City Spies is a fun, middle grades mystery series featuring undercover teen spies from around the world, each with a special talent.
City Spies Series by James Ponti. Aladdin.
- City Spies (2020). 378 pages.
- Golden Gate (2021). 432 pages.
Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12
Recommended For: Middle grades and up
When Sara is rescued from her trial—and her horrible foster family situation—she doesn’t ask too many questions of her rescuers. Anything is better than her previous living situation. But when she arrives in Scotland, at a castle, and learns that she really is in a school for undercover teen spies… well, that is something new. Even MI6 doesn’t know of their existence. Only “Mother,” the man in charge, and a handful of select operatives know that the teens are actually working for the government and not merely for the weather research station (the cover for the huge, old manor house). As City Spies progresses, the five kids must learn to work together and leverage their unique gifts to help stop the villain. Like many fun movies and TV shows of recent years (Ocean’s Eleven, Leverage to name two), this team features a hacker, a lock-pick, a master puzzle solver, and more, each of whom is critical to the team’s success.
In book 2, Golden Gate, Sara and her team are on a more personal mission: helping Mother recover his children and perhaps even his wife. His wife was also a British spy, but she’s been deep undercover for years, along with his children. The team helps defeat another nefarious plot along the way, and the ending of this book is truly touching.
City Spies is light, humorous, and fast-paced. It’s a great summer read option or recreational read for kids who love spy stories, mysteries, and teamwork. The interpersonal dynamics are a bit predictable, but the characters are each unique, from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and lovable in their own ways.
Considerations
- Readers: note the comments section for where this series seems to be heading; as always, we can only speak to the ones in a series that we’ve actually read.
Overall Rating: 3.25 out of 5
- Worldview/Moral Rating: 3.25 out of 5
- Literary/Artistic Rating: 3.25 out of 5
Read more about our ratings here.
Related Reading From Redeemed Reader
- A Review: The Mysterious Benedict Society is a similar story, although more complex in both plotting and reading level.
- A Resource: More Series Fiction for Tweens and Teens, perfect for curling up on a hot summer afternoon!
- A Resource: Have kids who love mysteries? Check out our most popular book list ever: Mystery Book List for Elementary, Tweens, and Teens
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Hi! Your review says to note the comment section to see where this series may be heading, but no comments show under this entry. I have a 10 year old itching to read this as it is one of the free choices in Barnes & Nobles’ summer reading plan this summer. Would love any more info if you happen to recall your comment. I’m also curious how much it goes into the trauma in the kids’ lives that led them to foster care. Thanks!
Hi Caroline, I haven’t read any others in the series (other than what I reviewed here), but I’ve heard lots of chatter that LGBTQ themes crop up (including amongst some character you meet in the first book). I don’t know about the trauma aspect. Sorry I can’t be more help!
I’ve read all four books, and am at a loss hearing that there is chatter of LGBTQ themes. Maybe I’m totally oblivious, but I never picked up on any. My kids love this series and I really enjoy reading them also. I regularly recommend them to friends as good books for the middle grades (4th and up), both Christian and not. The main characters are genuinely nice to each other, the relationships between the spy kids and their parent figures are encouraging and positive, and there is very little in the way of crushes or other issues that often pop up in middle grade books. I find it a breath of fresh air.
As far as trauma, there is very little, if any, mention of prior trauma, except among a traumatic event that “Mother” went through. Clearly, the kids have come from tough circumstances, but the books don’t really talk about much of it or dwell on it. I highly recommend this series.
Well, that’s great to hear! I thought the first two books were a lot of fun, but I haven’t read any further (as I mentioned in my review). So, it’s good to hear “chatter” that opposes the negative things I’d heard. I wish my current library had the full series. I’d be interested in reading the rest and reporting back.