who travels the world with her parents and she's the best at what she does. What Maggie isn't so good at is being a "normal" 16-year old girl, which is a key element of her newest mission: Jesse Oliver. It's Maggie's job to gain Jesse's trust in order to find out information about his father and gain access to the safe in their home. As one might imagine, things don't go exactly as planned. Maggie quickly learns there's a lot more to Jesse than she first assumed... and he's more than a little interested in her as well.While I loved Maggie, her friends, Angelo and Roux, often came close to upstaging her. Both were such interesting characters that I found myself wishing Benway would tell more about them. Angelo is a friend of Maggie's family who also works for the same organization, but as a forger. He gives exceptionally good advice and has wonderful fashion sense. Roux is a strong individual who fully admits to creating her downfall from the popular crowd, but she never loses sight of who she is. I would love to see a future book about Roux, which some involvement from Angelo of course, since the two characters really seemed to be bonding by the end of Also Known As.While Also Known As isn't a terribly complicated thriller and mystery, as it focuses much more on the characters and their relationships than the actual mystery (I can't actually remember exactly what Maggie is hoping to find when she picks the safe in the Oliver house), it still kept me guessing. I was never completely sure who Maggie could or should trust.For me, Benway's newest offering is in the same vein as Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls and Heist Society books, but perhaps for a slightly older audience. I have a soft spot for Carter's books and, while Also Known As has definitely similarities, both authors successfully bring something unique to the premise. I highly recommend Also Known As and am sincerely hoping for a sequel!
    • 4/5
      Maggie (short for Margaret, thereby having lots of options for aliases) has grown up in a world of spies. Finally, a job in New York City will feature her skills as a teen, getting friendly with the son of a man who may spell the end of their secret group, the Collective. Going to high school, of course, turns out to be harder than she thinks. The boy in question is hot, the first friend she makes is a former mean girl, dethroned by gossip and bad decision making. Fans of the Gallagher Girl series will get a kick out of Maggie's life and the escapades that ensue as the real bad guy emerges.
    • 3/5
      This book was okay. It was along the lines of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series, but not as funny or action packed.
    • 5/5
      As a giant fan of Robin Benway's first book, Audrey, Wait!, I was extremely eager to get my hands on a copy of Also Known As. I was hoping I'd find a wonderful main character, lots of humor and laugh-out-loud moments, and perhaps a new cute boy to swoon over. I'm happy to report that Also Known As delivered all that and more; I pretty much had a giant smile on my face the entire time I was reading.What I loved about this book was that it was ridiculously cute without making your teeth hurt from the sweetness. Maggie is a fabulous character; she so wants to impress her parents and do her job correctly, but she goes about it in a slightly over-the-top manner that made her parents eye-roll and me laugh hysterically. "Dramatic" has never been so apt a word. Throw in her new best friend, Roux, who is perhaps even more theatrical, and the cute object of her mission, Jesse, who has his own sharp tongue and wit, and this book was just littered with amazing oneliners and snappy comebacks. The writing has a crispness to it that's hard to really describe, but it keeps you eagerly turning pages and fully engrossed in the plot.The setup for this reminds me a bit of the Gallagher Girls books, in that Maggie is a safecracker and junior spy. While she's not enrolled in a spy school - her school is decidedly more All-American high school - her background shines throughout, complete with her array of spy tips that she drops throughout her monologues. Her interactions with Roux and Jesse were so much fun to read, and while the romance aspect perhaps progressed a bit too quickly (although I simply adored all the time they were alone together, and their first "date" with the ice cream was just too cute), I felt like it was very true to the whole teenage crush/first love mindset. After all, Maggie is only sixteen, so some dramatic flair is expected.I very much enjoyed watching all the spy stuff come together into one action-packed sequence at the end. I also adored Angelo, and wish I could have seen even more of him, because he was amazing. He is the perfect mentor for Maggie, and I just loved how he listened to her and offered his advice only when she really needed it. I have heard mumblings that this may turn into a series, and I for one definitely won't complain if that's true!Also Known As is not a serious book, and it's not meant to be. Go into it for the sheer enjoyment factor, and enjoy the ride. Just be prepared to smile!
    • 4/5
      Mrs. Beamer's review:This is the type of book I hope my daughter grows up liking to read. It's light but clever...funny while still touching on some serious topics...and leaves you feeling GOOD. While I was prepared for much more "meat" around the spy storyline, I wasn't disappointed that it was lacking. I found the focus on the teen characters enjoyable...and applaud Ms. Benway for creating such lovable, flawed individuals for us to love :)For me, the females stole the show in this book. Maggie is perfect as a spy-turned-high school student trying to find her way...while Roux is the PERFECT compliment to her. By far my favorite relationship in the book :) And Maggie's mom makes more appearances than most parents do in YA novels I've read...loved it!If you are looking for a book that makes you laugh out loud and leaves you wanting more...this is the book for you! I highly recommend it to all teens and look forward to buying it for my high school library. I know it will fly off the shelf!Mrs. Beamer’s wrap-up rating: 0-5 (0=none, 5=lots) click here for more infoLanguage: 0Violence: 0Sexual Content: 1Drugs/Alcohol: 1Potential Controversial Topics: noneRecommend for High School Libraries: YESComfortable With My Child Reading: YES
    • 4/5
      Maggie, a safecracking whiz, is raised in a family of spies who work for a group called the Collective. She's moved around the world from job to job. When the family gets assigned a case in Manhattan that requires Maggie to infiltrate a private school and befriend a guy to get to a secret file and article said guy's dad may be publishing, it is the first time that Maggie has taken a lead on a case. Her parents are worried. Maggie makes a friend for the first time and Jesse, the guy she's supposed to befriend, becomes much more than a job to her. Roux, as Maggie's friend, is a hoot of a character. Maggie begins to question if the family business is really for her and tries to work the case even when she is over her head, putting herself and her friends in danger. A super-fun romp into the world of high school spies. It would be a good read for those who like the Ally Carter Gallagher Girls series.