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desertcart.com: Forbidden City (City Spies): 9781534479227: Ponti, James: Books Review: Great for pre teens and teens - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My 12-year-old son loves the City Spies series—and I do too! The stories are fast-paced, clever, and full of adventure. Captivating for kids and fun for parents who read along. Highly recommend! Review: This book is hot! We are a go! - The City Spies are back, in what their spymaster describes as their "biggest, most challenging, most complex" adventure yet, or as one of the team members puts it, "Best. Summer. Vacation. Ever." If you've read books 1 & 2, you know what to expect: thrilling action sequences, the sometimes challenging family dynamics of a diverse group of orphans who've been formed into a team (and now are officially a family, with the adoption announced in book 2 now a completed fact), backstory of one of the characters, mysteries that call on their combined talents, a generous dose of humor, visits to top world tourist attractions (with real-life, sometimes surprising, facts), and the vagaries of ordinary life while trying to outwit an international criminal syndicate. My 11- and 14-year-old sons eagerly reorganized their evenings to get maximum family reading time as soon as the book came out, and Mom & Dad had great fun reading it as well. If you haven't read books 1 & 2, do yourself a favor and read them first. Characters appear with little or no explanation, with the author seemingly assuming you know who they are. References to events in prior books are enough to recall them to mind if you've read them, but could be a bit incomplete for someone starting here. Some secondary characters from prior books recur, particularly Charlotte, the former team member whom Brooklyn replaced. How the kids handle the "burned bridges" (Charlotte's term) is a significant secondary theme, and the story offers valuable lessons about forgiveness and reconciliation amid all the action and intrigue. Each book has had a primary focus on one of the spies. Book 1 focused on Brooklyn, book 2 on Sydney. This book focuses on Paris, who as a youth chess champion is tasked with getting close to a North Korean youth chess prodigy. Paris's specialty has always been blending in, but it makes him start to wonder who, under all the layers of fake identities, he really is. But he's also been the moral center of the team, and when he faces decisions of moral significance, we see what he's truly made of, and the other characters--and we--are impressed. Ponti has experience as a TV script writer, and it shows in the constant switches back and forth between different settings. But it keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering (and guessing) what twist is coming next; some we could foresee, while others blindsided us. We're rooting for both more books in the series and translation to the big screen. All around, a satisfying and entertaining next episode in what we hope will be a continuing series.
| Best Sellers Rank | #14,084 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #71 in Children's Mystery, Detective, & Spy #351 in Children's Action & Adventure Books (Books) |
| Book 3 of 7 | City Spies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars (1,292) |
| Dimensions | 5.12 x 1.16 x 7.62 inches |
| Edition | Reprint |
| Grade level | 3 - 7 |
| ISBN-10 | 1534479228 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1534479227 |
| Item Weight | 11.2 ounces |
| Language | English |
| Print length | 464 pages |
| Publication date | January 10, 2023 |
| Publisher | Aladdin |
| Reading age | 8 - 12 years |
K**.
Great for pre teens and teens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My 12-year-old son loves the City Spies series—and I do too! The stories are fast-paced, clever, and full of adventure. Captivating for kids and fun for parents who read along. Highly recommend!
K**H
This book is hot! We are a go!
The City Spies are back, in what their spymaster describes as their "biggest, most challenging, most complex" adventure yet, or as one of the team members puts it, "Best. Summer. Vacation. Ever." If you've read books 1 & 2, you know what to expect: thrilling action sequences, the sometimes challenging family dynamics of a diverse group of orphans who've been formed into a team (and now are officially a family, with the adoption announced in book 2 now a completed fact), backstory of one of the characters, mysteries that call on their combined talents, a generous dose of humor, visits to top world tourist attractions (with real-life, sometimes surprising, facts), and the vagaries of ordinary life while trying to outwit an international criminal syndicate. My 11- and 14-year-old sons eagerly reorganized their evenings to get maximum family reading time as soon as the book came out, and Mom & Dad had great fun reading it as well. If you haven't read books 1 & 2, do yourself a favor and read them first. Characters appear with little or no explanation, with the author seemingly assuming you know who they are. References to events in prior books are enough to recall them to mind if you've read them, but could be a bit incomplete for someone starting here. Some secondary characters from prior books recur, particularly Charlotte, the former team member whom Brooklyn replaced. How the kids handle the "burned bridges" (Charlotte's term) is a significant secondary theme, and the story offers valuable lessons about forgiveness and reconciliation amid all the action and intrigue. Each book has had a primary focus on one of the spies. Book 1 focused on Brooklyn, book 2 on Sydney. This book focuses on Paris, who as a youth chess champion is tasked with getting close to a North Korean youth chess prodigy. Paris's specialty has always been blending in, but it makes him start to wonder who, under all the layers of fake identities, he really is. But he's also been the moral center of the team, and when he faces decisions of moral significance, we see what he's truly made of, and the other characters--and we--are impressed. Ponti has experience as a TV script writer, and it shows in the constant switches back and forth between different settings. But it keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering (and guessing) what twist is coming next; some we could foresee, while others blindsided us. We're rooting for both more books in the series and translation to the big screen. All around, a satisfying and entertaining next episode in what we hope will be a continuing series.
L**Y
Good book!
I am really enjoying this middle grade spy series, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
C**L
Fun, Great Pleasure To Read!
"City Spies" is not just for Middle Schoolers! If you are an adult in need of a book with which you can steal away to a quiet corner of your home, go to a nice park or beach, put your feet up and escape, this is it! You will have a great time with James Ponti's well-written, fun thriller and will be very reluctant to put it down. This was my first encounter with what I discovered is a series; will catch up with Books 1 and 2 and have pre-ordered Book 4, to be published early next year. Great fun to read! 😀
J**Y
Middle schooler approved
These mysteries are my 13 year old daughter’s favorite series. The characters and plot lines are great.
N**N
Middle grade spy series
If you’re looking for a middle grade mystery series, this is the one for you. Book three did not disappoint in continuing the story of the City Spies, an elite group of kid spies. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series, six books so far.
C**P
Love reading with kids at the end of the day
wonderful story telling!
M**L
Our Family Loves James Ponti Books!
In both the FRAMED and CITY SPIES series, James Ponti delivers riveting, humorous and emotionally touching stories that my children (now ages 13 and 10) and I just love. The characters are rich, the plot lines are compelling and the writing is magnificent. We hope that these stories get turned into a TV series or movies as it would be fun to enjoy them all over again in a new and different way.
B**8
My daughter devoured this series over the xmas break! She is now rereading them...a sure sign she loved it
A**R
Amazing book I am going to buy the next one too
M**A
Fantastico
A**R
Loved all three so far.
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
1 week ago