By James Ponti
4RBooks: 5+/6, grades 5+ - 8
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grade level 3-7
Good Reads: 4.31/5
Common Sense Media: 5/5, ages 9+
375 pages
Synopsis:
Brooklyn is a foster kid and computer hacking genius. Sydney is liberated from a boarding school in Australia and an expert at field operations. Paris is an orphan who has learned to survive on his own for many years. Kat is brilliant in math and patterns, a cryptographer and code breaker. Rio is a street magician with many sleight-of-hand skills.
These five young people have been brought together by “Mother,” an M16 British spy, to form the youngest intelligence team in M16 history. Using a weather research center as their cover they will use their skills to infiltrate the Global Youth Summit on the Environment. They are to keep an eye on Stavros Sinclair, sponsor of the event, and keep UMBRA from doing any damage. UMBRA is an evil organization that has been attacking Sinclair Scientifica industries.
Their cover will be as a team of young scientists creating a new method of seeding rain clouds. They don’t want to win the million Euro prize, too much attention, but to place high enough to stick around through the final event. They are competing against teams from around the world, including one from the school they attend, led by a former team member, Charlotte. They will have to work together, using each member’s individual talents to avoid danger and save the world from Umbra.
Parental Guidance: medium
Sara (Brooklyn) lives in a foster home which mistreats the children. She and another boy are left outside all night on the roof. She uses her computer hacking skills to retaliate.
Olivia (Sydney) uses her skills to cause damage at her boarding school for revenge against oppressive leaders.
An evil organization wants to release a virus against all the spy agencies trying to bring them down. They kill two men to obtain the virus. A thumbprint from a dead man is the mark they leave after attacking.
Mother was left for dead and burned in a fire before being saved by Paris. His wife has disappeared and taken their two children with her.
Sydney protects Brooklyn in jail by punching another girl. The team is put in a variety of dangerous situations throughout the assignment.
Recommendation:
I learned about this book while reading and reviewing The Misfit: A Royal Conundrum. Many of the reviewers on Goodreads and Amazon compared that book to this one so I thought I’d decide which one I liked better. Similar premise and themes, Misfits more appropriate for elementary school, City Spies more of a middle school novel.
This is book #1 in a six-part series and I will look forward to reading the rest if they are as good as this one. This was an excellent read, lots of fun, and kept my interest from beginning to end. The children come from tough backgrounds that might bother sensitive children, as could the purple thumbprint and death of the two spies. Nothing is graphically detailed.
Because of the scientific jargon it is probably most appropriate for good to advanced readers but struggling readers will enjoy the story if given a chance and some help. Appropriate for personal reading, a group read, or classroom read-aloud. There are many historical facts, scientific information, and features about art and great paintings. Friendship, cooperation, trust, loyalty and creative thinking are highlighted throughout the story.
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