Saturday, July 11, 2020

City Spies by James Ponti - ESSENTIAL

City Spies by James Ponti, 378 pages. Aladdin (Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division), 2020. $18.


Content G


BUYING ADVISORY: MS – ESSENTIAL


AUDIENCE APPEAL:  HIGH


12yo Sara Martinez is in the foster care system.  Her foster parents are horrible, so she hacks into the juvenile justice system to expose them.  Unfortunately she faces juvenile detention until Mother, a British spy recruits her and she joins a team of youth spies living in Scotland.  At a youth summit in Paris, Sara and her team go undercover to stop a villainous plot that would endanger lives.


Although it was a bit of a stretch to have a 12-year old hacker who can get into any system, this story rocks.  Sara and her crew are likable with some mad skills and the story was engaging and well paced.  There are nice twists as Mother and his teen spies get closer to the truth.  Once you start reading, you will want to finish, and the locales make you wish you were there.  James Ponti has blended fun with danger brilliantly.


Michelle in the Middle


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