Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
415th out of 1,073 books
—
6,107 voters
Inside the Shadow City (Kiki Strike #1)
by
Kirsten Miller (Goodreads Author)
Life will never be the same for Ananka Fishbein after she ventures into an enormous sinkhole near her New York City apartment. A million rats, delinquent Girl Scouts out for revenge, and a secret city below the streets of Manhattan combine in this remarkable novel about a darker side of New York City you have only just begun to know about…
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
May 29th 2007
by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
(first published May 30th 2006)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
3,000)
Reviewed by Carrie Spellman for TeensReadToo.com
Pretend you live in Manhattan, across the street from a little park. Now pretend you wake up one night and the park has sunken into the ground and left a big hole. Wait, it gets weirder! Pretend you see a mud-covered creature climb up out of the hole using a rope, and it waves at you. What would you do? If you're twelve-year-old Ananka Fishbein, you sneak out of the house and climb down the hole. Once down the hole, you might find a secret room. (I...more
Pretend you live in Manhattan, across the street from a little park. Now pretend you wake up one night and the park has sunken into the ground and left a big hole. Wait, it gets weirder! Pretend you see a mud-covered creature climb up out of the hole using a rope, and it waves at you. What would you do? If you're twelve-year-old Ananka Fishbein, you sneak out of the house and climb down the hole. Once down the hole, you might find a secret room. (I...more
Aug 07, 2007
Jennie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nonrequired-work-reading
Take a group of renegade girlscouts dressed as ninjas, an exiled Eastern European princess, some opium dens and theives liars, a horde of old, an entire city located underneath New York City's subways, and millions of murderous rats. Holding it all together is the very mysterious, and possibly dangerous, Kiki Strike. But who is this Kiki Strike? Is she a Defender of the Innocent? Or an International Assassin? Or possibly a Kung-Fu movie star?
This is an exciting and, well, just plain awesome adve...more
This is an exciting and, well, just plain awesome adve...more
This book for me, was a different genre- so it was interesting reading it. Ananka Fishbein- a high school student at an all girls school in New York city lived what some people might call a rather boring life. Until she meets Kiki Strike. A rebellious girl who befriends Ananka and other girls. They lead a more exciting life. (I'm trying not to spoil anything :D) I found the begining a bit boring,and I really wanted to get past it. Being persistent, I kept reading it. I got torwards the middle, a...more
Mar 10, 2008
Karen Syed
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Karen by:
Found it on library shelf
Shelves:
favorites
The Shadow City has lay beneath the streets of Manhattan for quite some time, virtually forgotten by all--well, almost all. Kiki Strike, has a secret, and a mission, actually, it's a secret mission and she needs the help of a very select few. This is when she hits the local Girl Scout troops to recruit her genius band of "Irregulars."
Ananka Fishbein and friends are in for a revelation when they team up with Kiki. With espionage in her blood and an overload of courage, Kiki leads this group of gi...more
Ananka Fishbein and friends are in for a revelation when they team up with Kiki. With espionage in her blood and an overload of courage, Kiki leads this group of gi...more
Nov 21, 2008
Naomi
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves a good mystery and a group of smart super-spies
Recommended to Naomi by:
Mollie F.
This is now one of my favorite books! This book is brilliant. It's a good read for tweens and teens. This superspy really kicks butt! This group of smart, loyal, sly girls make a great team. One of the best books I have ever read. I think everyone who loves a good mystery should read it.
Aug 06, 2008
Samantha
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who like an adventure story.
This book is very interesting! Some parts went over my head (aka could forget about). It was detaily. There was a lot of action and mystery though. I liked it and there is a sequal too! I hope if you read it you like it too!
3 likes · like · see review
A worthy read if ever I've met one.
There is so much to recommend this book that it is hard to know where to begin! I wanna be a girl scout! I want to be dangerous! I want to be an irregular!!! I knew almost immediately what great hands I was in; Kirsten Miller's rapid-fire and hilarious mind is stamped on every single page. But it was when I was halfway through the book (and out in the weeds as far as the mystery was concerned) when I realized I was up against a mystery as formidable as one from...more
There is so much to recommend this book that it is hard to know where to begin! I wanna be a girl scout! I want to be dangerous! I want to be an irregular!!! I knew almost immediately what great hands I was in; Kirsten Miller's rapid-fire and hilarious mind is stamped on every single page. But it was when I was halfway through the book (and out in the weeds as far as the mystery was concerned) when I realized I was up against a mystery as formidable as one from...more
This review for both this book and Kiki Strike: the Empress's Tomb.
Ooooo I like these mysteries for some reason. The story is told from Ananka’s viewpoint. She’s a poor student living in New York city with perpetual student parents who basically pay her no mind and attending a girl’s school for gifted, mostly very rich, students. Then one day something interesting happens—The ground collapses across the street from her apartment building and she see’s a gnome-like being exit. Ananka herself expl...more
Ooooo I like these mysteries for some reason. The story is told from Ananka’s viewpoint. She’s a poor student living in New York city with perpetual student parents who basically pay her no mind and attending a girl’s school for gifted, mostly very rich, students. Then one day something interesting happens—The ground collapses across the street from her apartment building and she see’s a gnome-like being exit. Ananka herself expl...more
Ananka is yearning for a life of excitement, but she doesn't realize it until it the morning she looks out her window to discover a sink hole in the park outside her window and the secret room that lies beneath. Before long she is discovering a secret city with Kiki Strike and a highly talented group of girls called the Irregulars. The girls seem unstoppable until an accident occurs that leaves them doubting the motives of their fearless leader and causes a split. When girls across the city begi...more
Jul 12, 2007
Boatgirl
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
the adventuresome
I wish this book had been written sooner. If it had been available when I was younger, the path of my life might have been completely different. Kiki is a modern heroine for any girl who feels a little hampered by the ordinary.
Part story, part how-to guide, for anyone interested in being a spy, getting away with the unthinkable, and making the most of what you've got. From now on, it will be a book I give to girls of my acquaintance so they will grow up with good role models.
The very concept was...more
Part story, part how-to guide, for anyone interested in being a spy, getting away with the unthinkable, and making the most of what you've got. From now on, it will be a book I give to girls of my acquaintance so they will grow up with good role models.
The very concept was...more
Mar 25, 2009
Telka
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
7th-grade-ir-books-deborah
The book Kiki Strike, is about a girl named Ananka who is a regular girl and goes to a regular private school. All of a sudden, one day, a new girl shows up in Ananka's class. That person is Kiki Strike. One day in class, the children were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up. Ananka said that she wanted to be marine bioligist. Kiki said she wanted to be dangerous. In this book, Kiki shows Ananka a whole other new world that no one has ever discovered before. With the help of the Irre...more
Kiki Strike is definitely one of my favorite middle-grade novels. Set in New York City, Ananka Fishbein lives a normal life, until she ventures into a sinkhole near her apartment. She discovers the Shadow City, an underground city beneath New York that has been undiscovered for years. She also meets Kiki Strike, a tiny girl with white hair who wears only black and rides a Vespa. Kiki Strike is a mysterious character who certainly knows a lot about everyone and the Shadow City. Kiki and Ananka fo...more
Staying at a friend's house, my daughter borrowed this from my friend's daughter, who really liked it. Turns out my friend, the mom, had read it too. Well, after my daughter read it, she sweetly asked me to read it so we could talk about it. And I really, really liked it, too and not only for the mother-daughter bonding it created.
Kiki Strike lives out every girl's fantasy, if every girl is a native New Yorker who is dazzled by her own city's mystery and elegance. When I was a little girl, I had...more
Kiki Strike lives out every girl's fantasy, if every girl is a native New Yorker who is dazzled by her own city's mystery and elegance. When I was a little girl, I had...more
May 09, 2012
Vikki VanSickle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
middle-grade
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City has a sort of retro, film noir, gothic, superhero vibe, except that it is none of these things. The book takes place in a vaguely contemporary New York City and is about an enigmatic girl, the white-haired, Vespa-riding Kiki Strike, who assembles a team of ex-girl scouts with remarkable talents (including a chemist, a disguise artist, an “electro-genius,” and a hacker) to find and map a secret underground city, called The Shadow City. The girls call themselves...more
You can pick up some dead on detective/spy tips from Kiki Strike, her book jacket says it all, “Five delinquent Girl Scouts, a million hungry rats, one secret city beneath Manhattan, and a butt-kicking girl superspy- welcome to the world of Kiki Strike”. I love it.
Kiki Strike is the story of the Irregulars, a group of girls brought together by the mysterious, the skilled, the top secret Kiki Strike. She’s fluent in a dozen languages. Breaking and entering? No problem. Kiki has recruited a group...more
Kiki Strike is the story of the Irregulars, a group of girls brought together by the mysterious, the skilled, the top secret Kiki Strike. She’s fluent in a dozen languages. Breaking and entering? No problem. Kiki has recruited a group...more
May 24, 2011
Laurel & Jenny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
all-time-favorites
I possibly loved this book as much reading it a second time a round as I did reading it the first time. I honestly HATE the city--loud noise, mind-bogglingly disgusting odors--but the adventure-filled wholeheartedly fulfilling story has really made me appreciate what's hidden behind the grime of the city--secrets. Centuries-old secrets. I've always been someone too curious, too observant, and too accident-prone to not appreciate the similarities I share with each of the Irregulars, and reading K...more
I'll admit it...my mom picked this one out for me.
While i was busy staring at all the pretty shiny sparkly covers of some YA paranormal, she picked up this little number and began silently reading the back cover. Only a moment later i felt her nudge me, insisting I read THIS ONE. Now me, not wanting to give up a book that I had already picked, defiantly declined with a wave of a hand.
Before I knew it, she was reading the summary out loud in a rapid tone, acting more excited than i was even thou...more
While i was busy staring at all the pretty shiny sparkly covers of some YA paranormal, she picked up this little number and began silently reading the back cover. Only a moment later i felt her nudge me, insisting I read THIS ONE. Now me, not wanting to give up a book that I had already picked, defiantly declined with a wave of a hand.
Before I knew it, she was reading the summary out loud in a rapid tone, acting more excited than i was even thou...more
5 likes · like · see review
Sep 28, 2010
Darlene
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Young Adults who have a grasp on reality.
Recommended to Darlene by:
Kay
Shelves:
young-adult
I wish I would have known a Kiki Strike growing up. I really loved these books. What I remember most is the underground cities as I was watching the History(?) channel series about the same. I was impressed with the amount of research Ms. Miller put into this series. I want to explore the underground cities.
Here is the review from BookCrossing:
It is about time that there are books for girls who want adventures. Just as I started reading this book I started watching "Underground Cities" (I thin...more
Here is the review from BookCrossing:
It is about time that there are books for girls who want adventures. Just as I started reading this book I started watching "Underground Cities" (I thin...more
Ananka’s adventures begin when a sinkhole transforms a nearby park into a disaster area. The moment after it happens, she spots a person climbing out of the hole, and she is instantly curious. Who was that? Why did they climb out of the hole? Ananka heads out to investigate, and discovers an entire second level of New York City, called The Shadow City. Eventually she meets Kiki Strike, the person she saw climbing out of the hole, and the two agree to explore the entire Shadow City. Kiki creates...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Synopsis: Mysterious mean girl recruits a team of skilled misfits, ostensibly to map the secret city that lies under NYC. Of course that's not what she's really up to, but the city does at least exist.
Ananka Fishbein, possessed of both the most awesome name ever and a library her parents built for complicated tax reasons, looks out her window one night to see a giant sinkhole in the park next door, where a statue used to be. She also sees a white-haired elf-creature climb out of the sinkhole and...more
Ananka Fishbein, possessed of both the most awesome name ever and a library her parents built for complicated tax reasons, looks out her window one night to see a giant sinkhole in the park next door, where a statue used to be. She also sees a white-haired elf-creature climb out of the sinkhole and...more
Kaksitoistavuotias Ananka Fishbein huomaa eräänä syksyisenä aamuna valtavan kuopan takapihallaan. Se tutustuttaa hänet unohdettuun Varjokaupunkiin, New Yorkin katujen alla mutkittelevaan tunneliverkostoon, ja samalla johdattaa hänet salaperäisen Kiki Striken johtaman ja erityisen lahjakkaista tytöistä koostuvan Iskuryhmän jäseneksi. Varjokaupungin tutkiminen johdattaa tytöt hengenvaaralliseen seikkailuun, jonka edetessä yksi jos toinenkin joutuu pohtimaan, mahtaako Kikillä itselläänkään olla iha...more
This review originally appeared at www.readinasinglesitting.com
There’s no denying that names can be evocative. My mother, for example, believes that the name Trudy is to a degree onomatopoeic, and can only be applied to a tall and rubenesque woman, whilst Nigel is appropriate for somebody with slightly nasal vocal modulations and a fondness for tweed jackets.
How about Kiki Strike, then? All snapping consonants and sharp vowels, it’s a name that carries the same sort of warning as a plaque pointi...more
There’s no denying that names can be evocative. My mother, for example, believes that the name Trudy is to a degree onomatopoeic, and can only be applied to a tall and rubenesque woman, whilst Nigel is appropriate for somebody with slightly nasal vocal modulations and a fondness for tweed jackets.
How about Kiki Strike, then? All snapping consonants and sharp vowels, it’s a name that carries the same sort of warning as a plaque pointi...more
Oct 02, 2008
Michelle
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Michelle by:
Lili
Shelves:
youngadult,
self
What a fun read! I wish this book was around when I was 11. Mostly, this is a mix between a James Bond and Nancy Drew novel. But, the narrator, Ananka, adds tips on topics like disguise, surveillance, and "how to kick some butt". I was so drawn in that I thought, momentarily at least, that I could personally escape a kidnapping plot or trail someone without getting caught. Kiki, Ananka, and the gang of girls are tough and smart. Sidney Bristow, just a few years younger.
Books like this make me excited to teach.
Often in my search for "strong female characters" to combat the force of Bella Swan in public consciousness, I am confronted with images of women who have to be literally physically strong or capable of impossible tasks in order to be held as "strong." This boook gives us a beautiful cast of characters for the girls who need more Hermione Grangers in their lives, with more diversity than being "the brainy one."
One, this is a fantastic book for upper eleme...more
Often in my search for "strong female characters" to combat the force of Bella Swan in public consciousness, I am confronted with images of women who have to be literally physically strong or capable of impossible tasks in order to be held as "strong." This boook gives us a beautiful cast of characters for the girls who need more Hermione Grangers in their lives, with more diversity than being "the brainy one."
One, this is a fantastic book for upper eleme...more
I was hooked the minute I read the little quip on the back of the book: “Five delinquent Girl Scouts, a million hungry rats, one secret city beneath Manhattan, and a butt-kicking girl superspy.” That would be the unforgettable Kiki Strike the title character of Kirsten Miller’s debut novel.
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City is a story of a girl named Ananka and her adventures with the mysterious Kiki Strike and three other girls who have outgrown the Girl Scouts. Together they explore a secret...more
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City is a story of a girl named Ananka and her adventures with the mysterious Kiki Strike and three other girls who have outgrown the Girl Scouts. Together they explore a secret...more
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City
By Kirsten Miller
New Yorkers are used to seeing odd things while looking out their windows. Some things are just too weird and require further investigation. That’s how Ananka Fishbein felt one early morning when she saw that a giant sinkhole appeared overnight and witnessed a small girl with long white hair running from the crater. Ananka, leaving no time for further contemplation, threw on a coat over her pajamas and went to check out the crater herself. Litt...more
By Kirsten Miller
New Yorkers are used to seeing odd things while looking out their windows. Some things are just too weird and require further investigation. That’s how Ananka Fishbein felt one early morning when she saw that a giant sinkhole appeared overnight and witnessed a small girl with long white hair running from the crater. Ananka, leaving no time for further contemplation, threw on a coat over her pajamas and went to check out the crater herself. Litt...more
Every city should have an Ananka Fishbein. Daughter of bookish parents, outsider at school and full of curiosity, Ananka reads. And reads and reads. So who better to investigate the underground city beneath New York than one of its best-informed inhabitants?
Kiki Strike, tiny albino dynamo, is on a mission and needs help. With great care and good judgement, she selects an explosives expert, master forger, queen of disguise and a mechanical genius. The only thing missing is extensive historical a...more
So I liked it, but there were some flaws that made it just ok. I assume it aspires to be a book about geeky girls who empower themselves to explore an underground city and save NYC. It falls short in my opinion. The girls may be empowered and brilliant in a singular sense, the "Irregulars" are not an empowered group of women on any level. They are negative and shallow even. I just couldn't stand by when the narrator is told to only have one cookie by a friend because she would be cuter if she lo...more
2 likes · like · see review
This was one of my favorite reads for the summer! A tale of action and suspense, this book documents an ordinary 7th grader's introduction to a secret city hidden underneath the streets of New York. She soon teams up with Kiki Strike, a girl of mystery who also seems to have an interest in this Shadow City. The two go on to recruit a team of delinquent Girl Scouts, each with their own special talents. This group, known as the Irregulars, seeks to map out and control the Shadow City - as well as...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiki Strike &...: I feel like a traitor but... | 4 | 4 | May 22, 2013 07:25pm | |
| Kiki Strike &...: Does anyone else wish the Shadow City were real so you could visit it? | 4 | 6 | Jan 07, 2013 03:09pm | |
| Kiki Strike group | 12 | 39 | Sep 09, 2012 11:09am | |
| Why are there two books with the same name on it one being published in 2007 while another one being published in 2011 ????? | 8 | 14 | Jan 11, 2012 01:57pm | |
| good book | 1 | 14 | Jul 05, 2011 09:52am |
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
More about Kirsten Miller...
Share This Book
4 trivia questions
1 quiz
More quizzes & trivia...
1 quiz
“When I grow up, I'd like to be dangerous.”
—
104 people liked it
“You big crybaby," I whispered into his ear. "Now you know why your mom warned you not to hit girls. Sometimes they hit back.”
—
49 people liked it
More quotes…
Apr 23, 2011 12:03am