Books in The City Spies Series, 1 series

In this thrilling new series that Stuart Gibbs called a must-read, Edgar Award winner James Ponti brings together five kids from all over the world and transforms them into real-life spies perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smith s Spy School for Girls.Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency. Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they re not attending the local boarding school, they re honing 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. Before she knows what she s doing, Sarah is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school s computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team. No one said saving the world was easy

This charming rhyming book is a great introduction to the sights and culture of Paris. The book begins by inviting the reader to come along on the journey and ends with a good night wish: “Paris is a beautiful city in France; Please come visit, should you have the chance. The French call it Paree, and there is so much to see; Come with me and you’ll agree, it’s a great place to be!” At the end of our trip, au revoir and bonne nuit! Je t’aime my dear one, and je t’aime to Paree!” Colorful and whimsical illustrations feature well-known landmarks such as: The Eiffel Tower, The Palais Garnier, The Louvre, Sacré-Coeur, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre Dame, the Luxembourg Gardens, the Arc de Triomphe, and more.

This poignant and whimsical account of growing up in New York is presented through the eyes of a boy as he lived and saw life in his neighborhood in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Describing experiences not ordinarily associated with urban living, this book combines anecdote and humor to explain how the author learned to see life and what events shaped his writing.

What if an animal was trying to talk to you? And what if you could understand their cheeps, snorts, calls, and roars?Indi And Zion are ages 10 and 8 when they move to the Amazon rainforest with their parents. One day, an unusual bird appears that keeps calling out their names. They follow him, and soon they find themselves swept into an adventure where they discover new friends and the hidden mysteries of the jungle. Into the Rainforest is an early chapter book for children ages 6 to 10. It is the first book in The Lost City Series.Who will Enjoy Into the Rainforest and The Lost City Series?Young readers interested in jungle animals like jaguars, parrots, monkeys, sloths, toucans, capybaras, and frogsChildren who love to imagine what it would be like to live in a wild place like the Amazon rainforestThose who enjoy books about friendshipYoung readers ages 6 to 10 who love adventures, especially jungle adventuresInterview with the AuthorQuestion: Why did you write Into the Rainforest?Answer: I wrote the book for my children and their friends. They love reading books like the Never Girls and the Magic Treehouse series. I wanted to write something similar. While there are no fairies, there is magic and adventure in the books.Question: Where did you get the idea?Answer: The idea for Into the Rainforest came from the bedtime stories I would tell our kids. Those stories were always about a baby jaguar and a crazy green parrot who were always getting into trouble.Question: What will the other books in The Lost City Series be about?Answer: My first answer is that you’ll have to wait and see. But I can say that the lost city of Yanopacho has many secrets, and the girls and their friends will play an important part in discovering them.Categories:Children’s Fantasy and MagicFamily and FriendshipAnimals and PetsNature and EnvironmentChapter Books for KidsGeography and Travel

It’s the summer of 1982 and in Corona, California four boys find themselves doing what all boys normally do during a school break; exploring, playing ball and collecting bottles from a construction site in order to cash them in for money. Steve, Jason, Cory and Ricky have lived on the same street for years and have played there, carefree ever since. But when a serial killer invades their small city they find themselves caught up in a series of grisly murders that brings them face to face with a menace that the authorities have named: the Sesame Street Killer. The oldest, Steve, reads the others the newspaper articles depicting the killings and after the second girl goes missing they find themselves exploring a massive California pepper tree and stumble upon a lost dog that proves to be more than it seems. Its beautiful, golden eyes seem to see more than the boys themselves can. Steve comes from a broken home; his father has left years ago and he now suffers abuse at the hands of his older brother while trying to protect the same abuse form happening to his younger sister. Jason, the rational one of the four, must look into his heart to keep his friends on the right path, the path that leads into their futures. Cory is the wild one, the mischief maker, and wherever he goes, trouble follows. He chooses to fight older kids, argues with adults and curses constantly. He will put the other boy’s lives on the line and will have to help correct the wrongs he’s done. But the one challenge he will need to overcome the most will be himself. Ricky, the youngest, has been sleeping badly. For weeks he’s had nightmares that he calls the Dark Dreams; dreams of popping bubbles and screaming voices that foreshadow future events. But he is put to the ultimate test when he realizes that his darkest dream is yet to come. Frisbee will take you back to your childhood, to a time when it was cool to wear surfer shorts and Vans slip-ons. It will take you back to the convenience store where you played your first games of Asteroids and Pac-Man. But worst of all it will take you to a place of extreme evil, a place that the Sesame Street Killer calls: the Shelter.

‘Just gorgeous. Captures fraught relationships with subtlety and wisdom.’ Julia Gray‘Moving and beautifully written…explores the complex ties of family and friendship with insight and compassion.’ Tracey EmersonCan you leave the past in another country?Francesca Maier knows little of her father’s home country or her parents’ life together before she was born. A summer in Berlin brings the past – and its secrets – alive. Adrift in a foreign city, she finds an unexpected friend in east Berliner Antonio – but what will he sacrifice to save her?'Saving Francesca Maier' probes the secrets every family hides and the choices we make in a volatile world.Contains writing prompts and author interview, making this the perfect Book Club read.This is a large-print edition.

When 17-year-old Natalia Alkaev is chosen to live in the Royal palace, she is thrust into a world of lies, betrayal, and love. Since she joined the rebellion, she has trained as an information processor for the growing revolution against the Royal family. She is told they are fighting a dictator who will take the throne in the future. With new time travel technology, the rebels plan to stop the dictator before he or she can claim the throne. Controlling the future is the key to everything. But when Natalia is chosen as the new royal ward to appease the classes, she must hide her revolutionary past from the Royals or be killed, all the while gathering information to feed back to the rebels. She soon learns who the real villains are, and it’s not the Royals she despises. It’s someone much closer to her. (There is a book trailer that you can watch at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG1zAC-vjOY. Just copy and paste the address in your browser or look up "City of Deception Book Trailer.")