City Spies: Europa by James Ponti Rating: 5 Stars Release Date: February 10, 2026 Format: Audiobook (Personal Libary, Libro.fm) Publisher: Aladdin
There's no rest for teenage spies in the latest installment of James Ponti's City Spies series, Europa. I love Lisa Flanagan's performance in the audiobook narration, and I highly recommend this series to middle grade fans of mystery and spycraft.
Coming off the heels of the events of the last book, London Calling, the members of Project Neverland have moved into their new abode in London. Their hope is that the world saving missions will slow down now that the leader of Umbra is behind bars, but it's not meant to be. The leader of Umbra, Lucien Allard, seems to be sending and receiving messages from behind bars and it's up to the City Spies to investigate as they are sent out to different locations across Europe.
I love how fast paced this series is, as well as how researched all of the little details are. I laughed out loud when Mother and Rio were provided bikes by MI6 in Amsterdam, as that is very on brand for the transportation of choice in that city. I also really appreciated how the city spies team members were given some opportunities to just be kids their age in this book, instead of every moment having to be doing something for MI6.
There are also some real world consequences present in the book. Sydney and Paris, being the oldest, are given some leeway at times but Sydney makes a choice to disobey orders from Mother and Monty during a key scene in this book. The effect of that choice was quite painful, especially for Paris, so I'm curious to see how that will (hopefully) be resolved in future books.
Overall, a great read. I'm so happy to hear that the author is planning to do at least 10 books in the series. I'm curious to see where the City Spies will end up next. With Tru's dossiers at the end of the book, I'm also very curious to see where each of the children end up in the future (i.e. are they still going to be spies or not as adults).
Hurricane Heist (The Sherlock Society #2) by James Ponti Rating: 4 Stars Release Date: September 2, 2025 Format: Audiobook Publisher: Aladdin
Hurricane Heist by James Ponti, the second book in The Sherlock Society series, was another engaging caper for the group to solve. It was fun how the author featured not one but two hurricanes in this book, with flashbacks to the original one that Grandpa witnessed when he was 12 and then the one in present day.
When the present day hurricane unearths the body of someone thought to have committed a crime during the original hurricane so many years ago, the Sherlock society is originally the only ones interested in taking up the case (especially since the statue of limitations has expired). However, as more information is revealed more people join in on the investigation and it was fun to try and solve the mystery right along side them. I really appreciated how relatable the characters are. Alex and Zoe had multiple stereotypical sibling disputes. Grandpa's investigative journalist background really came into play with this one. And it was funny to see all of the retirees get so into the case, partially out of sheer boredom in their retirement.
Overall, this was a great read and perfect for younger mystery fans. I highly recommend it to those who are already fans of one of the authors other series, City Spies. Audiobook narrator Mark Sanderlin did an excellent job bringing the story to lfie with his performance. As the statue of limitations did run out, the ending isn't quite as satisfying as the first book but I still enjoyed the ride.
The Sherlock Society (The Sherlock Society #1) by James Ponti
Rating: 5 Stars
Release Date: September 3, 2024
Format: Hardcover (Review Copy from Publisher) + Audiobook (Borrowed from Library)
Publisher: Aladdin
Being a huge fan of James Ponti’s City Spies books, it was very exciting for me when I received a copy of his newest release, The Sherlock Society. A mix of mystery, history, journalism, and bits of science, it was a fun read I would highly recommend to kids of all ages.
Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock are looking for a way to learn a little spending cash and occupy their summer. Taking homage from their last name (and their grandfather’s journalism background), they decide to start their own kid detective agency The Sherlock Society with friends Lina and Yadi. Working on the cold cases their grandpa could never solve, it leads them straight into the heart of the Everglades and a very active mystery.
I loved the storyline. The initial mystery the kids choose to tackle (the lost treasure/money stash of Al Capone) was super interesting. It was fun to see how the author blended solving the mystery with the journalism ‘bootcamp’ that the kids have to go through. I also really appreciated how the author used the story to educate people about the Everglades and the history surrounding the area. I don’t want to spoil the true mystery of the book, but it was extremely well written with how it unfolded (starting with a major climax, then going back in time to show how the characters got there).
The characters were another definite highlight of the book for me. Zoe and Alex’s grandpa, Mr. Pete Lassiter, has to be one of the coolest adults I’ve ever seen in a middle-grade book. All of the kids in the Sherlock Society have their own talents and perspectives, and brought something unique to the team. Zoe and Alex’s parents were super cool too, and I thought they (along with the other side characters) rounded out the story well.
Overall, another great read and release from the author. Mark Sanderlin did an excellent job bringing the story to life with his performance in the audiobook narration. I’m excited to read future installments in the series, and see what The Sherlock Society gets up to on their next adventure.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a complimentary review copy of the book. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review The Sherlock Society immensely. Please note - I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All opinions expressed in the review are my own and not influenced in any way.
Rating: 4 Stars Release Date: February 7, 2023 Format: Audiobook (Borrowed from Library) + ARC (Courtesy of Publisher and Rockstar Book Tours) Publisher: Aladdin
James Ponti delivered another amazing addition to the City Spies series with one of his latest releases, City of the Dead. It’s an inventive and fun take on the spy genre, with a rag-tag group of child spies taking up yet another mission to save the world. This was a great read (and listen), as narrator Lisa Flanagan once again did a great job with her performance in the audiobook. I always appreciate the ability to tell which character is narrating (without having to look at the print version).
Since the first book’s addition of Brooklyn to the team, the team hasn’t really changed all that much. Each of them have their own special talents, and Kat’s ability to perform math and see patterns where others don’t take center stage in this book. I really appreciated the opportunity to see Kat own her uniqueness, and find a way to make her talents help the team (even when under the pressure of chaos and overstimulation). The team has a good routine going on, however, when a new surprise addition to the team joins the FARM in this book it disrupts all their plans and their current dynamic. It’s really going to change the interactions of the group/family going forward, and I’m curious to see how that plays out in the next book. Especially with the cliffhanger the author leaves readers on prior to going into the usual dossiers included at the end of the book (this time written by teammates).
While it’s not an overly complex mystery, I was very engaged by the mission that the City Spies get sent on in this book. There’s a very large cast of characters, but they all had a purpose in the story (and I hope to see some of them making a cameo in future installments). As you might guess from the title and the cover, this book takes the kids on a mission to Egypt. I loved getting to learn bits and pieces about the culture there, as well as how many of their artifacts sadly ended up the property of other museums around the world. It was also a reminder that despite the way various travel companies stage their pictures, the pyramids are actually in the middle of urban sprawl in the modern day.
City of the Dead was an excellent read and I look forward to checking out more of the books in the series (though I’m sad I only have one more book before I have to wait for the next release). In the past, I’ve compared the series to a kid-friendly Mission Impossible meets James Bond, but I think it's equally suitable for more mature readers as well. If you or a young reader in your life enjoys mysteries and thrillers with spies, this book is worth a listen.
by James Riley Rating: 3 Stars Release Date: March 5, 2019 Format: Audiobook (Personal Library, Libro.fm sale) Publisher: Aladdin
The Revenge of Magic by James Riley is an audiobook that I picked up through a Libro.fm sale, and it is an interesting (though not particularly memorable) read. With elements of both Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game and Dhonielle Clayton’s The Marvellers, I think it is a book that appeals equally to young readers who enjoy science fiction and fantasy.
The premise and the worldbuilding of the book were what sold me on the story, and convinced me to keep reading. I really connected to the idea that magic has been returned to the world, but only children born on or after a certain date are able to wield it. While Fort does end up going to a school to learn to wield his powers, it was interesting because the teachers are very limited in what they can actually instruct their pupils on (given that they cannot perform any of the magic themselves). For example, the healing instructor usually gives classes on anatomy and gives suggestions on how to use different spells to their best effect (but cannot do more than critique their actual work).
The lack of a “memorable” quality (and the reason I could not give the book a full five star rating) comes from the actual plot of the book. While it was enjoyable reading the book, I could not tell you much about the minute details of the plot after putting the book down. Sure, there are bits about children being the only ones who can do magic and save the world and the ‘discovery day’ but I don’t recall much about Fort’s day to day interactions with the other students or why he was such a unique case.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I don’t think I was the target audience, but given that I’m many years older than the expected age range that’s ok. While I would definitely pick up subsequent installments to the series, they would be more filler books rather than something I would go out of my way to pick up. Narrator Kirby Heyborne did an excellent job with the project and bringing Fort’s perspective to life with his performance in the audiobook narration of the book.
About the Author
James Riley is the New York Times bestselling author of the HALF UPON A TIME series, the STORY THIEVES series, the REVENGE OF MAGIC series, and the new ONCE UPON ANOTHER TIME series. Contrary to what previous biographies have stated, he is a) real and b) not the character Nobody from his STORY THIEVES books. Where would people even get that idea? (Spoiler: From him. He totally made it sound like he really was Nobody. He thought it’d be funny. We’re sorry.)
He was born in Connecticut, where he lived for only a short time before moving to … well, quite a few states. He currently lives in Northern Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C., because that’s where his cats are. He has three of them. Other people think that’s a bit much.
James is currently working on the final book of the ONCE UPON ANOTHER TIME series, so he might be a little busy. But feel free to e-mail him with questions at jamesrileythatwriterguy@gmail.com, or ask him anything on his blog.
I
am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the CITY SPIES: CITY OF THE DEAD by James
Ponti Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar
Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to
enter the giveaway!
In this fourth installment in the New
York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the
young group of spies go codebreaking in Cairo in another international
adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs.
Smith’s Spy School for Girls.
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…
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.
In conversation with Sayantani DasGupta (author
of THE FIRE QUEEN series), Chris Grabenstein (author
of DOG SQUAD and THE SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE),
and Karina Yan Glaser (author of THE
VANDERBEEKERS series)
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