Childrens

Golden Gate

Golden Gate

  • Downloads：7876
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-02-12 06:52:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：James Ponti
  • ISBN：1534414959
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

In this second installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti， the young group of spies returns for another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs。 Smith’s Spy School for Girls。

After thwarting a notorious villain at an eco-summit in Paris， the City Spies are gearing up for their next mission。 Operating out of a base in Scotland， this secret team of young agents working for the British Secret Intelligence Service’s MI6 division have honed 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。

Fourteen-year-old Sydney is a surfer and a rebel from Bondi Beach， Australia。 She’s also a field ops specialist for the City Spies。 Sydney is excited to learn that she’ll be going undercover on the marine research vessel the Sylvia Earle。 But things don’t go exactly as planned， and while Sydney does find herself in the spotlight， it’s not in the way she was hoping。

Meanwhile， there’s been some new intel regarding a potential mole within the organization， offering the spies a lead that takes them to San Francisco， California。 But as they investigate a spy who died at the Botanical Gardens， they discover that they are also being investigated。 And soon， they’re caught up in an exciting adventure filled with rogue missions and double agents！

This mission is hot！ The City Spies are a go！

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Reviews

Shridhar ，

Loved the intrigue and info。

Patti Sabik ，

Fun， interesting， fast-paced， wonderful characters。 Everything I want in a good read。

Carolyn ，

The City Spies are at it again。 The story begins with Brooklyn and Sydney thwarting a kidnapping that ends up connecting to their next mission。 Can the City Spies uncover Magpie？ Hang on to your seats for this fast paced adventure。

Zia Sharma ，

Intricate plot and amazing details， every word of this book further intrigues me！ （Re reading for the third book to be full prepared~）

Julia ，

It’s such a refreshing delight to read a book by someone who so clearly cares about kids and wants to give them the world （figuratively）。 It’s even more of a pleasure to read something for the twelve-year-old version of ourselves we never truly outgrow。

Heda Also ，

Can't wait for book 3 to come out this year！ Can't wait for book 3 to come out this year！ 。。。more

Eileen ，

This was a great follow-up to the first book。 While the first book begins with Brooklyn and seems to center around her as she joins the team， this one focuses on the entire team and highlights some of Sydney's personal struggles。 To me， this is the story where they truly become like family as each of the members wrestle with something， including Mother。 We also learn how Kat joined the team and I loved her story， just as I loved the stories for Brooklyn， Sydney， and Paris from the first book。 I' This was a great follow-up to the first book。 While the first book begins with Brooklyn and seems to center around her as she joins the team， this one focuses on the entire team and highlights some of Sydney's personal struggles。 To me， this is the story where they truly become like family as each of the members wrestle with something， including Mother。 We also learn how Kat joined the team and I loved her story， just as I loved the stories for Brooklyn， Sydney， and Paris from the first book。 I'm looking forward to learning Rio's story next， maybe in the next book。 While this book is called Golden Gate， most of the book takes place in Scotland， England， and a ship near Scotland。 Still， Ponti included a ton of San Francisco landmarks， including Alcatraz。 I really loved how he used some of those places in the story。So far for this series， I love the characters， plot， pacing， action， dialog， all of it。 It is such a well-written middle school book that is entirely enjoyable as an adult。 At first， I was expecting something similar to the Alex Rider books， which I've also enjoyed， but I think there is so much more to these books。 Except for the fact that these are 12-16-year-old spies， much of how they behave and talk to each other is very realistic。 Yes， they're all geniuses of one kind or another， but I've met kids that could be considered geniuses and their behaviors and accomplishments are pretty believable。 There's enough realism in these books to make it a lot of fun for kids to dream and imagine。 I highly recommend these books and can't wait for the next one！ I'm not sure if it'll be the final book， but I'm looking forward to it！ 。。。more

Lisa Vegan ，

I greatly enjoyed being with these characters again！I thought from the title and some of the early part of the story that most of the events would take place in San Francisco。Most of the book’s story takes place in the UK though， in Scotland and in England and some on a ship off remote Scotland。 The story doesn’t get to San Francisco until page 303 of page 421 but the characters do visit a lot of places in San Francisco and the San Francisco area， including Chinatown， Muir Woods （done badly sinc I greatly enjoyed being with these characters again！I thought from the title and some of the early part of the story that most of the events would take place in San Francisco。Most of the book’s story takes place in the UK though， in Scotland and in England and some on a ship off remote Scotland。 The story doesn’t get to San Francisco until page 303 of page 421 but the characters do visit a lot of places in San Francisco and the San Francisco area， including Chinatown， Muir Woods （done badly since now reservations are required and they’re hard to get and only for far in advance）， Fisherman’s Wharf， Golden Gate Park Botanical Gardens （yes they make an appearance but no murder takes place there）， Alcatraz， and Fort Point。 They are all well-known locations to locals and most are popular tourist attractions and some have been location settings in movies。 In the first book we learn how Brooklyn and Paris and Sydney joined the team and spend small amounts of time in those cities， Brooklyn New York， Paris France， and Sydney Australia， though most of the book takes place in Paris and in Scotland。 In this second book we learn about how Kat joined the team and readers spend a small amount of time in the city where she was found （Kathmandu， Nepal）。 I’m hoping in the next book we’ll see how Rio was recruited （in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil）。 The writing is excellent but I did find a very few mistakes。 On one page it says Brooklyn and Paris when it should say Brooklyn and Sydney。 I also found a couple of typos but otherwise all looked fine to me。 I love this series。 It would have been a favorite of mine when I was 9-12， but in the first book and this book I am deducting a half star because of the name “Mother” as I don’t think I could ever get fully used to it so 4-1/2 stars。 There was one character who made an appearance at the very end of the book and at first I didn’t like that he had a part， but then what did happen at the end I loved and I’m thinking that book 3 might be even better than the first 2 because of it。 Big spoiler: （view spoiler）[ Both because maybe just maybe the name Mother will be retired and also because now they will be a real family。 I love that。 I also appreciate that this change is taking place after just 2 books in the series。 （hide spoiler）]Fun！ Entertaining！ Exciting！ Suspenseful！ Heartwarming！ Funny！ Yes， the reader has to suspend disbelief quite a bit but enough about the people and their relationships feels genuine and believable。 I do care about these people and that makes the books a pleasure to read。Great book and great series for both boys and girls and for reluctant readers。 Good for independent readers and reading aloud one on one to with groups。 I’m not wild about the narrator for these books。 People’s voices， especially their vocal tones， expressiveness， just the way most of their voices sound seem off somehow and too many of them sound too much like one another， even with the different accents， at least to me。 Whenever I can concentrate without audio accompaniment I think I prefer to read just the e-or paper edition for the books in this series。 I notice that this is one of 3 series this author has。 So far they all have 3 books。 I don’t know if they’re trilogies or if they’re works in progress。 I do hope that there will be more than 1 more book in this series。 I’m hoping to read book 3 as soon as possible。 。。。more

Lisa ，

This is such a fun series！ I’ve been listening to it with my younger boys while we work on puzzles together。 It’s very clever and keeps you thinking… just perfect for bonding time with my kiddos！ I’m just hoping there will be more in the series…

human ，

Honestly speaking， this book was a vast improvement from the previous one， even if it was a bit irritating at times。Golden Gate follows the City Spies after the events of the first book， this time telling the story from Sydney's perspective。 Sydney and Brooklyn have been sent on an undercover mission on a marine research vessel， and things don't exactly as planned。 To add to the situation， new intel comes in regarding the death of an agent in San Francisco who was looking into Magpie - a double Honestly speaking， this book was a vast improvement from the previous one， even if it was a bit irritating at times。Golden Gate follows the City Spies after the events of the first book， this time telling the story from Sydney's perspective。 Sydney and Brooklyn have been sent on an undercover mission on a marine research vessel， and things don't exactly as planned。 To add to the situation， new intel comes in regarding the death of an agent in San Francisco who was looking into Magpie - a double agent in the agency。 Once again， it's up to the City Spies to save the day。My biggest problem with the last book was how seemingly perfect Brooklyn was at everything that she tried in regards to espionage， even more so than the other spies。 I'm glad that this was addressed， even if a lot of drama came out of it。 In a way， what happened was expected， but it was still，，， weird to read。The plot， thankfully， is better and more substantial than the first book as well。 There are actually quite a few plotlines being discussed as well as playing out this time， which made for a more interesting read。Even so， the identity of the double agent was pretty easy to figure out。 This time， however， I liked that there were clues regarding the true identity of Magpie， and everything sort of built up to the big reveal， rather than everything being out in the open since the very beginning。There were more backstory reveals in this book， which I really liked， especially those of the City Spies that hadn't been given as much of the spotlight in the previous book。 Again， same as the last book as well， I liked the friendships between the City Spies and how they grew in this book as well。This book felt pretty short， but probably only because I didn't force myself to read it as much as the first one， which made for a short yet action-packed reading experience。 It was definitely more enjoyable than the first book， to say the least。 （Could this have something to do with the fact that it wasn't all about how pErFeCt Brooklyn was？ Perhaps。）Overall， this book was a vast improvement from the previous one。 Even if the beginning was a bit weird， I liked how different plotlines that had only been touched upon in the previous book really began to come into play with this book， as well as how the character dynamics were clearer in this book。 That， of course， isn't to mention all of the action that just felt more fun and characteristic of a middle-grade adventure novel that was included in this novel。 。。。more

Kayleen ，

I absolutely loved both books。 I think they are wonderful kids books and even adults and teenagers can read these books and be entertained。 I constantly found myself wondering what was gonna happen next and trying to figure it out with them or trying to figure it out before them。 Very intriguing and keeps you on your feet。 James Ponti is amazing at making children’s books。 Recommend for anyone looking for a fun read。

Candice ，

Another excellent edition to this series！ I can’t wait for number 3。 There are many plot twists as Mother guides his young MI-6 agents on their missions。

Laura ，

Kids loved this series。

Katrenia ，

I loved the continuing story of this group， and learning more about the history of some of the other kids。 I love how they work together to figure things out， and got the best of some notorious criminals。

Brian Burak ，

This is a pitch perfect MG spy thriller。 Even as an adult， the mystery kept me guessing until the end。 Loved the enhanced emotional stakes for Sydney as well。 Can't wait for the sequel！ This is a pitch perfect MG spy thriller。 Even as an adult， the mystery kept me guessing until the end。 Loved the enhanced emotional stakes for Sydney as well。 Can't wait for the sequel！ 。。。more

Anita McDivitt Barrios ，

This time， the team is tracking Mother's kids -- his actual， biological family， two teens his ex-wife Clementine disappeared with when she was exposed as a double agent for Umbra years ago。But first， it opens with an attempted hijacking of a ship， the Sylvia Earle， and attempted kidnapping of two teen girls -- members of the British royal family。 Although 20+ times removed from inheriting the throne， they're still worth a lot in ransom。Sydney picks that night to go on a solo dive to clear her mi This time， the team is tracking Mother's kids -- his actual， biological family， two teens his ex-wife Clementine disappeared with when she was exposed as a double agent for Umbra years ago。But first， it opens with an attempted hijacking of a ship， the Sylvia Earle， and attempted kidnapping of two teen girls -- members of the British royal family。 Although 20+ times removed from inheriting the throne， they're still worth a lot in ransom。Sydney picks that night to go on a solo dive to clear her mind， and Brooklyn manages to hide the two whiny royal girls somewhere in the bowels of the ship， where the kidnappers / hijackers don't think to look for them。Together， the two teen spies thwart the attempt， and make two powerful， determined enemies -- the hijacker， Emil Blix， and unbeknownst to them， a deadly Umbra double-agent， Magpie。The rescue of the ship generates a lot of media coverage， more like a feeding frenzy， and the FARM teen spies are caught on tape。 Not terrible in and of itself， as they're undercover at school at Kinloch Abbey， but pay attention : this will come back to haunt them。The rescue mission over， Mother enlists Brooklyn to help find clues in the photograph Clementine gave to Brooklyn at the end of the last book。 But all it does is stir dissention among the ranks when Sydney and other team members quickly figure out Brooklyn's been picked for a "special mission。" Rio feels like his special bond to Mother has been broken。Mother has to explain Brooklyn hasn't， but he didn't want to involve them all on a "rogue，" unauthorized mission。 But all it takes is one glance at the photo for Kat to figure out where it's taken， and what the message from Clementine really means。The kids are off to -- you guessed it， the title's sake -- San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge。I won't reveal anything else， just know， again， this was a FANTASTIC， fast-paced， thriller of a ride and we enjoyed every word of it！ And I was tickled pink to see Ponti kept writing in 3rd omniscient！ （Squee！）Enjoy！ Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students？ Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations， free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb。mystrikingly。com/ 。。。more

Reid ，

Great book looking forward to the third！！！

Kim Gontarz ，

Teens working to protect the world as MI6 agents are constantly on guard to protect their identity。 Each teen has their own special talent that they bring to the team but at times jealousy creeps in。 The next mission splits the team to cover two different locations but they converge on San Francisco。 Will they find the answers they seek？ Will the mole be named？ Will the children of Mother be found？

Jan farnworth ，

City Spies is a middle-grade novel centered around a young group of kids who are secret agents。 At times it is a nail-biter other times， it is very educational， and at all times， it keeps you on the edge of your seat。 I liked that this is a mystery series as I spend a lot of time reading fantasy novels， so it is good to have an incredible clue-solving story to sink your teeth into。 I like how the author provides little profiles at the back of the book that gives you a nice rundown of who is in t City Spies is a middle-grade novel centered around a young group of kids who are secret agents。 At times it is a nail-biter other times， it is very educational， and at all times， it keeps you on the edge of your seat。 I liked that this is a mystery series as I spend a lot of time reading fantasy novels， so it is good to have an incredible clue-solving story to sink your teeth into。 I like how the author provides little profiles at the back of the book that gives you a nice rundown of who is in the story if you forgot。 I have the third book on deck， so I stayed tuned for that review soon。 。。。more

Pen ，

A great sequel！ A bit slower in places than the first one， but a splendid team of people and delightful to follow their journey。 A clever team that still reminds me fondly of the Mysterious Benedict Society。 A series worth owning and revisiting。 Looking forward to the next installment！

Matt Root ，

This is the second book in a super fun series of middle grade spy novels。 If you’re looking for easy reads that are entertaining but not stupid， I highly recommend them for readers of all ages！

Susy C。 *MotherLambReads* ，

Kid's loved it。 I liked this one as well。Still reminds me of a modern Mysterious Benedict Society。It was very relatable to the kids。 This one had more history facts and literature facts added in here and there。We were listening to it on audio and then checked it out from the library and my oldest finished it by reading and then still listened。 Kid's loved it。 I liked this one as well。Still reminds me of a modern Mysterious Benedict Society。It was very relatable to the kids。 This one had more history facts and literature facts added in here and there。We were listening to it on audio and then checked it out from the library and my oldest finished it by reading and then still listened。 。。。more

Tofi ，

This was a pretty good mystery im not gonna lie。 Only negative thing to say about this book is。。。that one scene with Brooklyn claiming that "Sydney is the OG， and that makes her a noob" I cringed so hard 💀💀 This was a pretty good mystery im not gonna lie。 Only negative thing to say about this book is。。。that one scene with Brooklyn claiming that "Sydney is the OG， and that makes her a noob" I cringed so hard 💀💀 。。。more

Becky ，

You’ll want to read book one first， but Golden Gate is an exceptional read that goes by fast。 There is nothing I enjoy more than a mystery adventure where I learn a lot！ Way to use story and imagination to educate。 Love this book！

Gillie ，

This was just as exciting and wonderful as the first one！ I loved all of the characters， and was rooting for them throughout the book。 I was kind of nervous about what would happen if Mother found his children， but I was also hoping that he would find them。 I loved the sweet ending， and I can't wait for the next book to be published。 This was just as exciting and wonderful as the first one！ I loved all of the characters， and was rooting for them throughout the book。 I was kind of nervous about what would happen if Mother found his children， but I was also hoping that he would find them。 I loved the sweet ending， and I can't wait for the next book to be published。 。。。more

Cariel Davothe ，

It's not really up my alley， but if I liked mystery stories， it would be。 It's got a great blend of coming of age and feel good in it， and it's refreshing to see the world through a different character's POV。 It's not really up my alley， but if I liked mystery stories， it would be。 It's got a great blend of coming of age and feel good in it， and it's refreshing to see the world through a different character's POV。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

Good one。

AnnaScott ，

Such a fun read！ It reminded me a bit of The Mysterious Benedict Society， with a dash of the tv show White Collar。 Such a fun read！ It reminded me a bit of The Mysterious Benedict Society， with a dash of the tv show White Collar。 。。。more

Jared White ，

I really enjoyed the first in this series so I had fairly high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint。 It starts off with an exciting mission and keeps a fairly good pace throughout the book while still managing to have some good character development。 There were a few twists and turns that kept me guessing which was quite fun and enough open ends to make me look forward to the next installment。My only complaint is that it is fairly easy to forget that the cast is wonderfully diverse， in a I really enjoyed the first in this series so I had fairly high hopes for this one and it did not disappoint。 It starts off with an exciting mission and keeps a fairly good pace throughout the book while still managing to have some good character development。 There were a few twists and turns that kept me guessing which was quite fun and enough open ends to make me look forward to the next installment。My only complaint is that it is fairly easy to forget that the cast is wonderfully diverse， in a way I guess it is nice that it isn't a focus but I wish there were a few more reminders than the character's names （which are the cities where they were found， though， in Paris's case， it is not really where he is from） and some of the foods they enjoy （different dishes which are associated with their places of origin）。 。。。more

Deborah ，

I love a good mystery， especially one without murders or blood。 I am an adult， but I really liked this book。 I read it in one day。 I was unable to put it down once I started。 It is well written， and the pace is energetic without being frantic。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Golden Gate

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Golden Gate&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

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