Review: City Spies by James Ponti

City Spies 

By James Ponti 

3/10/20 

Aladdin 

Source: from pub for review

Goodreads 

In this new series James Ponti brings together five kids from all over the world and transforms them into real-life spies. 

Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency. 

Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t. 

Before she knows what she’s doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team. 

No one said saving the world was easy… 

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

Five kids from different parts of the world, with five very different tragic backstories, all have one thing in common: they each possess very special, useful skills. The kind of skills that make for great spies...enter Mother, a MI6 agent, who isn’t really a mother, but actually a father. Mother has recruited these five kids, each known for the city they were found in (Paris, Sydney, Rio, Kat, and Brooklyn), to be trained as spies. Prep school students by day- computer hacking, mission going, butt kicking spies by night- these five young spies must train to be ready for anything...which is good since they’re about to embark on their most dangerous and potentially deadly mission ever. 

James Ponti has once again crafted an unputdownable middle-grade thrill ride! Wickedly clever, excitingly fast-paced, and full of engaging characters, City Spies will keep young readers enthralled from beginning to end. 

I’m always impressed with Ponti’s masterful storytelling, and City Spies is no exception. Full of cool spy tools and terms, thrilling action, compelling mysteries and smart twists, captivating settings, and fun characters, City Spies is bursting with middle-grade goodness! From the streets of New York to Scotland, Australia, and Paris, readers are in for a whirlwind adventure.   

Readers will have a blast joining the five young, capable protagonists as they train to be spies, go on breathtaking missions, deal with relatable teen angst, and, of course, save the day.  

Thrilling, engrossing, awesomely clever, with edge-of-your-seat excitement, City Spies is a spy-tacular must read! I can’t wait for book two! 

MY RATING 

5/5 Cupcakes

James Ponti was born in Italy, raised in Florida, and went to college in California. After receiving a degree in screenwriting from the USC Film School, he began a career writing and producing television shows for the likes of Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, Spike TV, History Channel, and Golf Channel. James loves writing, travel, and the Boston Red Sox. He lives with his family in Maitland, Florida. Website Twitter Facebook