Europa

Gr 3-8–The City Spies are back, sleuthing again on a multi-country European adventure. The seventh book in Ponti’s series sees the return of kid spies Brooklyn (who is Puerto Rican), Paris (Rwandan-born), Sydney (white Australian), Rio (Brazilian), Cairo (Egyptian), and Kat (Nepali), along with MI6 staff members Mother, Tru, and Monty. Their group is headquartered at Vauxhall Cross, a fortress on the bank of the Thames River. Evil Lucien Allard may be imprisoned in the UK, but that doesn’t stop him from masterminding tragedies using his crime mob, Umbra. The Britain-based MI6 team is soon led to Paris in search of Europa, a branch of Umbra operating in Europe. Allard plants clues to give the team chances to thwart his attack efforts in Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Rome. Characters hail from nearly every continent around the world, and each team member’s skills are integral to the success of the story. Of course, nothing goes perfectly for the spies, but they are a great example of how teamwork can stop evil. Written with third-person omniscient narration, this book gives readers a firsthand look at the various puzzles left behind for the spies as they navigate saving lives continent-wide. Although some clues are obscure and may be difficult for tweens to solve, Ponti presents a fun challenge as the detectives tackle each quest.