Forbidden City

December 15, 2021
MI6's secret youth operation is back for more world saving. For the young people living at the Foundation for Atmospheric Research and Monitoring, leading double--or triple, more like--lives is nothing new by now. Overseen by a male MI6 agent with the nickname Mother and a female scientist called Monty, the five kids born around the globe and recruited to this base in Scotland have mounted one successful mission after another, so they're poised for success as they prepare for the next one. Rwandan-born Paris, who was raised in France, is taking center stage in an operation to rescue a North Korean scientist being targeted by the international criminal ring Umbra, posing as a chess player in an international competition that includes the scientist's son. Meanwhile, White Australian-born Sydney has a role to play as a teen journalist following the socialite daughter of billionaire Reginald Banks and KB5, the hot British boy band Banks put together. Other City Spies--Nepalese teen girl Kat and Brazilian teen boy Rio--will play supporting roles in tech and espionage, though Nuyorican Brooklyn is being grounded at summer school so she can catch up to her classmates. Ponti has once again crafted a thrilling adventure with lovable characters, alluring and detailed international settings, and villains who aren't cartoonishly evil. The conclusion is wholly satisfying yet full of potential for the next installment. A smashing success. (dossiers) (Thriller. 10-14)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2022
Grades 5-8 The third volume in the City Spies series features five well-trained secret agents between 12 and 15 years old, whose current mission for MI6 is to enable the defection of a North Korean nuclear scientist and his son, a brilliant chess player, before a sinister, criminal network abducts them. Nigerian-born Paris, accompanied by his adoptive father, a British intelligence agent with the cover name Mother, travels to Moscow and Beijing ostensibly to compete in chess tournaments, but he's actually planning to leave with the scientist and his son. Meanwhile, Paris's brother and sisters carry out related assignments calling for sharp wits, skills, and courage. The settings are colorful and the carefully plotted stories are suspenseful, but it's Ponti's characters and their relationships that draw readers back to the City Spies series. Fast-paced action scenes are interspersed with conversations that are sometimes unrelated to the mission. In this novel, 15-year-old Paris steps into the spotlight while confronting questions about his identity, and Mother reveals his pre-MI6 backstory. An appealing mixture of espionage, action, and personalities in a contemporary setting.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.