I think this is an amazing realistic fiction book. James Ponti’s books are always awesome and this is now my new favorite series! This book is about a group of underaged (ages 12-15), yet skilled, MI6 agents under the leadership of a man named Mother. Mother has some really funny motherisms! Sara is the newest member and a skilled hacker, which is what got her onto the team. The team enters an environmental competition where they also have to save the world. This book was so exciting and the pace of the story moves quickly, but it's also easy to follow along! I think the author did an amazing job of painting a picture in my mind with his words, so I felt like I could see everything that was happening. I really loved all of the characters! They are all orphans and come from different backgrounds and all over the world. They are all good at different things and have to work together.  This book was so good that I stayed up reading even though it was way past my bedtime!  I also loved that this book is great for people of all ages. I'm 8 years old and I really liked that the book wasn't scary or violent, which can sometimes be a problem with middle-school books. I also recommended this book to my parents and they loved it too. If it wasn’t limited to 5 stars I would give it 1,000!

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This was so fun! I absolutely loved the main character, Sara. The found family was so heartwarming. It never bored me. The character development was a little sparse but there are four more books for that! It had everything: warmth, adventure, and interesting relationship dynamics. I highly recommend for kids of all ages!

I enjoyed this story with all of the characters within. The main character was Sara Martinez.

Sara Martinez is a girl that can hacker into any computer. While living with her foster family she hacks into a high profile and has the cops knock on her door. She was hacking because she want to get her foster parents into trouble. But it didn't go as planned and now she in trouble. While wanting on the judge she meets a British spy that wants her help. His code name is mother. So he get her out and they leave to Scotland. While going to Scotland he informs her of the plan.

This was a fun story to read or listen to. It had action, adventure, suspense throughout. It had a few giggles within. 

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

Great book! This story had my attention right from the state. It was fast paced and I could see the scenes playing out before me like a movie. I enjoyed getting to know all the of the characters. They were each so unique and I love how they had their own quirks and issues and strengths and how they all accepted one another despite their differences. I will have my preteen son read this and the others in the series.

Brooklyn, formerly known as Sara, is the new member of a secret spy team made up of kids from around the world. Now she’s prepping her computer hacking skills and learning general spycraft to stop a crime at an international youth summit in Paris. A fun mystery with plenty of action and adventure. Ready to read the next one!

My 10-year-old and I enjoyed reading this together. We liked the characters, the plot twists and turns, as well as where the story takes place. I definitely recommend this book to any teacher or middle grades child. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my opinion.

I really loved the characters and the adventure, James Ponti has an awesome writing style that keeps the reader engaged in the story I look forward to seeing more of his work and hope there is more to come of this story!

Wonderful spy story for the YA reader. Loved the characters and they way each character was developed and introduced to the plot.

This was a faster-paced read than Ponti's Framed series, in my opinion, and I really enjoyed the back story of Mother and the M16 spy agency.  Readers will enjoy the humor, sharp wit, and good friendships, as well as the independence and cool factor of the kid spies.  If you enjoy movies such as Spy Kid, or any of James Ponti's Framed series books, this will be a hit.

I highly recommend this series for middle grade readers who like fast-paced books!

This very fun story is about a group of kids who are recruited by MI6 to help them solve crimes.  Each of the kids is without a family and has somehow attracted the attention of Mother, the leader of the group, and each has talents that the team needs, but also limitations that would make working by themselves almost impossible.  The characters are interesting and well developed and the story line is exciting with lots of plot twists.  Thank goodness this is the first in a series of four, because you're going to want to keep reading these!

A MIDDLE GRADE SPY NOVEL THAT READS LIKE A MOVIE? Featuring a girl in STEM? Kids who go to school for SPY ACTIVITIES? Diverse characters up the wazoo? There are set-ups and they almost always pay off. And it’s fun! It’s really really fun! This is a great start to a series, I’m excited to pick up the rest. Four and a half stars, rounded up for Netgalley, etc.

City Spies is a new series that will captivate my readers from the first page.  It concorporates modern day themes that are sure to delight older elementary and middle grade students.
A young hacker is able to infiltrate the New York City foster care system which is just the beginning of her talent for exposing dark secrets.    We are then introduced to 4 additional young spies from various forlorn backgrounds.   Each young spy has their own personalities, quirks and abilities.
The plot is exciting, fast-paced and satisfying.  The cloak-and dagger response to the goings-on made me want to dive immediately into the next one.  Great read!

I've already read this book, but I still really enjoyed it! I really enjoyed the plot and the way the story was told. It's a great book!

What a great group of kid spies!  I love their names and their personalities.  I am looking forward to the next book.  It was a realistic fiction with a dose of humor and excitement.  Highly recommend to reluctant readers.  

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.

Sara is being charged with hacking into the foster care system, when her lawyer is suddenly replaced with one that tell her to trust him (even though he isn’t a lawyer). She ends up trusting him and meets “Mother”, who asks her to join him. We soon learn what he means and off she goes to Scotland to meet all the others on the team and hear about the mission. 

I had been hearing a lot about this book and I can see why! This was a great, can’t put down, have to read the next 2 in the series kind of book!  I love how the book flashes back, so we can get the back stories of everyone. This book had me on the edge of my seat. I’ve already half way through book 2. This would be a great read aloud and a must read for later elementary and middle schoolers!! Highly recommend!!

A group of kid spies from around the world teaming up to bring down a villainous organization???

Yes please!

City Spies is the first in a 3 book series. This book introduces us to a group of kids led by a former spy known to them as "Mother". Mother was a MI6 spy who now recruits and trains young people to be spies. When he (yes, Mother is a man) saves Sara Martinez from a trip to juvie for hacking, she enters into a world of friendship, intrigue and danger. Will she be up for the challenge?

I LOVED this book. Found family is one of my favorite themes in books and this book had it in spades. I loved these kids and the beauty in their diversity, both culturally and personality wise. The story is well developed and we're left with some questions up until the very end (and then with some more until the next book). The action was exciting without being scary which makes for a great middle/late middle grade read. I was really rooting for Sara and the entire crew throughout and was deeply engaged in the mystery they were uncovering. This book also had the added benefit of both Scotland and Paris as settings.

If you're looking for an exciting feel-good spy thriller with characters you can root for, look no further! I can't wait to dive into book 2!

I really enjoyed this book . Thank you to the author and publisher who sent me an Arc copy of this book. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was actually quite surprised by the lower ratings after I finished the book and due to that, I think it's important to mention that this book is geared towards a middle-grade audience. City Spies has everything that tween me would have eaten up, especially because I would wholeheartedly believe and pine that I'd be getting picked to be a super cool, badass spy and save the entire freaking world. I felt incredibly immersed in the world Ponti created, the unfolding story, character development, and twists and turns of this story were incredible. I did feel, however, that the ending felt a tad bit rushed due to a pacing change in the last few chapters. But I feel no need to dock a point for that as it didn't ruin my reading experience but rather made me think of that vine (why are we going so freaking fast?!) I would highly recommend this to anyone who appreciates middle-grade fiction, even though I am not the target demographic, it made me feel like a little kid again reading it. There is immense magic in immersing a younger version of yourself into a story that you wish you could have read then. And there is something to be said about the talent of the writer for the ability to transport a reader into the mindset of a younger them when they felt massively invincible within the pages of a book.

This was so much fun! It quite reminded me of the chaotic heist scene in the first St Trinian's movie, which also featured using a school event to hide their real agendas. I loved how diverse the cast was, how easy it was to get to know the characters and the twists and turns of the story.

Although our main character is hacker Sara, we also get the povs of most of the rest of the cast - Mother, Sydney, Rio and Paris. This helped me get to know their backstories better, and how they came to be recruited by Mother. Kat I don't remember hearing from, and I think there's a reason for that which will be revealed in a later book.

The found family trope mixed with heists, plot twists and plenty of action made this a fast paced read that I sped through. Sara and Sydney are both witty, intelligent characters that made me want to continue the series as soon as put the first book down.

I read this to my 8 year old son and we had such a good time. It’s hard to come by middle grade books that don’t read like “little kid literature” but this one by Mr. Pontic was smart, witty, keep you on the edge of your seat with dangerous situations and lots of sleuthing. As a parent I love when I find a read aloud that is also fun for me. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.