City Spies
Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency.
Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t.
Before she knows what she’s doing, Sarah is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain…all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team.
No one said saving the world was easy…
James Ponti
James Ponti writes the kind of books that make young readers feel like they’re in on the secret—that the world is full of puzzles, hidden missions, and brilliant kids just waiting to take the lead. With his knack for weaving mystery, humor, and heart into every chapter, Ponti has carved out a special space in middle-grade fiction—one where intelligence is celebrated and friendship is just as powerful as bravery.
Long before he was writing about young spies and sleuths, Ponti was crafting stories behind the scenes of TV shows. A former screenwriter and producer, he developed his storytelling instincts in the world of children’s television, learning the rhythm of a good joke, the importance of pacing, and how to keep a young audience hooked. That training grounds his novels in a cinematic energy—quick-witted dialogue, cliffhangers in just the right places, and characters that feel like real kids, not just plot devices.
City Spies
There’s something thrilling about watching a team come together—not just any team, but one made up of kids from around the world, each with a secret past and a very particular set of skills. City Spies taps into that energy with precision, turning the idea of elite espionage on its head and handing the mission over to the most unlikely agents: teenagers.
City Spies consists of six books and series is set to expand with the upcoming release of one more book. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
