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, del...
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Dec 22, 2011
Jennifer
rated it: 
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 sec 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 sec More...
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Dec 16, 2009
Jennie
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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 More...
This is an exciting and, well, just plain More...
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Apr 24, 2011
Samara
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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
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(2 people liked it)
Mar 10, 2008
Karen
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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 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 More...
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Apr 23, 2009
Andrea
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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 be
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(1 person liked it)
Nov 21, 2008
Naomi
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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.
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Aug 06, 2008
Samantha
rated it:
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!
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Nov 20, 2008
MJ
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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. An 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. An More...
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Dec 09, 2009
Tamara
rated it: 
Twelve-year-old book-loving Ananka Fishbein's life changes when she discovers the mysterious Second City beneath the streets of New York.
She is introduced to Kiki Strike, a black-clad, Vespa-riding, café-au-lait-drinking girl superspy. Ananka joins Kiki as she recruits the delinquent Girl Scouts of Manhattan into an elite squad, the Irregulars, to fight crime and map the Second City.
Each of the Irregulars has their own specialized skills ranging from lock-picking, t More...
Jul 12, 2007
Boatgirl
rated it:
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 ve 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 ve More...
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Mar 25, 2009
Telka
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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 Irr
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May 24, 2011
Laurel & Jennifer
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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
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Oct 17, 2010
Scarlet
rated it:
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 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 More...
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Sep 28, 2010
Darlene
rated it:
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 "Undergr 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 "Undergr More...
Sep 10, 2010
Ruhama
rated it:
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
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Jul 31, 2010
Braden
rated it:
This is a very interesting book. I liked it, but I wanted to love it. To be honest, I have a basic bias. Since I was a kid, I have prefered books that have a male and female lead working together. I always have liked the partnership between the sexes. There are no males in the main circle of this book. That's fine. I get that girl power is a big thing now, and if that's your thing, you'll probably love this book. It's just not what I love to read.
And that leads me to the sec More...
And that leads me to the sec More...
May 09, 2010
Alex
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 20, 2011
Oddmonster
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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 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 More...
Jul 27, 2011
Matti
rated it: 
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
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Sep 07, 2010
Stephanie
rated it:
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 wa 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 wa More...
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Oct 02, 2008
Michelle
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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.
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Feb 10, 2011
Hillary
rated it:
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 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 More...
Sep 02, 2011
Brandi
rated it:
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 cr 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 cr More...
Jan 28, 2012
JJ
rated it:
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 hi More...
Feb 10, 2009
Marita
rated it:
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 c
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2008
Sandy
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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
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Aug 09, 2010
Nicole
rated it:
Meh. When I read the premise of this book, I thought it sounded like a lot of fun. A city that exists beneath Manhattan? A team of teen girls with spunk who get involved in all sorts of plots and mysteries that involve said "shadow city"? Sign me up to read this one! However, I actually found the story itself really dry and uninteresting. I never cared about any of the characters - including Kiki Strike, who is supposed to very mysterious and interesting. And I'm all for teen char
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Aug 22, 2010
Dawn
rated it:
I've been searching for books for my well-read preteen. Specifically non-fantasy with strong female characters. This book was reviewed by the library online comic Unshelved as having enough girl-power "in nearly toxic levels for men".
All the characters in this juvenile book are strong and they keep you in suspense. Are the girls bad, con artists, or just simply a teen? I suppose my gaming buddies might say most of the group are "Chaotic Neutral".
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All the characters in this juvenile book are strong and they keep you in suspense. Are the girls bad, con artists, or just simply a teen? I suppose my gaming buddies might say most of the group are "Chaotic Neutral".
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Feb 02, 2009
Gretchen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 13, 2010
Lisa
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Kiki is the "dangerous" leader of the Irregulars. Kiki has a mysterious past that she guards very well.
The Irregulars are a group of girls brought together by Kiki and all have some extraordinary talents. Their mission is to explore the undergroud tunnels that lie beneath NYC. These tunnels are the Shadow City.
This book is part mystery and part adventure.
My 12 year old daughter wanted me to read this book that she had checked out from the library. More...
The Irregulars are a group of girls brought together by Kiki and all have some extraordinary talents. Their mission is to explore the undergroud tunnels that lie beneath NYC. These tunnels are the Shadow City.
This book is part mystery and part adventure.
My 12 year old daughter wanted me to read this book that she had checked out from the library. More...
