CITY SPIES: EUROPA
by James Ponti
Available February 10
My first encounter with James Ponti's City Spies series was two installments ago, and I was hooked from the very beginning. I'm a huge fan of books for young people that are accessible without being condescending, and that are educational without being dry. This series blends the learning value of Carmen Sandiego with a crash course in both spycraft and how to appreciate spy fiction, all while actually telling a great story. And Europa continues this trend.
The City Spies are Paris, Sydney, Brooklyn, Rio, Kat(hmandu), and Cairo: six youngsters with skill sets ranging from codebreaking to hacking to explosives. They operate as a unique branch of MI6, working in scenarios where adult spies would stand out too much. They're also the adopted children of their overseer, a man codenamed "Mother," with the exception of his biological son Cairo. Everything seems to be going well, with a new home base nearly completed and their archenemy Le Fantôme in prison. But things turn dangerous when the organization known as Umbra threatens to bomb several high-profile locations across Europe. Which ones? The spies will have to figure that out themselves!
The mission will require the team to flex their mental muscles in art history, sports trivia, and more to find where and when these attacks will take place. But the bigger question is why, and discovering that could lead to problems that hit very close to home for both Mother and Cairo.
Europa, like the rest of the City Spies series, gives its young readers credit for their intelligence. The puzzles are laid out in a way that allows readers to solve them alongside the characters. Spy fiction fans of all ages will love all the real-world and movie trivia mixed in, too; I stopped more than once to look up a location or historical figure mentioned in the story.
While I recommend starting from the beginning, Europa offers enough context for new readers to jump in. That said, the ending of this book shows that the team as we know it may be changing... and not just because they're getting older! If you love spy fiction, and you want the kids in your life to love it too, this is a must-read.
TEA PAIRING: Poet's Study
I feel like Tru, the MI6 operative giving the City Spies their crash course in high-end spycraft, would approve of this bold Earl Grey. It's one I love to recommend whenever I can. Use my code KARA15 to get 15% off this and other teas from Chapters Tea & Co.!
0 comments:
Post a Comment