City Spies is seven? How is it that this go-to middle school series is seven books in and there hasn’t been a movie yet? The City Spies book series is mglit gold and the kind of books your adult self wishes existed back in the 80’s, 90’s, naughties or aughts, depending on where you’re from. Every book that we’ve read from the City Spies series is constant like gravity. They’re easy, breezy and one step away from being a CoverGirl, but this is a team joint. City Spies: Europa got the memo and author James Ponti is holding course. It set sail for age-appropriate action and intrigue to those in grades three through seven.
As a book series, City Spies is an mglit entry that can hook young readers in upper-elementary school. Their pacing is quick enough to sustain readers with a short attention span. The content is appropriate and doesn’t even have any mildly concerning things to put parents or librarians off. However, the content is also not saccharine based to where young readers feel like it’s a fairy tale. It operates in the world of mglit, kind of real, but is it really, and oh that would be so cool if all of this was legit happening. These are just a couple of the thoughts that the book’s target demographic will run through.
City Spies: Europa is very readable. Creating something readable for mglit audiences isnt’ the challenge, it’s creating something that’s readable and has the desire to be read, that is the challenge. Do kids want to read it? City Spies: Europa, like the other books in the series, deflects any obstacle that reluctant readers would put in its path. It’s a picture-less, wonder of a book that manages to make kids want to read it simply by being a great book.
The only other aspect that could put kids off from reading City Spies: Europa is that it’s the seventh book in the series. If they’re just entering the age where they’re able to read chapter books then might think they’ve missed the party. They want to start off with something that’s fresh and new. This presents us with another question that might be asked: Is the book series still fresh? Are new readers able to quickly latch onto the basic characteristics of the key players, as well as, any landmark events that happened to them?
Yes, if this is a young reader’s first City Spies book, they can start with Europa and not be too lost. It’s a good thing not to have things too simple. If a young mind is never earnestly given the chance to be confused or not resolutely know the answer immediately, that’s fine. It’s a situation that too few kids are allowed to navigate, which is a pity considering how often that happens to you once you’re an adult.
City Spies: Europa is a Europe-based story of espionage, terrorism, armchair travel and teen spies. A master criminal has just put a series of bombs into action via his network of assistants. They intend to cause all manner of chaos by detonating bombs at art galleries, historic city centers and soccer stadiums. The city spies have learned about the clues that are made up by riddles that the team has to solve ASAP. For the book’s finale the team has to split into four groups so that they can logistically cover the targets with the biggest threat level.
Throughout the book, Europa builds tension, releases it via quippy humor, teen relationship banter and historical facts. Those facts also help build the plot and just might teach kids a thing or two about the Trojan War or English football. As the book is building to its climax, there doesn’t appear to be enough pages left in order for it to avoid a cliffhanger. Audiences of any age do not like it when the final words in the book leave hard ambiguity or a plot twist. Europa sticks the landing. It leaves a plot thread or two open for future books to continue pulling, but that’s the way many of the previous books have ended too.
This is pleasure reading. It’s fun reading that middle school audiences should be able to navigate without any issues. Those elementary school readers will go a little slower, but have fun doing it. In both cases, it’ll build their reading confidence, which will help them in any subject, not that this is about academics…because City Spies: Europa is fun. It’s fun to read, will make you curious about the previous adventures and any byproduct of young students reading more or getting better grades is purely coincidental.
City Spies: Europa is by New York Bestselling Author James Ponti is available on Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
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