City Spies
Recommended Ages: 10-12
City Spies by James Ponti is a mystery series for older middle school readers and high schoolers. This is a great series that your readers will quickly devour.
Book 1: City Spies
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I read this book in 2020 as part of a “Battle of the Book” reading list for a group I was sponsoring.
Book 2: Golden Gate
Click here for a pdf copy of the review for Forbidden City and City of the Dead
Book 5: Mission Manhattan
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Book 6: London Calling
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City Spies: London Calling by James Ponti is book six in the City Spies series. Following in the footsteps of the last five books, this novel doesn’t disappoint. Annie, Mother’s missing, estranged daughter, is on the run due to Clementine’s misbehavior - at least according to the leader of Umbra. Once word reaches Mother that Annie is missing, Mother leaves with the help of Cairo (his son Robert), Paris, and Rio as they search for the breadcrumbs that will lead them to Annie’s whereabouts.
Fortunately, Annie is recovered, but in the meantime, the FARM is compromised and Monty, Kat, Brookly, and Sydney barely escape with their lives. Their world is turned upside down and knowing who exactly to trust and who is truly a double agent becomes difficult to discern. Once arriving back in London, the city spies are tasked with helping secure the royal wedding, but it isn’t until the last minute that they discover they have been focusing in the wrong place the entire time. Will they be able to save the world’s secrets or will the villain finally get the upper hand?
Without giving too much away, your readers will absolutely love this installment of the City Spies series. In line with the other books in the series, there isn’t any profanity or anything unsavory or inappropriate. Just a wonderful, clean mystery with great themes.
Noteworthy mentions/ quotes:
“Because she’s his daughter and he’s our father,” Kat replied. “That makes her our sister. We never turn our backs on our family” (38).
When Beny is unusable to speed up their process for solving codes and mysteries, Monty replies - “But remember, Annie didn’t have a supercomputer either. She managed to come up with the code while being chased by some scary individuals. We should be able to solve it.”
[...]
“That someone is gone,” Sydney lamented humorously. “She’s gotten lazy by letting Beny do all the work for her, and now she’s totally lost her touch” (137). Brooklyn takes the bait and is committed to solving the mysterious code.
Tru speaking about Mother when Annie confronts him thinking that Mother considers Clementine his enemy, “I can’t imagine someone more loyal to a spouse than your father has been to your mother,” she continued. “Are you aware that he wouldn’t divorce her? He had ample legal standing, not to mention significant professional pressure, to do so. [...] “He told me, ‘I took an oath to bear allegiance to the queen and a vow to love my wife for better or worse. I’m quite fond of them both, and I have no intention of letting either of them down’” (35). Mother sets a great example for readers of his love for his wife and realizing that there must be an explanation for some of the terrible things that have happened. Prior to this scene in the story, he learns that Tru had kept his being alive a secret from Clementine for two years - all the while knowing that Clementine was distraught over what had happened in Paris six years earlier. Mother seems to offer forgiveness to Tru and understanding given her position and the nature of their work in MI6.
The only disappointment in this story is the way it ends. It seems as though Ponti is wrapping up the series to end with the family somewhat reconciling and a new life beginning. If other readers are like me, you are hopeful that this isn’t the end and book seven is in the works.
Book 7: Europa
City Spies: Europa by James Ponti is book seven in the City Spies Series. Picking up shortly after the end of book six, the City Spies are now living in London after the destruction of their home. Clementine and Annie are starting new lives separate from everyone while in protection service. All are trying to begin again and put their new life back in order now that Umbra’s leader, Lucien Allard, is in a high security prison. However, even from within the walls of prison he begins his next plan that leads to his eventual escape.
As the action in the story begins, there are cryptic messages leaving high security prison and are presumed to be from Allard despite extensive searching of his cell. The messages hint to various bombings that are to take place. It starts with one bomb that they uncover in Paris, but soon there are more. The bulk of the book centers around uncovering the locations for these specific bombs and to stop Allard and his henchmen before thousands of lives are lost. The team must split up, but also must work together in order to be successful. In the end, they work amazingly well to stop the bombings, but what they didn’t see is that it was all part of Allard’s plan for escape.
If his escape wasn’t enough, Allard is set on getting a hold of Clementine in order to seek revenge for him ending up in prison to begin with. Towards the end of the story as the characters feel a sense of failure for his escape, they realize that it wasn’t all. That he is after Clementine. The team, with Tru’s help, manage to locate their hiding in order to stop Allard; however, when they arrive he has already taken Clementine. Sydney, the one who likes Clementine least, is the one in the end who ends up managing to save her from Allard as he manages to elude them one last time.
Throughout the story, Tru is also conducting Tru-torials to help the spies decide once and for all if they desire to join MI6. Winning the rounds of her Tru-torials results in the winning spy to wear a prized Rolex. In the end, all the characters decide to formally continue their MI6 training and Annie, who once was sure to not be a part of it all, appears as London accepting the token of MI6.
Noteworthy quotes/ mentions:
Due to events in Paris, Sydney and Paris are expelled and banned from ever returning. Paris, being from Paris, takes the information well, but it is also difficult for him. “He was born in Rwanda and lived in the UK, but he always thought of France as home. Being French was essential to his identify” (161). This offers a great opportunity to remind our young readers that our identity is ultimate in Christ, not in our earthly citizenship.
One of the things I like about this series is that the children have strong parent and adult guidance and mentorship. After some disobedience in Paris by Sydney, Mother (reminder that is the Father’s code name) reminds the children that he is their father and their superior officer when in the field and that they are to obey every order for the good of the operation and the safety of everyone involved (Chapter 15). I really like that this story speaks to and reminds young readers that there is authority over their lives and that the authority placed over them is ultimately for their good.
Tru goes undercover with the young spies. A moment of humor is that she attempts to be their “aunt”, but realizes that due to the age difference she is better suited as the “granny.”
Readers learn or are reminded that Sydney’s mother was once in prison. When trying to give advice to Cairo as they go to the prison where Allard is she states, “It always helped me to imagine I was visiting my mum at work. That way it didn’t get too emotional one way or another. It’s also important to remember that, to everyone at the prison, Ben Littler’s a criminal, but to us he’s Dad. It’s not our job to feel guilt or shame. And it’s not our concern what other people think” (179). For readers who might have experience with a parent in prison, I think this is a great message and a compassionate glimpse for readers who have not had that experience.
Sydney is over compensating, trying to be a good leader. Paris offers her great advice that being a great leader means you involve and listen to all the people on your team. You don’t have to have all the answers (Chapter 22). She also makes a statement that Paris stayed with her when the bomb was about to explode in Paris because he was a good leader. Paris corrects her that he stayed because she was his sister. It is a sweet moment. “I didn’t stay because I’m a good leader. I stayed because you’re my sister, and I love you more than you’ll ever know. I will never leave you behind” (249).
It is hard to tell if the series is for sure finished as Ponti left it clearly open for additional books. While 386 pages, readers will quickly fly through this book with the action and suspense to solve the puzzles just as quickly as the characters. If you are looking for a great book series for middle grade readers with great themes of family, friendship, endurance, and humility, then this definitely continues to be a series that should be on the MUST Read list.
