Forbidden City
- Downloads：2383
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-02-12 06:52:00
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：James Ponti
- ISBN：153447921X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In this third installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti， the young group of spies help a fellow agent in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs。 Smith’s Spy School for Girls。
After taking down a mole within their organization， the City Spies are ready for their next mission—once again using their unique skills and ability to infiltrate places adults can’t。 The sinister Umbra has their sights set on recruiting a North Korean nuclear physicist by any means necessary， and the City Spies plan to keep an eye on his son by sending Paris to the chess prodigy’s tournaments in Moscow and Beijing。
Meanwhile， Sydney’s embedded as a junior reporter for a teen lifestyle site as she follows the daughter of a British billionaire on tour with the biggest act on her father’s music label to uncover what links both the band and the billionaire have to a recent threat from an old Soviet missile base。
From a daring break-in at one of London’s most exclusive homes to a dangerous undercover mission to a desperate search and rescue operation on the streets of Beijing， the City Spies have their work cut out for them on their most dangerous mission yet。
After taking down a mole within their organization， the City Spies are ready for their next mission—once again using their unique skills and ability to infiltrate places adults can’t。 The sinister Umbra has their sights set on recruiting a North Korean nuclear physicist by any means necessary， and the City Spies plan to keep an eye on his son by sending Paris to the chess prodigy’s tournaments in Moscow and Beijing。
Meanwhile， Sydney’s embedded as a junior reporter for a teen lifestyle site as she follows the daughter of a British billionaire on tour with the biggest act on her father’s music label to uncover what links both the band and the billionaire have to a recent threat from an old Soviet missile base。
From a daring break-in at one of London’s most exclusive homes to a dangerous undercover mission to a desperate search and rescue operation on the streets of Beijing， the City Spies have their work cut out for them on their most dangerous mission yet。
Reviews
Aly
，
What great books these have been！ I love stories where kids are spies or secret agents， it's a fun plot with plenty of action。 This also has a found family aspect too， with kids from all over the world joining up to uncover secrets and stop people with nefarious intentions。 This book went all over the world， from Russia to China to London。 I had such a fun time listening to the audiobook and I hope there will be many more books to come in this series！ What great books these have been！ I love stories where kids are spies or secret agents， it's a fun plot with plenty of action。 This also has a found family aspect too， with kids from all over the world joining up to uncover secrets and stop people with nefarious intentions。 This book went all over the world， from Russia to China to London。 I had such a fun time listening to the audiobook and I hope there will be many more books to come in this series！ 。。。more
lilyron2842
，
Oh my word。Great book！When I finished it， I was likeIf there are five kids， and three of them have been the main characters so far， then there should be two more books！！！！！！！I just read the whole series， and I love them！ I’m not into chess like Paris is， but I really like these books。Thank you， James Ponti， for writing City Spies。
Benjamin
，
This book is 🤩！ It’s story line always keeps you on the edge making you read more and more！ I think all ppl over 10 should read these books and I can’t wait for more to come out… if there is going to be more😖😢？！
Emilee （emileereadsbooks）
，
Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook。A lovely third installment of one of my favorite middle grade series。 This time the plot mainly revolves around Paris as he is sent undercover to a chess tournament。 I love the push and pull of the relationships between the spies as they navigate being a family and coworkers while also being young teens。 I also love how we get to see them develop into better spies and people as the books continue。 This book includes not only the fun chess tournament Thank you Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook。A lovely third installment of one of my favorite middle grade series。 This time the plot mainly revolves around Paris as he is sent undercover to a chess tournament。 I love the push and pull of the relationships between the spies as they navigate being a family and coworkers while also being young teens。 I also love how we get to see them develop into better spies and people as the books continue。 This book includes not only the fun chess tournament element but a popular boy band， social media， nuclear weapons being stolen， and of course some intense code breaking。 This spy book may be written for middle grade readers， but I think the layers of intrigue and spycraft are on the same level as most adult spy novels。 。。。more
Anne
，
Book 3 in seriesUmbra is trying to recruit a North Korean scientist who has a chess playing son， so the MI6 is going to use the City Spies to stop them。 Their secret weapon this time is Paris and his chess playing abilities。 The chess tournament is taking place in two parts: one in Russia， the other in China。 Each team member has a role to play - except Brooklyn who is devastated to find out that she must stay behind to complete summer school。 Continued action and adventure with these diverse an Book 3 in seriesUmbra is trying to recruit a North Korean scientist who has a chess playing son， so the MI6 is going to use the City Spies to stop them。 Their secret weapon this time is Paris and his chess playing abilities。 The chess tournament is taking place in two parts: one in Russia， the other in China。 Each team member has a role to play - except Brooklyn who is devastated to find out that she must stay behind to complete summer school。 Continued action and adventure with these diverse and talented team of students plus a reappearance of former teammate Charlotte！ One thing that I appreciated is that this book addresses conflict resolution， how to handle failure， and accepting people as they are/working with their strengths。 Action/adventure/humor。 Get the entire series and get ready to wait for the next book （I sure hope there is a next one anyway！） 。。。more
Amanda Dávila
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Felt a little rushed for my liking。 I will say I’m really looking forward to the next installment to see more of Charlotte。 I really hope that even if they don’t let her back on the team， they bring her back into the feeling。 My heart broke for her when she found out Mother had adopted the team。
Zia Sharma
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I forgot to update that I finished this -- incredible read， amazing continuation of the series！ I really liked seeing more of Paris， and it's made me even more excited to see the next book！ 10/10 James Ponti has made yet another masterpiece！ I forgot to update that I finished this -- incredible read， amazing continuation of the series！ I really liked seeing more of Paris， and it's made me even more excited to see the next book！ 10/10 James Ponti has made yet another masterpiece！ 。。。more
Erica
，
I waited until release to review this， but was able to read an early copy thanks to NetGalley。 While this wasn't my favorite of the City Spies books （that honor goes to the original for sheer thrills and the most fun re-invention of the spy concept since Spy Kids）， this was still a very solid installment that kept the overall plot moving and had the same energy， inventiveness， and charm of the previous two。 I enjoyed watching the kids grow and am curious to see where Charlotte's arc goes。 I wish I waited until release to review this， but was able to read an early copy thanks to NetGalley。 While this wasn't my favorite of the City Spies books （that honor goes to the original for sheer thrills and the most fun re-invention of the spy concept since Spy Kids）， this was still a very solid installment that kept the overall plot moving and had the same energy， inventiveness， and charm of the previous two。 I enjoyed watching the kids grow and am curious to see where Charlotte's arc goes。 I wish we'd had more of Mother's story since it was so much in focus for the earlier books， but expect that thread will get picked up again soon。I do feel like Ponti wasn't as comfortable here as he was with Brooklyn and Sydney's voices， but I definitely felt for Paris as he tried to grasp what his place in the family was， and enjoyed how he grew as a character over the course of the story。 I'm really looking forward to what I expect will eventually be a focus on Kat and/or Rio in the next books。 I devoured this book in one sitting and can't wait for book 4！ 。。。more
Diane Yliniemi
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I Loved book 3 even more than 1 and 2！ I think I know the characters better which makes a difference。 Once again the 5 teens are spying for The British M16 and this time go to Moscow and Beijing。 In the midst of a billionaire and his villainous scheme involving nuclear warheads and a brilliant nuclear scientist and a chess championship the spies have their hands full。 I love how complicated and yet simple this series is。 It could continue for a while。 I love the travel aspect too and have to st I Loved book 3 even more than 1 and 2！ I think I know the characters better which makes a difference。 Once again the 5 teens are spying for The British M16 and this time go to Moscow and Beijing。 In the midst of a billionaire and his villainous scheme involving nuclear warheads and a brilliant nuclear scientist and a chess championship the spies have their hands full。 I love how complicated and yet simple this series is。 It could continue for a while。 I love the travel aspect too and have to stop and google for images of the places they visit。 I personally think it would make great television！ 。。。more
Beth Anne
，
I love this series， and this third book was just fantastic。 the team/family dynamics feel realistic and relatable。 The mystery and action are featuring teen spies， so you have to be ok with that， but the whole thing is so fun。 I loved the chess elements in this one especially。
Alvey
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Well done Mr Ponti！ This was the best one of the series。 I can’t wait to get this one in the hands of my students。
Patti
，
This third installment of the City Spies series was really fun！ Not only was it action packed， but the mystery and setup was clever and intriguing。 Junior spy novels are extremely readable and this one is fast paced and full of adventure。 As someone who has not read the previous installments in this series， I was still able to follow along and understand the backstory and premise of the characters。 I enjoyed getting to know the kids and how the operation works。 I also love that this story takes This third installment of the City Spies series was really fun！ Not only was it action packed， but the mystery and setup was clever and intriguing。 Junior spy novels are extremely readable and this one is fast paced and full of adventure。 As someone who has not read the previous installments in this series， I was still able to follow along and understand the backstory and premise of the characters。 I enjoyed getting to know the kids and how the operation works。 I also love that this story takes place internationally - they go from London to Russia to Beijing。 Fun book and I'll for sure be recommending to my fifth grader， along with the previous books in the series。 。。。more
Tonja Drecker
，
Intrigue， puzzles， and forming friendships run high in an exciting race to solve the code and travel the world in the process。This is the third book in the series， and while the others are quite a bit of fun and I do recommend them （yes， I read the first two already）， these aren't hard to dive into and join the fun without hitting the other books first。 I do enjoy this series。 Not only do the characters come across naturally but there's a nice sense of humor mixed in。 Of course， there's tension Intrigue， puzzles， and forming friendships run high in an exciting race to solve the code and travel the world in the process。This is the third book in the series， and while the others are quite a bit of fun and I do recommend them （yes， I read the first two already）， these aren't hard to dive into and join the fun without hitting the other books first。 I do enjoy this series。 Not only do the characters come across naturally but there's a nice sense of humor mixed in。 Of course， there's tension and action and moments， where it's not clear if the heroes will complete their mission （and of course， that would have terrible consequences if they didn't）， but there's also quirks in their personalities， shopping， misunderstandings， forming friendships， and personal issues （nothing to heavy）。 So while all of this dances along spies and such， it also carries the needed lightness to make it an easy and enjoyable read。One of the things， which makes this book so enjoyable （outside of the needed atmosphere） are the character strings。 Each one （outside of Charlotte） has their own， distinct subplot and problems to solve， while working on the bigger， main one （although Brooklyn is stuck in Scotland first）。 There's the friendship dynamic， and there's a bit of a type of family dynamic thanks to 'Mother'。 And then， there's the travel。 The author is a busy guy as he covers quite a bit of ground and research （whether in reality or information wise）。 It's a travel around the world， which incorporates enough details to make each place unique and， yet， never bogs down with descriptions。 This one flows with a well-woven pace the entire way through， and that makes it a treat。My final thoughts， this is a middle grade series to not be overlooked。 The writing sits， the characters are tons of fun， the adventure is there， and。。。well， it's simply a good read。 I received an ARC and got lost in the pages。 。。。more
Ashley Anderson
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The review is my own thoughts in return for a free copy from NetGalley。 I have loved all the City Spies books and this is no exception。 This is the third book in the City Spies series。 As expected it is full of intrigue and action。 This book is focused mainly in Moscow and Beijing as the City Spies dive into a mission with Paris being the main person to solve mysteries。 This book is full of action with the spies working together to turn another group to MI6。 It includes placing an expensive piec The review is my own thoughts in return for a free copy from NetGalley。 I have loved all the City Spies books and this is no exception。 This is the third book in the City Spies series。 As expected it is full of intrigue and action。 This book is focused mainly in Moscow and Beijing as the City Spies dive into a mission with Paris being the main person to solve mysteries。 This book is full of action with the spies working together to turn another group to MI6。 It includes placing an expensive piece of art back in its home to competing in major chess tournaments。 Each of the books are clean and have no questionable material。 It is exciting and intense。 For students in 4th-8th grade this an action packed addition that should be placed in middle grade libraries。 Each books takes students to other countries and give students opportunity to research many various ideas within the book。 I would recommended this to anyone wanting to read both mystery and action。 。。。more
Jenn Naughton
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Is it possible that this is my favorite book in this series to date？ Yep。 We know all the characters and can sit back and enjoy their adventures and travels。 I'd love to set up a class around these books and mix geography with our Lit studies！ Is it possible that this is my favorite book in this series to date？ Yep。 We know all the characters and can sit back and enjoy their adventures and travels。 I'd love to set up a class around these books and mix geography with our Lit studies！ 。。。more
Darla
，
Pack your bags！ The City Spies are on the job in London， Moscow， and Beijing in this third installment。 There are some fantastic elements included this time around。 There is a Simon Cowell-like British man and the boy band that he discovered/produces in the mix。 Sydney gets the chance to travel with the producer's daughter and do social media posts。 Paris is using his chess skills as part of an international tournament。 Kat is solving puzzles as they go along。 Rio is rating the new food he gets Pack your bags！ The City Spies are on the job in London， Moscow， and Beijing in this third installment。 There are some fantastic elements included this time around。 There is a Simon Cowell-like British man and the boy band that he discovered/produces in the mix。 Sydney gets the chance to travel with the producer's daughter and do social media posts。 Paris is using his chess skills as part of an international tournament。 Kat is solving puzzles as they go along。 Rio is rating the new food he gets to sample while using his magic skills to charm and distract。 Brooklyn is initially stuck in summer school and not loving it。 Don't worry， she will still get the chance to help the team。 Mother （code name） has adopted all of them and he worries about the line between father and spy。 Mixed in with all the action are some great moments of character growth。 Also included is a dossier with individual info on each spy at the end。 If you have been loving this series so far， I quite sure you will also find this new title to be a page turner。 This operation is hot。 We are a go。Thank you to Aladdin and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Julie
，
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review。I'm a big fan of the City Spies series and this installment did not disappoint。 I enjoyed getting to "travel" to new places with the City Spies crew and following their adventures， twists， and turns。 I love that with each book of the series we've gotten to new the kids a bit better and better and learn more about who they are， which is also a journey they are on。 I also love the variety of interests of th With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review。I'm a big fan of the City Spies series and this installment did not disappoint。 I enjoyed getting to "travel" to new places with the City Spies crew and following their adventures， twists， and turns。 I love that with each book of the series we've gotten to new the kids a bit better and better and learn more about who they are， which is also a journey they are on。 I also love the variety of interests of the kids to appeal to a wide range of readers。 What a beautiful story of found family。 。。。more
Eileen
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Another really solid book in this series。 The main reason I did not give it 5 stars is that I was able to predict the ending on several points。 As of this book， my favorite of the series is probably the second book。 Still， despite the predictability （or strongly foreshadowing？）， I still enjoyed this book and I continue to love this family of spies。 One of the things that would make it better is if the kids were to age from book to book， but from what I can tell， Brooklyn is still 12， the same ag Another really solid book in this series。 The main reason I did not give it 5 stars is that I was able to predict the ending on several points。 As of this book， my favorite of the series is probably the second book。 Still， despite the predictability （or strongly foreshadowing？）， I still enjoyed this book and I continue to love this family of spies。 One of the things that would make it better is if the kids were to age from book to book， but from what I can tell， Brooklyn is still 12， the same age she was in the first book and the others are the same age as well。 Allowing them to age would also help them show a bit more growth over the course of the books。 This one took place in Scotland， their home base and where Brooklyn has to take summer school， Russia， and China。 I enjoyed the cryptography part of this and how it took several of them to puzzle out the code。 Overall， I'd say this was a very solid story and if you liked the first two books， you'll likely enjoy this adventure as well。 I'm already anticipating the fourth book！ This book is being released on February 1， 2022。 I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Christie
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The third book in the City Spies series， City Spies Forbidden City: Fun， dangerous， adventurous， and filled with intrigue！ The more we get to know these characters and the more missions we get to experience with them， the more time we want to spend with them。 Love to see them incorporate their individual personalities and skills into the things they do。 Love to see how their brains work to figure out things along the way。 Some of the gems\special touches Ponti cleverly includes in this installme The third book in the City Spies series， City Spies Forbidden City: Fun， dangerous， adventurous， and filled with intrigue！ The more we get to know these characters and the more missions we get to experience with them， the more time we want to spend with them。 Love to see them incorporate their individual personalities and skills into the things they do。 Love to see how their brains work to figure out things along the way。 Some of the gems\special touches Ponti cleverly includes in this installment are “charm school”， chess， KB5 concerts， “All Roads Lead to Audrey” and the codes they need to use and break。 Ponti’s books are a definite recommend when students are looking for their next read。 Framed！ Is currently on our Battle of the Books list， and it is touted as a favorite among the 29 titles anytime I ask which books they are absolutely loving right now。 。。。more
Trisha
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The mean guys at Umbra have their sight set on a North Korean nuclear physicist and will do anything to get him。 But hopefully the City Spy can get to him before Umbra and get him and his champion chess playing son to safety。 This mission hinges on being good enough to compete in champion level chess， acting like a world class reporter （who gets to hang out with a boy band） and a lot of other talents and one wrong move can spoil the case。 The mission is hot。 We are a go！I love this series it is The mean guys at Umbra have their sight set on a North Korean nuclear physicist and will do anything to get him。 But hopefully the City Spy can get to him before Umbra and get him and his champion chess playing son to safety。 This mission hinges on being good enough to compete in champion level chess， acting like a world class reporter （who gets to hang out with a boy band） and a lot of other talents and one wrong move can spoil the case。 The mission is hot。 We are a go！I love this series it is not totally unrealistic that this could possibly happen and it it always cool to picture yourself as part of a team like this。 This book is great for all and even reluctant readers， as I think everyone can relate to one character or another。 This is a great book and a wonderful series I can't wait to see what the team gets into next。 。。。more
Aaron
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My favourite of the series so far。
Ms。 Yingling
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E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusNow that we know the characters in City Spies and Golden Gate， it's fun to see them involved in more adventures with Mother。 In this third installment， we find Brooklyn having to stay in Scotland to take summer school classes at Kinloch Abbey to catch up with everyone else academically， even though she does make friends with Charlotte， who quit the City Spies program。 This is hard when Paris and Kat are sent to a birthday party for a young socialite in London， Tab E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusNow that we know the characters in City Spies and Golden Gate， it's fun to see them involved in more adventures with Mother。 In this third installment， we find Brooklyn having to stay in Scotland to take summer school classes at Kinloch Abbey to catch up with everyone else academically， even though she does make friends with Charlotte， who quit the City Spies program。 This is hard when Paris and Kat are sent to a birthday party for a young socialite in London， Tabitha Banks。 While they are there they find that Tabitha's father， Sir Reg， is most likely involved with Umbra， but they aren't quite sure what he's up to。 When it is clearer that he is probably after North Korean scientist Park Jin-sun， Paris is recruited to go undercover to play chess against the scientist's son， Dae-jung。 The mission unfolds as Paris has to win four chess tournaments to qualify for a larger competition in Russia， and Kat gets a job reporting for a website， All Roads Lead to Audrey， so she can befriend Tabitha Banks。 Monty is working with Sydney， who is trying very hard to crack a code that involves Instagram shots of different landmarks， some with just slight color changes， that leads them to Nicholas Sorokin。 To make matters more complicated， his twin sisters hang around Tabitha Banks。 While the fate of Park and Dae-jung hangs in the balance， there is also a larger issue concerning nuclear missiles that are going missing。 Will the City Spies be able to complete all parts of their mission and be able to make it back for another school year living at the FARM？Strengths: Ponti， like Stuart Gibbs， has a writing style that is just so easy to read and enjoyable that I just want to let the books wash over me in a wave of brilliant plot twists and character experiences， and not write a review。 I can't imagine the flow charts and notes keeping track of the intricately woven plot！ The characters are also easy to follow， and have distinct personalities and mannerisms。 The theme of families that you choose is great， and Mother is a fantastic fictional father。 We don't see a lot of the school or FARM in this book， but the glimpses that we have are quite fun。 Traveling to both Russia and China is a treat， and my favorite part （aside from two amusing Easter Eggs-- look for mentions of a writer's child and the childhood home of a famous singer） was how the City Spies are able to save the day by giving information about a more pressing problem to someone who was right on their heels。 A fantastic third book in this series that leaves room for more。 Weaknesses: I'm not sure how I should feel about Charlotte， and I feel like I have missed a whole bunch about her。 What I really think: Mr。 Ponti must be doing some mad traveling to research these books， or else is able to derive a heck of a lot of details from travel brochures。 Little did I know， when I went to Mt。 Vernon to see him for the launch of Framed！ that he would become such a force in the world of middle grade mystery books！ If you haven't looked at this series， you definitely need to。 Just the ticket for die hard fans of Anthony Horowitz's Stormbreaker of Gibbs' Spy School series。 。。。more
Librarylady
，
I was very excited to read book 3 in the City Spies series by James Ponti。 He is one of my favorite authors for his great books as well as everything else he does to promote reading， book stores， and librarians。 City Spies was more cerebral and less action packed than the first two books in the series。 This one focuses on Paris as he competes in a chess tournament while MI6 tries to turn a North Korean nuclear physicist whose son is also competing。 Former City Spy， Charlotte， shows up again in t I was very excited to read book 3 in the City Spies series by James Ponti。 He is one of my favorite authors for his great books as well as everything else he does to promote reading， book stores， and librarians。 City Spies was more cerebral and less action packed than the first two books in the series。 This one focuses on Paris as he competes in a chess tournament while MI6 tries to turn a North Korean nuclear physicist whose son is also competing。 Former City Spy， Charlotte， shows up again in this one， and I can't wait to find out if she's really just looking to be friends with Brooklyn or up to something else。 I definitely plan to read on with this series and can't wait for their next adventure。 。。。more
Ashlea Marshall
，
The third book （Forbidden City） focuses more on the missions。 Through a series of chess tournaments， fashion blog assignments， and other data collection missions， the team hopes to flip a North Korean scientist to work for MI6 before Umbra can get him。 I would recommend reading the first two books before this one。I enjoyed all of the chess information （and puns） included in this book。 I have a rudimentary knowledge of how to play the game， which probably helped me understand what went on in some The third book （Forbidden City） focuses more on the missions。 Through a series of chess tournaments， fashion blog assignments， and other data collection missions， the team hopes to flip a North Korean scientist to work for MI6 before Umbra can get him。 I would recommend reading the first two books before this one。I enjoyed all of the chess information （and puns） included in this book。 I have a rudimentary knowledge of how to play the game， which probably helped me understand what went on in some of the scenes。I appreciated the team looking up to and respecting the parental figures in this book: Mother （the man who adopts the kids in the previous book） and Monty。 Both of these people play integral roles in planning and overseeing the missions and the teens’ training。 They also do their best to raise five teens from different backgrounds。 The adults in this book make mistakes and admit them and try to repair any brokenness in their relationships with the City Spies。 Ponti doesn’t try to make the adults perfect or terrible， the two tropes middle grade fiction usually use。 As a mother， I appreciate Ponti portraying adults （at least Mother and Monty） as people capable of mistakes yet still trying to do their best in their jobs and for the children in their lives。The diverse nationalities and genders of the City Spies feels natural， instead of trying to tick off the boxes of inclusivity。 Brooklyn， Kat， Sydney， Rio， and Paris all have skills and personalities which contribute to the team and the missions they pull off。 Again， Ponti doesn’t try to make his characters overly perfect or flawed。 He shows natural conflicts teens could come across in real life， such as making friends with someone another friend doesn’t like， along with the cool spy life。 Overall， I really enjoyed this installment of the City Spies and hope Ponti continues the series。I read an advanced reader copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review。 For a longer review， check out my blog post: https://marshallsreporterscorner。word。。。 。。。more
Carrie
，
This book is Ponti’s best one yet。 These incredible spy kids are back again and these adventures do not disappoint。 One of my favorite things about this book and this series is that it works for so many ages。 It doesn’t feel too young for upper middle school but even my 9 year old can read it。 The pages are action packed and it’s terribly hard to put down in the very best way。 These characters are so relatable and so easy to cheer for。 The plot has so many great twists and turns that aren’t pred This book is Ponti’s best one yet。 These incredible spy kids are back again and these adventures do not disappoint。 One of my favorite things about this book and this series is that it works for so many ages。 It doesn’t feel too young for upper middle school but even my 9 year old can read it。 The pages are action packed and it’s terribly hard to put down in the very best way。 These characters are so relatable and so easy to cheer for。 The plot has so many great twists and turns that aren’t predictable。 This is a wonderful book and kids are going to love it！ 。。。more
Ms Threlkeld
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Another fast-paced spy adventure that will keep readers on the edge of their seats。 Love this series！
Jan farnworth
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A diverse group of international kids 12-15 are officially adopted by mother， a male spy from Mi6。 They attend an elite school， live at the farm， and of course， go on significant spy cases。 This series is a lot of fun if your kids are fans of spy kids or like mystery detective-type stories。 This one was one of the more elaborate spy adventures out of the three books and the traveling and clue solving is more involved。 The forbidden city was a lot of fun to read， and I highly recommend it。
Donna
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DRC from Edelweiss and Simon and SchusterFun adventure/ mystery story that continues the series。 The spies are off traveling the world and doing their thing。 Not every mission can use every person， so there are feelings of being left out and not being good enough。 But it is all part of being a teenager， even though they are also spies。 Mother and Monty keep everything real。Although the book is on the long side， the story pace is quick and will appeal to many readers， especially those who like ad DRC from Edelweiss and Simon and SchusterFun adventure/ mystery story that continues the series。 The spies are off traveling the world and doing their thing。 Not every mission can use every person， so there are feelings of being left out and not being good enough。 But it is all part of being a teenager， even though they are also spies。 Mother and Monty keep everything real。Although the book is on the long side， the story pace is quick and will appeal to many readers， especially those who like adventure and mystery。 Think James Bond， but without death。 。。。more
Shari
，
I’m a huge fan of this series， and this third installment did not disappoint！ James Ponti is skilled at keeping the stakes high， the momentum going， and simultaneously writing characters that you care about！ There are a lot of moving parts in this book， but it was so fun to read。 A middle grade adventure with heart， humor， and international hijinks， a found family， chess， codes， fashion - there is something for everyone in this book， and I am already excited to see what’s next for our City Spies I’m a huge fan of this series， and this third installment did not disappoint！ James Ponti is skilled at keeping the stakes high， the momentum going， and simultaneously writing characters that you care about！ There are a lot of moving parts in this book， but it was so fun to read。 A middle grade adventure with heart， humor， and international hijinks， a found family， chess， codes， fashion - there is something for everyone in this book， and I am already excited to see what’s next for our City Spies！ 。。。more
Margaret Boling
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11/1/2021 ~ This is a series I'll keep reading。 In this installment， I loved the inclusion of chess and the social media blogging。 I felt like I understood the personalities and individual interests of the characters better than in previous volumes of the series。 11/1/2021 ~ This is a series I'll keep reading。 In this installment， I loved the inclusion of chess and the social media blogging。 I felt like I understood the personalities and individual interests of the characters better than in previous volumes of the series。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Forbidden City
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Forbidden City&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Forbidden City&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0