City Spies by James Ponti is the first book in the City Spies series, good for 4-6th graders.
Sara Martinez is a hacker who is currently facing a stint in juvenile detention for hacking into the foster care system to report her negligent foster parents misdeeds. Instead of being sent to juvenile detention, Sara is instead recruited by Mother, a British spy who wants her to work for him and a secret MI6 division: City Spies.
The City Spies are a group of five kids, working out of Scotland, who each bring something special to the team. From survival skills, to math smarts, the team has some serious skills. When Sara gets to FARM, she gets a crash course is spy skills before being sent on her first mission. Can Sara adapt to this new undercover life in time to stop a threat to Paris’ international youth summit or will she buckle under the pressure?
This was a great book and one I think elementary school readers of all ages would really enjoy. Fans of Grisham, Gibbs and Patterson will definitely enjoy this series. It's fast paced, action packed and also fun.
Sara, or Brooklyn, is the new kid of the group and because of this she is determined to prove herself. Each of the five kids have a different personality and different issues to overcome, so there is someone for everyone to relate to.
I think this book really sets the stage for where the rest of the series is going to go. There is a lot of plot building that should only grow as the series progresses. I think we will get more of each of the kids "origin" stories in subsequent books as well.
This was a fun read that I will definitely be using in my 4-6th grade book club in the fall. This one gets 4.5-5 stars from me. Great for boys, girls and I think reluctant readers would enjoy it as well.
That's all for now!
-M-