The Super Bowl is over, but there's still plenty to party about!
Okay, well, in truth, there was ALWAYS plenty to party about, and even if I didn't have to work, I'm not a sports gal, so it was no big thing for me, but I would have spent my time READING (is there a BOOK BOWL? There should be a BOOK BOWL!), and tonight's book of choice is an epic adventure you won't forget!
City Spies: City of the Dead
City Spies series, Book 4
by
James Ponti
9781665911573
Aladdin
About the book...
Codename Kathmandu, better known as Kat, loves logic and order, has a
favorite eight-digit number, and can spot a pattern from a mile away. So when
a series of cyberattacks hits key locations in London while the spies are testing
security for the British Museum, it’s clear that Kat’s skill for finding reason in
what seems like randomness makes her the perfect candidate to lead the job.
And while the team follows the deciphered messages to Egypt and the ancient
City of the Dead to discover who is behind the attacks and why, Kat soon realizes
that there’s another layer to the mystery.
With more players, more clues, and involving higher levels of British Intelligence than ever before, this
mission is one of the most complex that the group has faced to date. And it’s also going to bring about a
change to the City Spies…
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So, the question on the tip of your tongue is WHY did I wait to post about this book until tonight...am I right? I know, I know...you could have been reading it all day, but I wanted to save a little bookish fun for after the big bowl plus all the celebrations reminded me of the beginning of the book and Guy Fawkes night. What's that? Oh, you don't know about Guy Fawkes night, or at least not as much as you thought you did? No worries, you'll get caught up on both the lowdown AND in the mystery that starts from the word go!
I admit, this being the FOURTH book in the series, I was concerned what I might be stepping into. Would I have any idea what was going on...who was who...what was what...and the like. The thing is...the churning mind seemed to be self-prophesizing at first, but I gave it a few more pages and I was RIGHT THERE. I was there when the kids went up against the museum. I was there when it looked like it was all going sideways. I was there for the troubled tube ride. I was there for all the supposed coincidences just afterward that were anything but. I was there for the arrival of a new person to the group, but SO SKEPTICAL of the circumstances, timing, and ultimately the reason behind their appearance. The point I'm trying to make is that, while yes, I may wish I had read the rest of the series, it wasn't out of confusion, but born out of my enthusiasm for the story at hand!
The spies are kids for crying out loud, and I don't mean that they can't be, I simply mean that it's AMAZING what they can do, how they work together, and apply those mad skills! They aren't robots or unable to fit in with others, all things that definitely work in their favor as spies, and they certainly have feelings, hard times, and suspicions of their own...one of which I agree with, but I'll let you decide who you believe when you read it. They crack codes, solve puzzles, see patterns in things others can't or don't, and seriously work together to save the day from the "bad guys" trying to take over the system...as in all the systems, and run their own corner of the world! Eek!
This book has something for mystery fans, spy lovers, and readers of all ages. It's filled with diversity, STEM oriented, and just a great mix of plotline, characters, and overall gusto for reaching for your dreams, and you doing you. I know I'll be checking out the other books in the series, but in the mean time, you check this one out and see what you think!
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About the author...
JAMES PONTI (he/him/his) is the New York Times bestselling author of three middle grade book series: City Spies, about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 Spy Team; the Edgar Award–winning Framed! series, about a pair of tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, DC; and the Dead City trilogy, about a secret society that polices the undead living beneath Manhattan. His books have appeared on more than fifteen different state award lists and he is the founder of a writers group known as the Renegades of Middle Grade. James is also an Emmy– nominated television writer and producer who has worked for many networks including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, History, and Spike TV, as well as NBC Sports. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida. Find out more at JamesPonti.com.
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Special thanks to Thad at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is out now, so seek thee out a copy wherever books are sold.
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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