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City Spies #3
Forbidden City
In this third “thrilling” (Kirkus Reviews) installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies help a fellow agent in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls.
After taking down a mole within their organization, the City Spies are ready for their next mission—once again using their unique skills and ability to infiltrate places adults can’t. The sinister Umbra has their sights set on recruiting a North Korean nuclear physicist by any means necessary, and the City Spies plan to keep an eye on his son by sending Paris to the chess prodigy’s tournaments in Moscow and Beijing.
Meanwhile, Sydney’s embedded as a junior reporter for a teen lifestyle site as she follows the daughter of a British billionaire on tour with the biggest act on her father’s music label to uncover what links both the band and the billionaire have to a recent threat from an old Soviet missile base.
From a daring break-in at one of London’s most exclusive homes to a dangerous undercover mission to a desperate search and rescue operation on the streets of Beijing, the City Spies have their work cut out for them on their most dangerous mission yet.
After taking down a mole within their organization, the City Spies are ready for their next mission—once again using their unique skills and ability to infiltrate places adults can’t. The sinister Umbra has their sights set on recruiting a North Korean nuclear physicist by any means necessary, and the City Spies plan to keep an eye on his son by sending Paris to the chess prodigy’s tournaments in Moscow and Beijing.
Meanwhile, Sydney’s embedded as a junior reporter for a teen lifestyle site as she follows the daughter of a British billionaire on tour with the biggest act on her father’s music label to uncover what links both the band and the billionaire have to a recent threat from an old Soviet missile base.
From a daring break-in at one of London’s most exclusive homes to a dangerous undercover mission to a desperate search and rescue operation on the streets of Beijing, the City Spies have their work cut out for them on their most dangerous mission yet.
442 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2022
488 people are currently reading
3567 people want to read
About the author
James Ponti
52 books1,504 followersJames Ponti is the New York Times Bestselling author of three Middle Grade book series: the DEAD CITY trilogy about a secret society that polices the undead who live beneath New York City; the Edgar Award-winning FRAMED! series about a pair of Sherlockian tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, D.C.; and the all-new CITY SPIES about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 spy team.
James grew up in Atlantic Beach, Florida and lives in Orlando. He's a die hard fan of the Boston Red Sox, the USC Trojans, and the Italian National Soccer Team. He loves travel, writing, and spending time with his amazing family.
James grew up in Atlantic Beach, Florida and lives in Orlando. He's a die hard fan of the Boston Red Sox, the USC Trojans, and the Italian National Soccer Team. He loves travel, writing, and spending time with his amazing family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 434 reviews
January 24, 2022
Pack your bags! The City Spies are on the job in London, Moscow, and Beijing in this third installment. There are some fantastic elements included this time around. There is a Simon Cowell-like British man and the boy band that he discovered/produces in the mix. Sydney gets the chance to travel with the producer's daughter and do social media posts. Paris is using his chess skills as part of an international tournament. Kat is solving puzzles as they go along. Rio is rating the new food he gets to sample while using his magic skills to charm and distract. Brooklyn is initially stuck in summer school and not loving it. Don't worry, she will still get the chance to help the team. Mother (code name) has adopted all of them and he worries about the line between father and spy. Mixed in with all the action are some great moments of character growth. Also included is a dossier with individual info on each spy at the end. If you have been loving this series so far, I quite sure you will also find this new title to be a page turner. This operation is hot. We are a go.
Thank you to Aladdin and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Aladdin and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
March 6, 2022
As with the first two books there was a lot of humor. Great characters. Suspense. Great fun! Great characters that have some complexity. Great relationships. Yes, the spy kids (and adults) force the reader to suspend disbelief but somehow it all works for me. Learning a bit about other countries/places is also a plus.
I’ve been struggling to read but it’s at least partly the books I was reading because I found it easy to read this book and my last book, Stella Peabody's Wild Librarian Bakery and Bookstore: A Novel-in-Stories, two very different sorts of books, but I was able to focus and concentrate on both, and thoroughly enjoyed them both. I wish that was true for all books I have interest in reading, at least the ones that arent’ too dense.
Kids who play chess might really enjoy this book. I liked how chess had a featured role in the story, and even the chapter titles.
This is a great series for reluctant readers, for girls and for boys.
It was weird reading this book right now given what Putin is doing right now in the Ukraine. Russia is one of the settings for this book.
I was told that the name Mother would be explained in this book and it was. I hate it less than I did before knowing the reason for it but I still don’t like it.
This author has two other short series. There are now three books in each of the three series. I hope that doesn’t mean that this will be the last book in this series. I love these characters and their relationships and the stories and the settings.
I loved reading the hardcover edition. I still prefer paper books o e-books but during the pandemic I’ve been reading a lot of e-books.
I’ve been struggling to read but it’s at least partly the books I was reading because I found it easy to read this book and my last book, Stella Peabody's Wild Librarian Bakery and Bookstore: A Novel-in-Stories, two very different sorts of books, but I was able to focus and concentrate on both, and thoroughly enjoyed them both. I wish that was true for all books I have interest in reading, at least the ones that arent’ too dense.
Kids who play chess might really enjoy this book. I liked how chess had a featured role in the story, and even the chapter titles.
This is a great series for reluctant readers, for girls and for boys.
It was weird reading this book right now given what Putin is doing right now in the Ukraine. Russia is one of the settings for this book.
I was told that the name Mother would be explained in this book and it was. I hate it less than I did before knowing the reason for it but I still don’t like it.
This author has two other short series. There are now three books in each of the three series. I hope that doesn’t mean that this will be the last book in this series. I love these characters and their relationships and the stories and the settings.
I loved reading the hardcover edition. I still prefer paper books o e-books but during the pandemic I’ve been reading a lot of e-books.
January 26, 2024
Fantastic audiobook! I love following these smart spy kids and their adventures!
In this installment, Brooklyn is upset because she's being left out on adventurous missions. But one team member sure knows how to make her feel better.
The story started with an adventure. Hiding in plain sight, pretending to be invited to a party. It helps to speak the language. I like the audiobook for the foreign language pronunciation. This story deal with chess tournaments, social media, and foreigners. The story has different puzzles to crack. One was the father and son duo. The spy kids team have to keep them from being napped by the bad guys. Then there's the mystery with the big maps and the different color cathedrals.
I do like the view of the bad guys but it's not enough especially in the end. I would have liked to see their reaction... it's up to reader's interpretation but I prefer the author write it.
I started reading this series at book 4 last year. So glad to start at the beginning of the series this year 😊 I will have to restart book 4 again this year because book 5 is coming out soon!! 2/6/24 to be exact!! And it's called Mission Manhattan.
Thank you SimonKids for the opportunity to read and review. I listened to an audiobook via Libby App.
In this installment, Brooklyn is upset because she's being left out on adventurous missions. But one team member sure knows how to make her feel better.
The story started with an adventure. Hiding in plain sight, pretending to be invited to a party. It helps to speak the language. I like the audiobook for the foreign language pronunciation. This story deal with chess tournaments, social media, and foreigners. The story has different puzzles to crack. One was the father and son duo. The spy kids team have to keep them from being napped by the bad guys. Then there's the mystery with the big maps and the different color cathedrals.
I do like the view of the bad guys but it's not enough especially in the end. I would have liked to see their reaction... it's up to reader's interpretation but I prefer the author write it.
I started reading this series at book 4 last year. So glad to start at the beginning of the series this year 😊 I will have to restart book 4 again this year because book 5 is coming out soon!! 2/6/24 to be exact!! And it's called Mission Manhattan.
Thank you SimonKids for the opportunity to read and review. I listened to an audiobook via Libby App.
July 30, 2024
~ “. . . questions are what enlighten us.” ~
— Paris
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite Characters:
▶ Sydney 💥 • Australian, good with explosives, loves the ocean
▶ Kat 🧮 • Nepali, great with math and patterns, loves the number 73,939,133
▶ Paris ♟️ • Rwandan, chess master, loves soccer
Favorite Part/s:
☆ KB5 band operation with Paris in the beginning 🎸
☆ The chess tournament and Paris winning♟️
☆ Brooklyn and Charlotte figuring out the hex coded message 💻
☆ Sydney being a journalist for All Roads Lead to Audrey 📸
What I Liked:
✦ Transitions between the point of views
✦ Character fun facts and descriptions at the back of the book
✦ How the City Spies interacted with each other
✦ The locations in the book
What I Disliked:
~ Not as much action and mystery as book 2
Overall: (can be sentence or bullet points but should be sentence)
• Great and entertaining writing style
• I would recommend this to fans of mystery and spy books
— Paris
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Favorite Characters:
▶ Sydney 💥 • Australian, good with explosives, loves the ocean
▶ Kat 🧮 • Nepali, great with math and patterns, loves the number 73,939,133
▶ Paris ♟️ • Rwandan, chess master, loves soccer
Favorite Part/s:
☆ KB5 band operation with Paris in the beginning 🎸
☆ The chess tournament and Paris winning♟️
☆ Brooklyn and Charlotte figuring out the hex coded message 💻
☆ Sydney being a journalist for All Roads Lead to Audrey 📸
What I Liked:
✦ Transitions between the point of views
✦ Character fun facts and descriptions at the back of the book
✦ How the City Spies interacted with each other
✦ The locations in the book
What I Disliked:
~ Not as much action and mystery as book 2
Overall: (can be sentence or bullet points but should be sentence)
• Great and entertaining writing style
• I would recommend this to fans of mystery and spy books
February 28, 2022
While on a recent mission, Paris discovered some bonus intel, and that turns out to be a valuable find. It leads MI6 to believe that the evil organization Umbra is going to kidnap one of North Korea’s nuclear scientists. If MI6 wants to get him to defect first, they need to find a way to approach him. Given North Korea’s secrecy and security, that won’t be easy. However, the scientist’s son is a top chess player, and he is planning to enter a couple of international tournaments. So Paris tries to upgrade his own chess skills so he can join the tournaments. Will Paris and the rest of the team be able to make contact with the scientist? Is he even interested in defecting?
Having enjoyed the first two in this series, I was looking forward to this book, and I wasn’t disappointed. This book is Paris’s time to shine, but all the other characters get their own smaller moments, and I continue to love their relationships. We get some surprising advancement on one series plot thread, although others are only mentioned in passing. I do feel like the other books in the series had a bit more action, but with all the angles the teams uses to approach their mission, I was never bored. We get a few laughs along the way, and even when we aren’t laughing, it’s just fun to be around the characters. Fans will enjoy this latest book. I’m already looking forward to their next mission.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
Having enjoyed the first two in this series, I was looking forward to this book, and I wasn’t disappointed. This book is Paris’s time to shine, but all the other characters get their own smaller moments, and I continue to love their relationships. We get some surprising advancement on one series plot thread, although others are only mentioned in passing. I do feel like the other books in the series had a bit more action, but with all the angles the teams uses to approach their mission, I was never bored. We get a few laughs along the way, and even when we aren’t laughing, it’s just fun to be around the characters. Fans will enjoy this latest book. I’m already looking forward to their next mission.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
June 19, 2023
Loved this one on audio and enjoyed learning more about the characters and seeing more of Paris!
February 3, 2024
2024:
Reread (audiobook) to get ready for the new release. I love how there are different interpersonal issues that happen as part of the team/family and how they are handled.
2022:
I love this series, and this third book was just fantastic. the team/family dynamics feel realistic and relatable. The mystery and action are featuring teen spies, so you have to be ok with that, but the whole thing is so fun. I loved the chess elements in this one especially.
Reread (audiobook) to get ready for the new release. I love how there are different interpersonal issues that happen as part of the team/family and how they are handled.
2022:
I love this series, and this third book was just fantastic. the team/family dynamics feel realistic and relatable. The mystery and action are featuring teen spies, so you have to be ok with that, but the whole thing is so fun. I loved the chess elements in this one especially.
February 21, 2022
I finished this a while ago but I haven't gotten to obsess about it yet because... school. BUT. Seriously. This book is amazing. Usually with a series about spies, the first book is the best and then it kind of goes downhill. BUT NOT THIS SERIES!!!! I never would have seen this new mission coming. And, let's face it, I'm emotionally attached to the characters at this point :)
Read
November 27, 2024pre read: ignore that this book was written for 6th graders and i’m a senior in high school 😭the plot eats
August 18, 2024
these books make me feel like Agent Cody Banks makes me feel
April 19, 2023
Code name Mother and her group of teenage spies (with city code names) are once again deployed to prevent a catastrophe. The evil organization Umbra is stealing nuclear weapons and intends to recruit or kidnap one of North Korea’s nuclear scientists. MI6 wants to get him first, but need an approach. The scientist’s son is a top chess player, is planning to compete at a multi-city youth tournament sponsored by Sir Reg Banks. Paris is then given a Scottish chess mentor so he can win enough tournaments to compete. Meanwhile, Tabitha Banks is a huge socialite and is enjoying partying with a young rock band so Kat gets a job blogging for a popular lifestyle website, All Roads Lead to Audrey, so she can monitor Sir Reg and his twin Russian bodyguards. Brooklyn is left home to help crack a code, using postcards of a famous Russian church, which was pretty obvious (at least to me.) Ponti spins another good yarn.
May 14, 2023
The young spies at MI6 have a new mission. The sinister organization Umbra wants to recruit a North Korean nuclear physicist and the City Spies need to put a stop to that, and preferably recruit the physicist themselves. In order to make contact without arousing suspicion Paris is going to play in the same chess tournaments as the physicist's son. The mission includes the whole gang - except for Brooklyn, who has to stay back to go to summer school - and it takes them to both Russia and China.
I'm always having a great time hanging with the smart kids from City Spies! Their intelligence is far above my level in many areas, but in others they behave like regular teenagers. Brooklyn is grouchy because she has to go to school when the others can go and "have fun", but since she was the last to join she's got some catching up to do. And since Mother has adopted all young spies he's not only their spy leader anymore, but also their father, and his decision to put Brooklyn in summer school was a parental one. They becoming more and more like a family is so sweet, including the kids fighting as siblings would!
I'm always having a great time hanging with the smart kids from City Spies! Their intelligence is far above my level in many areas, but in others they behave like regular teenagers. Brooklyn is grouchy because she has to go to school when the others can go and "have fun", but since she was the last to join she's got some catching up to do. And since Mother has adopted all young spies he's not only their spy leader anymore, but also their father, and his decision to put Brooklyn in summer school was a parental one. They becoming more and more like a family is so sweet, including the kids fighting as siblings would!
January 20, 2024
Ahhhhh, loved the focus on Paris in this one! (Am I allowed to have favorites? Or am I supposed to be like a parent and love them equally? Because they're each special in their own way, but...yeah, Paris is my favorite. <3) The chess aspect was super interesting, even though I've never been a good chess player. And I was really curious how they were going to get messages through with all the protections in place! Also, seeing how things were handled when a mission hits a serious snag... It doesn't happen often, but there was one clue I caught a little early, which I was probably unjustifiably proud of. ;) Brooklyn had me a little worried with certain developments, but the character and team growth continues to be so deep and realistic! And that one talk between Mother and Paris...MY HEART!!! The family dynamic and the way it's continuing to deepen and grow is just beautiful, and I love it so much! <3<3<3
October 4, 2022
These just keep getting better. Yes, it's about teenage spies, so you have to suspend your disbelief a bit, but not only are they totally fun, but you get the occasional moment that elevates this series above some middle grade. In this one, it's a conversation between two spies about figuring out your identity when your job is to be someone else. Highly recommend.
February 5, 2024
ENGLISH VERSION BELOW
----------------------------
Wie gut kann eine Kinderkrimi-Serie sein? Ja!!!
Ich liebe die City-Spies – mehr gibt es nicht zu sagen.
----------------------------
----------------------------
How good can a children's crime series be? Yes!!!
I love the City Spies - that's all there is to say.
----------------------------
Wie gut kann eine Kinderkrimi-Serie sein? Ja!!!
Ich liebe die City-Spies – mehr gibt es nicht zu sagen.
----------------------------
----------------------------
How good can a children's crime series be? Yes!!!
I love the City Spies - that's all there is to say.
March 5, 2026
Honestly, this was not the best. I felt like it was a bit overdramatic at times and the mission almost seemed to fade away. It was probably 50-100 pages too long and I just didn’t love the characters this time.
May 6, 2023
So good! I love them so much!
September 1, 2025
This was probably my favorite yet. I really loved the encouraging way each of them dealt with each other, and how they made up after arguments. I especially loved how welcoming Brooklyn was.
February 12, 2022
Absolutely one of my favorite series. I love the way Ponti writes these adventurous mysteries because it certainly keeps me turning the pages!
In this story, we get to know Paris a bit more and see how he uses his wit and passion for words to help out his fellow spies.
Hoping we have at least 2 more in this series since there are 2 more characters who haven't had their story told. And I think there should definitely be one for Mother. Keep them coming, Mr. Ponti!
In this story, we get to know Paris a bit more and see how he uses his wit and passion for words to help out his fellow spies.
Hoping we have at least 2 more in this series since there are 2 more characters who haven't had their story told. And I think there should definitely be one for Mother. Keep them coming, Mr. Ponti!
April 7, 2025
A lovely third installment of one of my favorite middle grade series. This time the plot mainly revolves around Paris as he is sent undercover to a chess tournament. I love the push and pull of the relationships between the spies as they navigate being a family and coworkers while also being young teens. I also love how we get to see them develop into better spies and people as the books continue. This book includes not only the fun chess tournament element but a popular boy band, social media, nuclear weapons being stolen, and of course some intense code breaking. This spy book may be written for middle grade readers, but I think the layers of intrigue and spycraft are on the same level as most adult spy novels.
Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook. No review required. All opinions are my own.
_____
2025 REREAD:
These spy books may be written for middle grade readers, but I think the layers of intrigue and spycraft are on the same level as most adult spy novels. Plus the found family aspects are so heartfelt that you can't help but fall in love with all these characters!
I love that there are responsible adults in this series. While these kids are professional spies, there are involved adults who are parenting them and guiding them through their personal and professional lives.
Don’t be silly, read these in order.
_____
I love the push and pull of the relationships between the spies as they navigate being a family and coworkers while also being young teens. I also love how we get to see them develop into better spies and people as the books continue. This book includes not only the fun chess tournament element but a popular boy band, social media, nuclear weapons being stolen, and of course some intense code breaking.
Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook. No review required. All opinions are my own.
_____
2025 REREAD:
These spy books may be written for middle grade readers, but I think the layers of intrigue and spycraft are on the same level as most adult spy novels. Plus the found family aspects are so heartfelt that you can't help but fall in love with all these characters!
I love that there are responsible adults in this series. While these kids are professional spies, there are involved adults who are parenting them and guiding them through their personal and professional lives.
Don’t be silly, read these in order.
_____
I love the push and pull of the relationships between the spies as they navigate being a family and coworkers while also being young teens. I also love how we get to see them develop into better spies and people as the books continue. This book includes not only the fun chess tournament element but a popular boy band, social media, nuclear weapons being stolen, and of course some intense code breaking.
January 22, 2022
Another really solid book in this series. The main reason I did not give it 5 stars is that I was able to predict the ending on several points. As of this book, my favorite of the series is probably the second book. Still, despite the predictability (or strongly foreshadowing?), I still enjoyed this book and I continue to love this family of spies. One of the things that would make it better is if the kids were to age from book to book, but from what I can tell, Brooklyn is still 12, the same age she was in the first book and the others are the same age as well. Allowing them to age would also help them show a bit more growth over the course of the books. This one took place in Scotland, their home base and where Brooklyn has to take summer school, Russia, and China. I enjoyed the cryptography part of this and how it took several of them to puzzle out the code. Overall, I'd say this was a very solid story and if you liked the first two books, you'll likely enjoy this adventure as well. I'm already anticipating the fourth book!
This book is being released on February 1, 2022. I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book is being released on February 1, 2022. I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 10, 2022
What great books these have been! I love stories where kids are spies or secret agents, it's a fun plot with plenty of action. This also has a found family aspect too, with kids from all over the world joining up to uncover secrets and stop people with nefarious intentions. This book went all over the world, from Russia to China to London. I had such a fun time listening to the audiobook and I hope there will be many more books to come in this series!
March 11, 2025
THIS BOOK WAS SOOOO GOOD!!!!!!! There were so many things happening at once, so there was always a problem that kept me reading. I felt bad for Brooklyn because she wasn't really in the mission, and Sydney saw Brooklyn and Charlotte together. Oof... My mind kept being like, "NOOO!!!!". That chess match and the kidnapping... that was like a whole different level. I LOVED IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cannot wait for the next one!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2024
Quick Review:
Language/Profanity: A use of 'bloody'
Faith: None
Romance/Sex: None
Action/Adventure: Medium.
Other: Someone is called a 'godess'
A good story, I liked seeing it from mostly Paris' POV. It was a 'huh' story...
Language/Profanity: A use of 'bloody'
Faith: None
Romance/Sex: None
Action/Adventure: Medium.
Other: Someone is called a 'godess'
A good story, I liked seeing it from mostly Paris' POV. It was a 'huh' story...
November 11, 2022
This series gets better and better! Absolutely loved it.
March 25, 2025
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite middle grade series.
March 3, 2022
Not my favorite in the series but there were so many cute moments that made up for the storyline that was a little lacking in my opinion.
May 25, 2022
I loved this 3rd book in the City Spies series by James Ponti! Once again, I totally enjoyed the daring do of the city spies and Mother and Monty as they race to stop Umbra from taking a father/son team from North Korea. There was adventure, mystery, friendship and more in this thriller that shows the team how to succeed as they each take their mission to fruition to fight evil. Highly recommended! I really hope there is another book in this series!
August 18, 2025
I didn’t finish this book… the first two were really good but I think I just got bored and had to read something else. The stars aren’t really real, just didn’t finish but I may came back sometime!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 434 reviews