Middle Grade

City of the Dead

City of the Dead

  • Downloads：8295
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-02-26 01:22:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：James Ponti
  • ISBN：1665911573
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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…

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Reviews

Michelle ，

My whole family is now eagerly awaiting book 5！

Diane Yliniemi ，

I pre-ordered this book。 I do it so rarely but this is a great series and I wanted to read it now！ When I got it， I read it in a day。 Again， another fun adventure and mystery with the five spy kids from all over the world。 This time they are investigating Egyptian museums and relics。 They get to travel to Cairo Egypt and they also get a new member of their team。 Robert is the biological son of their adopted father。 The jury is still out if we can trust his sudden appearance or not。 I am ready fo I pre-ordered this book。 I do it so rarely but this is a great series and I wanted to read it now！ When I got it， I read it in a day。 Again， another fun adventure and mystery with the five spy kids from all over the world。 This time they are investigating Egyptian museums and relics。 They get to travel to Cairo Egypt and they also get a new member of their team。 Robert is the biological son of their adopted father。 The jury is still out if we can trust his sudden appearance or not。 I am ready for book 5！ Since James Ponti does lots of research， I think I will have to wait another year。 。。。more

Arabesque ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It pains me to give this book 3 stars， because I am obsessed with this series and its characters。 However， there is no doubt that this is by far the weakest entry in the City Spies series thus far。 ==Spoilers ahead==This book focuses on Kat and tries to give her character development。 Our math prodigy who plans and executes missions with military precision must now learn to think on her feet and improvise。 This is nice。 Kat is my second favourite character， so letting her get some attention is g It pains me to give this book 3 stars， because I am obsessed with this series and its characters。 However， there is no doubt that this is by far the weakest entry in the City Spies series thus far。 ==Spoilers ahead==This book focuses on Kat and tries to give her character development。 Our math prodigy who plans and executes missions with military precision must now learn to think on her feet and improvise。 This is nice。 Kat is my second favourite character， so letting her get some attention is great。 The problem is that this comes as the expense of just about everyone else。 Brooklyn is sidelined in this arc。 This was surprising to me since Kat and Brooklyn were supposed to be bosom buddies with inter-lapping specialties。 Their synergy was amazing in the past books。 Its absence here makes for a much less interesting story。 Paris and Sidney get scant attention。 I can understand why this must be the case， I suppose， since Paris and Sidney are best at the kinetic and active parts of spycraft， while Kat is focused on connecting the dots and finding the villains' intent。 In a story that focuses on the latter， the former will likely have to be reduced in scope。 but even so， after the past 3 books， it is jarring to see how little they have to do here。 Rio is made the butt of the joke as usual， but it feels jaded now。 He's always had something crucial to provide the team。 Here he is little more than a clown that opens a few doors。 The introduction of Robert is。。。 interesting？ I am not sure where he fits in to all this。 He does not fit the team dynamic at all。 And already Mother seems to discriminate in his favour。 He is granted access to the City Spies even without swearing to the Secrets Act。 I doubt Tru or C would have agreed to this。 Also， I half expected someone on the team to point this out。 It used to be a point of contention when Mother and Brooklyn spent time together。 I suppose the kids are trying to be mindful of his feelings。 But this kettle will overflow soon enough。 Which reminds me， even Monty is underused。 The silence of so many key characters makes this book barely seem like a City Spied novel at all。 And finally， the plot is somewhat underwhelming as well。 It was very meaningful to include the issue of repatriating cultural artifacts。 However this is at best a secondary concern as our spies deal with the more pressing issue of an Umbra hacking multiple institutions in London。 Splitting my attention both ways did not lead to a conclusive and rewarding end。 The repatriation of artifacts is only hinted at， while the hacker's downfall is too sudden。 This， again， is unlike the other novels where the primary antagonists are decisively outsmarted。 Jason is not a very good antagonist at all considering he is just a puppet for Umbra。 Overall， a slightly disappointing novel。 But it is still written well and sets up a decent hook to lead into the next book。 Judging by the progressions so far， this will likely focus on Rio。 Some of his insecurities have already been hinted at here， so it will be interesting to see how Ponti ties these into the overarching plot。 I certainly hope he tries to give all the characters their share of time and attention。 。。。more

Anne ，

Wow！ Each of Ponti's books in the City Spies series gets better and better as we get to know the characters and what they can do。 This time they end up in Cairo with an unexpected addition to their team。 They are trying to find someone who has hacked into some important London systems and is asking for money as well as a smuggler of Egyptian artifacts。 The excitement and spycraft continue unabated！ Wow！ Each of Ponti's books in the City Spies series gets better and better as we get to know the characters and what they can do。 This time they end up in Cairo with an unexpected addition to their team。 They are trying to find someone who has hacked into some important London systems and is asking for money as well as a smuggler of Egyptian artifacts。 The excitement and spycraft continue unabated！ 。。。more

Haillie ，

One of my favorites in the series！ Great development in the characters and I loved the portrayal of being overwhelmed and how Ponti shows ways to help Kat out when she is stressed or overwhelmed in chaotic situations。 Can’t wait for the next city spies book！

Mckinley Howard ，

I always enjoy reading about these fun characters and their adventures！！ Delightful read。

Susan Tunis ，

4。5 stars。 I adore this Middle Grade series！ Both the characters and the plots are hugely entertaining。 And each book in the series is as good as the first。 These will continue to be must-reads for this terribly immature 54-year-old woman。

Jessica Painter ，

I don’t normally like middle grade fiction this much， but this series has been fantastic。 And the fourth book is just as good as the others。

Kim Peach ，

James Ponti is one of my favorite middle grade authors！！ And this newest installment is another excellent read！ This is book four in the City Spies series。 If you haven't read this series yet， get to it！ :） James Ponti is one of my favorite middle grade authors！！ And this newest installment is another excellent read！ This is book four in the City Spies series。 If you haven't read this series yet， get to it！ :） 。。。more

Anna Moberg ，

I love reading this series！ These books are always a fun read for me

Andrea Parisi ，

When you thought it couldn't get any better！ Best installment yet; mystery， action， adventure， friendship， family， teamwork， and so much more！ When you thought it couldn't get any better！ Best installment yet; mystery， action， adventure， friendship， family， teamwork， and so much more！ 。。。more

Cassandra Hamm ，

How could James leave us like this？？ With that ending？？Kat is my favorite character， so I’m thrilled she has her own story。 I love how she finds order in the chaos of Cairo。 Really， I just love everything about this series。 Excited for Rio’s story—one， because Rio is amazing and there will be lots of food， and two， because WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS。 THAT。 ENDING。

Lily ，

I'm half-way through this book and really enjoying it。 I love the character development and twists as well as the coding and deciphering。 This is a great addition to the series， I'm half-way through this book and really enjoying it。 I love the character development and twists as well as the coding and deciphering。 This is a great addition to the series， 。。。more

Becky Porter ，

Another fun installment in this series！

Jess ，

Another fun installment in this series about globe-trotting kid spies。 The ending will leave you waiting for book 5。 Good for middle school。

Beth Anne ，

This series is an all-time favorite！ Four books in and I just love the characters so much。 The team/mystery/spy plots are too notch， we always get a few questions answered and new ones come to the surface。 I’ve listened to all of these and love the audiobooks too。 So， so fun。

Florence Witt ，

4。5

Histrio ，

I laughed so much！ The City Spies are back with all the usual shenanigans and hijinks。 We get some exciting new information and SO MANY new questions and an insane cliff-hanger ending。 I can't wait for the next book to release！ I laughed so much！ The City Spies are back with all the usual shenanigans and hijinks。 We get some exciting new information and SO MANY new questions and an insane cliff-hanger ending。 I can't wait for the next book to release！ 。。。more

Jasmine from How Useful It Is ，

Thank you Simon Kids and Simon Audio for the opportunity to read， listen， and review！Great read and audiobook！ A family of spies！ They traveled all over and they took up fake identities。 They went undercover and hid in safe houses。 They were careful everywhere they go。 There's a surprise 6th member in this story。 Great set of characters。 Good humor。 Adventurous。 Teamwork。 Smart/Clever characters。 Young kids outsmart even the security of the museum。 The story followed 5 adopted brothers and siste Thank you Simon Kids and Simon Audio for the opportunity to read， listen， and review！Great read and audiobook！ A family of spies！ They traveled all over and they took up fake identities。 They went undercover and hid in safe houses。 They were careful everywhere they go。 There's a surprise 6th member in this story。 Great set of characters。 Good humor。 Adventurous。 Teamwork。 Smart/Clever characters。 Young kids outsmart even the security of the museum。 The story followed 5 adopted brothers and sisters range in age from 12 to 15 years old。 They're young spy agents working for the British Secret Intelligence。 Each agent has his or her strengths to contribute to the team。 Rio can read people and determine which security guard they can fool to obtain security clearance。 Kat is the team leader in this book and she can see patterns。 Sydney can handle explosives。 Paris can pick locks。 Brooklyn can hack computer networks。 I haven't read the previous 3 books yet but I'm inclined to。 I like this type of stories！ 。。。more

Aliya Bree Bree ，

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。This is actually my first City of the Dead read， however， I found the story incredibly interesting and engaging。 Especially considering the size of the book， I was pleased to find it a quick， action-packed read that will be a good length for children。 The characters felt well-rounded and I particularly loved that the story touched on returning cultural artifacts to the countries they were stolen from。 I think kids are going to really enjoy this I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。This is actually my first City of the Dead read， however， I found the story incredibly interesting and engaging。 Especially considering the size of the book， I was pleased to find it a quick， action-packed read that will be a good length for children。 The characters felt well-rounded and I particularly loved that the story touched on returning cultural artifacts to the countries they were stolen from。 I think kids are going to really enjoy this next installment in the series！ 。。。more

Caryn - iam。caryn ，

In this fourth instalment of the City Spies series， City of the Dead is now my favourite book in the whole series so far。I was completely engrossed in the entire exciting adventure。 Start to finish， the thrills and wonder do not stop。 I’ve become so invested in the lives of these incredible kids。It’s hard to say much without potentially spoiling this book and previous books in the series。 I will say that I don’t recommend reading any of the books as a standalone。 It’s the type of series that you In this fourth instalment of the City Spies series， City of the Dead is now my favourite book in the whole series so far。I was completely engrossed in the entire exciting adventure。 Start to finish， the thrills and wonder do not stop。 I’ve become so invested in the lives of these incredible kids。It’s hard to say much without potentially spoiling this book and previous books in the series。 I will say that I don’t recommend reading any of the books as a standalone。 It’s the type of series that you need to start from the beginning and then read every instalment。 You get to watch the characters and the ongoing story arch grow into something incredible。You and every middle grade reader in your life absolutely have to pick these up。 They’re addictive and obsession-level brilliant。 。。。more

Darla ，

The City Spies are working together like a well-oiled machine and we readers are in the groove。 With each new episode， each spy becomes more distinct。 As they each become more excellent in their area of expertise， the team is given new challenges。 More adventures result。 This is one has an Egypt theme， as you may have guessed from the cover。 Someone is hacking into crucial British networks at the same time the debate over Egyptian artifacts is heating up。 Should the rare treasures sourced from E The City Spies are working together like a well-oiled machine and we readers are in the groove。 With each new episode， each spy becomes more distinct。 As they each become more excellent in their area of expertise， the team is given new challenges。 More adventures result。 This is one has an Egypt theme， as you may have guessed from the cover。 Someone is hacking into crucial British networks at the same time the debate over Egyptian artifacts is heating up。 Should the rare treasures sourced from Egypt all be given back to their home country？ What a great topic for discussion in a middle grade classroom。 There were some clever bits in this one that I especially loved like The Sacred Sisters of St。 Joshua （the patron saint of spies） and their use of hand bells for communicating between rooms and Marwen， the best tour guide ever with his Cairo International Student Tours -- he has skills。 Finally， a heartwarming aspect of the book is the progress made on the search for Mother's family。 If you have been following this series， you will absolutely love this one！Thank you to Aladdin and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Doreen ，

2/1/2023 The most delightfully wholesome spy novel I've ever read。 Full review tk at CriminalElement。com。 2/1/2023 The most delightfully wholesome spy novel I've ever read。 Full review tk at CriminalElement。com。 。。。more

Holly ，

If you’ve followed my reviews for any length of time， you may know just how much I love this middle grade series。 My son and I have both read them all （though he hasn’t yet gotten his hands on this latest one！）， and we’ve also read， both separately and out loud together， Mr。 Ponti’s Dead City series， which we also love。 （He has also read the Framed！ series， though I have not。） Naturally I was going to jump at the chance to read and review book four！ （You can find my reviews of book one here and If you’ve followed my reviews for any length of time， you may know just how much I love this middle grade series。 My son and I have both read them all （though he hasn’t yet gotten his hands on this latest one！）， and we’ve also read， both separately and out loud together， Mr。 Ponti’s Dead City series， which we also love。 （He has also read the Framed！ series， though I have not。） Naturally I was going to jump at the chance to read and review book four！ （You can find my reviews of book one here and book two here。）While I suppose you technically could read this as a standalone， I would highly recommend reading the first three books first -- you’ll get a much better feel for the characters， and they’re totally all worth reading！ In each book， a different one of our “city spies” （their codenames are each the cities in which they were found） is the alpha， or leader， of the mission。 In book four， it’s Kat’s turn， and she leads in several missions throughout the book， which take the spies from London to Berlin to， ultimately， Cairo and Luxor， Egypt。 Kat has always been a favorite character of mine -- she has Asperger’s and is able to see patterns amid all the chaos of life。 She’s truly brilliant and refreshingly honest and plain-spoken！ The spies continue hot on the heels of Umbra in this installment， and there’s a surprise addition to the City Spies team that no one was expecting。 I literally read the entire book in one sitting; I just couldn’t stop flipping the pages！I highly， highly recommend this series for all middle grade readers （will be especially good for reluctant readers！）， as well as anyone who just enjoys a good spy thriller （one appropriate for kids， of course）。 This installment continues the unbroken string of five-star reviews for each book in the series。 And with *that ending*， I can’t wait to read book five！Rating: 5 stars！**Disclosure: I received a copy of the book from the publisher for purposes of this blog tour。 This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book。 。。。more

Kim Bartosch ，

I give the CITY SPIES: CITY OF THE DEAD ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐！James Ponti does a fabulous job keeping the story exciting and at a fast pace with plenty of action and compelling characters。 The book opens with a heist at a museum， which draws you right into the story。 From there the suspense and thrills keep coming until the end。This book is meant for middle schoolers between the ages of 10 to 13， though I feel it can be enjoyed by a younger audience especially if they're strong readers。 The story is told throug I give the CITY SPIES: CITY OF THE DEAD ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐！James Ponti does a fabulous job keeping the story exciting and at a fast pace with plenty of action and compelling characters。 The book opens with a heist at a museum， which draws you right into the story。 From there the suspense and thrills keep coming until the end。This book is meant for middle schoolers between the ages of 10 to 13， though I feel it can be enjoyed by a younger audience especially if they're strong readers。 The story is told through Kat， the leader， who is a girl but there are also two boys and two more girls' main characters making this book enjoyable for both boys and girls。If you haven't read the first three books in the series， no worries， because James Ponti does a wonderful job filling you in so your not missing anything relevant。I highly recommend this book if your middle grader loves spy books or shows， such as AGENT CODY BANKS or SPY KIDS。 The thrills never end and it's an easy fast read。 Read more of my review here and enter the giveaway which ends Feb 6: https://www。kimsbookreviewsandwriting。。。 。。。more

Patti Sabik ，

This series keeps getting better and better。 Fully developed characters add such a connection to the story。 I care about them and can’t wait to see how the last line of the book plays out。

Trisha ，

While stealing some artifacts from the British Museum the team learns it is a white hat exercise after they get in and that there is credible information that the museum will be hit soon。 But on their way back to the FARM there is a strange power outage on the subway they are on and not long after Britain is hit with a ransomware attack and the team must work to uncover the right person doing it and stop it before it totally disrupts Britain。 This series and this book in particular are some of m While stealing some artifacts from the British Museum the team learns it is a white hat exercise after they get in and that there is credible information that the museum will be hit soon。 But on their way back to the FARM there is a strange power outage on the subway they are on and not long after Britain is hit with a ransomware attack and the team must work to uncover the right person doing it and stop it before it totally disrupts Britain。 This series and this book in particular are some of my favorites as they show kids， especially girls doing wonderful things。 Do I think it is totally plausible maybe not but I certainly think it is possible to find most of these talents in a handpicked group of kids。 I love the suspense and the unending action this book brings。 It should hold the attention of anyone even reluctant readers and keep readers up well past their bedtime to see what happens next。 。。。more

Shari ，

I love this series so much！ This family of spies is as endearing as the Vanderbeekers， and as delightful to spend time with！ I loved the mystery， the twists， and the famous crime stories！ Action-packed with heart and substance - an absolutely thrilling MG ride！Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for the eARC。 I can't wait to hold this book in my hands， share with readers， and listen to the amazing audiobook narrated by Lisa Flanagan。 Thanks to her， I have the perfect voices in my head for I love this series so much！ This family of spies is as endearing as the Vanderbeekers， and as delightful to spend time with！ I loved the mystery， the twists， and the famous crime stories！ Action-packed with heart and substance - an absolutely thrilling MG ride！Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for the eARC。 I can't wait to hold this book in my hands， share with readers， and listen to the amazing audiobook narrated by Lisa Flanagan。 Thanks to her， I have the perfect voices in my head for all of these characters！Well done again， James Ponti！ I'm so glad to know you're working on Book 5 because I don't want these adventures to end！ 。。。more

Joanna R ，

Thanks so much to James Ponti and Simon and Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review！I have loved the intricate plots， witty banter， and intriguing characters that make up City Spies since the first book came out， and this newest addition， City of the Dead， did not fall short of this expectation。 It was incredible to hear the story from largely Kat's perspective， who now， I feel， I know so much better as a character。 Her love of logic and order， as well as dislike of chaos where the Thanks so much to James Ponti and Simon and Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review！I have loved the intricate plots， witty banter， and intriguing characters that make up City Spies since the first book came out， and this newest addition， City of the Dead， did not fall short of this expectation。 It was incredible to hear the story from largely Kat's perspective， who now， I feel， I know so much better as a character。 Her love of logic and order， as well as dislike of chaos where there are no patterns， was entirely relatable。 Her relationship with Mother， our favorite father-figure master of spying， was so sweet as well。Can we also take a moment to appreciate all of the espionage terms and lingo that Ponti sprinkles throughout the novel？ It adds a fantastic touch and wonderfully convincing authenticity to the series。I was also incredibly gratified to see the acknowledgement of many of the issues on taking artifacts by the British Museum - it presents the information respectfully and a way that younger readers can understand。 It provides much-needed awareness to many powerful aspects of Egyptian culture， but more than that， a sense of culture that is hard to find in other series。 It's obvious that Ponti has done genuine research to make this book thrive。 。。。more

Kathie ，

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of CITY OF THE DEAD。City Spies is one of those series I frequently recommend when readers are looking for action and adventure stories。 I often lose interest in a series by the fourth book， but CITY OF THE DEAD is partly set in Egypt with a mystery surrounding artifacts linked to the British Museum。 I was so engrossed in this story and its fast-paced action that I hardly noticed the length （which， if you know me and my dislike for longer middle-grade books， Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of CITY OF THE DEAD。City Spies is one of those series I frequently recommend when readers are looking for action and adventure stories。 I often lose interest in a series by the fourth book， but CITY OF THE DEAD is partly set in Egypt with a mystery surrounding artifacts linked to the British Museum。 I was so engrossed in this story and its fast-paced action that I hardly noticed the length （which， if you know me and my dislike for longer middle-grade books， says a lot about the series’ engaging writing。） There are so many details about the setting and technology that I felt like I escaped into the story， followed the team around， and was almost a spy myself！ I spent a lot of time wondering about a new team member and where that storyline is going， so I look forward to reading the next installment。 I look forward to getting this book into the hands of young readers who are hooked on the series。 。。。more

Tag

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Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=City of the Dead

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=City of the Dead&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,City of the Dead&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0