City Spies City of the Dead goes 4 out of 4 in this mglit must-read series

The really great books have readers hoping that the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger or on some absurd happening. An otherwise fabulous book that’s built up to a satisfying ending cheapens the entire affair when all of the events are for naught. It turns out to have been a dream. A long-forgotten relative appears at the door or they jump off into the sunset to their mortal peril…unless there’s a sequel. City Spies City of the Dead is the fourth book in this series that’s built on its predecessor with ease and a sense of plot satisfaction. It’s done this while leaving clues as to something much bigger that all of the books are building to.

In the case of City of the Dead there were just over a dozen pages left in the book. The chapters leading up to the climax set it up perfectly. The City Spies have reconvened from various side adventures and are focused on bringing down the big bad. There is no way that author James Ponti can solve the problem in a way that doesn’t cheapen or belittle things. The time and care that you, as a reader, have invested in characters would be for naught and there’s no way you’re reading the next installment. As a reader, you say that to yourself, but if you’ve read any of Ponti’s other books, you just need to be reminded to trust the process.

The process works in City of the Dead. It’s as satisfying of an mglit book from start to finish that grades five and up will read. There certainly are some fourth graders that’ll be able to read one of the City Spies books. Those readers might be intimidated by the fact that there aren’t any pictures and that it’s thicker than things that they’ve previously read. However, those eight-year-old kids that love to read will be rewarded with a fast-paced kidlit thriller that trots across the globe.

City Spies are a group of MI-6 teen spies who are named after famous cities, like Paris, Sydney, Rio, Kat, or Manhattan. They each have their own unique set of skills, as well as, personality quirks. Mother is the code name of their handler, who is acts as much as a father, as well as he does a spy mentor. In City of the Dead, Mother’s past life might be coming back to haunt him. He’s been in the spy game for a long time and doesn’t share too much of his personal past with his young protégés.

City of the Dead reads like the way that you wanted the National Treasure Disney + series to be, but it wasn’t. This fourth book in the City Spies series picks up in the middle of a heist. The team is breaking into the British Museum in London. The ancillary radio chatter between the team is interspersed with inferences and statements that introduce or reinforce that person’s role in the team. One of them is excellent with puzzles, someone prefers more brute methods, there’s a street-savvy kid with computer smarts, and a reluctant leader who’s never had to take point on a mission.

The dialogue in City of the Dead is very smart. It reads and speaks like a teenager who is much too smart to be doing what they’re doing. The teens are smart, yet they need to be accepted by the public simply as teens, and not the spies that they are. They use the tricks, tropes, and stereotypes that a teen would use when trying to delay or avoid something. All the while the other members are going about their spy shenanigans. Teachers see this in classes also. However, it has parallels to the argument sketch from Monty Python.

The teens play up the fact that they’re supposed to be noisy and ignorant in certain instances. They can also relate normally to teens or younger kids who are not spies. They’re also able to contribute to conversations with MI-6 superiors when they come to check in on things. Tween, teen, and adult readers will appreciate the speed at which Ponti brings in the action and meat of the story. There’s no song and dance, it starts and never lets its foot off of the gas.

The comparison between the Spy School series and City Spies is natural, but not for the reasons you might think. They both have spy in their title, yes, but that’s it. Both series of books run from the start and engage readers in fifth grade and up. They don’t copy each other or feel repetitive if you’re reading both series. Although written by different authors, the two feel like brothers from another mother and don’t step on each other’s feet.

The chapters in City of the Dead are, on average, just under ten pages in length. The first chapter is the longest at 20 pages and there are several chapters that consist on only five or six pages. This is a great chapter length for those kids who might be reluctant readers. It’s also great because reluctant readers don’t like to read and City of the Dead loves to be read. The book also loves people who love to read.

There’s a playful sense of mystery and adventure that never strains credibility; even though we’re talking about a team of teen spies who are saving the world. Because the book’s locations hop around the world it also works as an mglit or ya armchair travel companion. I’ve spent time in each of the major locations in his books, and Ponti effectively nails down the essence of being in those places. This is especially true of Cairo, a massive metropolis, with a smell all its own, and a disappearing act when it comes to the divide between Gaza and the city.

City of the Dead succeeds on many levels. It’s a great sequel, an entry into a must-read series of books for ages eight and up and a breathlessly entertaining book. This is the kind of book that’ll be passed around the house with people vying as to who is next to read. A testament to that is the fact that I had to sequester the book to my office when our 13-year-old saw it arrive and now, that I’ve read the book, it’s his turn.

City Spies City of the Dead is by New York Times Bestselling Author James Ponti and is available on Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

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