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Description
In this first book in a thrilling series, a young hacker is given a choice: juvenile detention, or joining a secret team of kid spies. Sara Martinez, a 12-year-old hacker, lands in juvenile detention after exposing her corrupt foster parents. Her life takes a sharp turn when a mysterious spy offers her a deal: join a secret MI6 agency of young operatives, and her record will be wiped clean.
Operating from a hidden base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from around the world. When they aren't at boarding school, they train in unique skills like sleight of hand, observation, and breaking and entering—all to go where adult spies can't.
Before she knows it, Sara is on a mission in Paris, hacking a rival school's computer, dangling from a building, and trying to stop a villain. She must navigate the complex dynamics of her new team while learning that saving the world is anything but easy.
Gr 4-8--This promising new spy fiction series features a diverse team of orphans, each named for the city from which they hail, brought together under the secret auspices of MI5 by a nattily dressed, fast-talking British male agent they call "Mother." This first title follows the recruitment of a 12-year-old Latina girl named Sara, aka Brooklyn, whose mastery of computer hacking proves to be only one of many clever skills she brings to the team. Relying on short, distinct scenes filled with snappy dialogue, multiple viewpoints, settings in a variety of globally important and glamorous cities, and some key well-foreshadowed reveals, Ponti is clearly drawing from his career as a television producer. A disappointingly small amount of action, humor, character development, or even spying happens in this first book, although the heroes do indeed uncover and thwart one evil plan. However, the backstories of the intriguing characters, the emerging relationships among them, and the promise of more to come will no doubt hook fans of such books as Gordon Korman's "Masterminds" or Beth McMullen's "Mrs. Smith's Spy School for Girls." VERDICT A cinematic and well-crafted start to a new spy series for middle grades.--Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Publishers Weekly
In this action-packed spy novel, 12-year-old Sara Martinez, who is Latinx, faces juvenile detention for hacking into New York City's juvenile justice computer system to reveal her foster parents' misdeeds and cruelties. When a mysterious man who calls himself "Mother" appears, posing as her attorney, he persuades the judge to release Sara into his custody, then gives her an option: attend a U.K. boarding school or join the Secret Intelligence Service. Within a few short days, Sara is being trained for a secret mission with one of Britain's most elite group of spies--all of whom are under the age of 16. Now, Sara uses her impressive knowledge of computers to stop a villain who is planning an attack at a youth environmental summit in Paris. Plotted with an enjoyable amount of suspense, Ponti's story features a well-drawn cast of kids from around the world forming a chosen family with sibling-like dynamics. A page-turner suited to even the most reluctant readers. Ages 8-12. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Mar.)
Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
User
November 3, 2022
i love this book
its good but my friend keegan says its trash like a trash bin
James Ponti is the New York Times bestselling author of four middle grade book series: The Sherlock Society following a group of young detectives; City Spies, about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 Spy Team; the Edgar Award-winning Framed! series, about a pair of tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, DC; and the Dead City trilogy, about a secret society that polices the undead living beneath Manhattan. His books have appeared on more than fifteen different state award lists, and he is the founder of a writers group known as the Renegades of Middle Grade. James is also an Emmy-nominated television writer and producer who has worked for many networks including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, History, and Spike TV, as well as NBC Sports. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida. Find out more at JamesPonti.com. James Ponti es el autor de cuatro series de libros para niños de gran éxito de ventas del New York Times: The Sherlock Society, que sigue a un grupo de jóvenes detectives; City Spies, sobre un escuadrón improbable de cinco niños de todo el mundo que forman un equipo de espías de élite del MI6; la serie Framed!, ganadora del premio Edgar, sobre un par de preadolescentes que resuelven misterios en Washington, DC; y la trilogía Dead City, sobre una sociedad secreta que vigila a los muertos vivientes que viven bajo Manhattan. Sus libros han aparecido en más de quince listas de premios estatales diferentes y es el fundador de un grupo de escritores conocido como Renegades of Middle Grade. James también es un escritor y productor de televisión nominado al Emmy que ha trabajado para muchas cadenas, incluidas Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, History y Spike TV, así como para NBC Sports. Vive con su familia en Orlando, Florida. Obtenga más información en JamesPonti.com.
