Forbidden City: City Spies, Book 3
By Mary Eisenhart,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Exciting spy thriller has chess prodigies, nuclear weapons.
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What's the Story?
The City Spies -- a diverse, multitalented crew of orphans recruited by British spy agency MI6 -- head for the FORBIDDEN CITY in Beijing. Their mission: Help a North Korean nuclear physicist defect. Which would be hard enough, but he won't leave without his teen son, who may be the world's best chess player. And not only are the pair under heavy North Korean guard at all times, they're also a target for a number of governments who'd like to put their talents to use. Also a coveted prize for Umbra, the crime syndicate that's bedeviled the team -- and the world -- for some time, and has stolen nuclear warheads from Russia and China. The odds are pretty poor. But, as it turns out, 15-year-old former street kid Paris plays chess well enough to compete at the top levels of a global youth tournament, where his talents (and willingness to adapt) may give the team an edge, and a connection with father and son.
Is It Any Good?
In their latest perilous outing, James Ponti's diverse, multitalented young spies take on several governments and a crime syndicate, infiltrating a chess tournament to help a scientist and his son defect. And stay alive. As their travels take them to the Forbidden City in Beijing, all their skills come into play, from chess to math to strategic planning. Along the way, they're also helping each other with a lot of relatable life issues, as here, where Brooklyn (Puerto Rican computer genius) is bumming at being left behind on a mission, and Nepali math prodigy Kat, who's usually not known for her social skills, weighs in with a bit of wisdom.
"'Were you upset when we had a mission in Paris and you were given the lead role, even though you had the least experience?'
"'Well, that was because it involved computers and -- '
"'Or were you upset when we all went to London to break into Reginald Banks's house but Rio stayed home with Monty?'
"Brooklyn squirmed. 'No ... but ... those were all ... different.'
"'Of course they were,' said Kat. 'They were different because you weren't the one left behind. We're like a theater company. Every play has distinct roles. Sometimes you're the star. Sometimes you're a supporting role. And sometimes...'
"'You work in the box office selling tickets,' Brooklyn said."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about spy stories. Why are book like Forbidden City and other spy stories so popular? What's the appeal? Do you have any favorites? What do you like about them?
Do you play chess? Does reading about Paris and his adventures at tournaments make you think it might be fun to enter a competition -- or have you already competed?
Have you ever been in a situation where you knew something unusual, or had an unexpected skill, and it really came in handy? What happened?
Book Details
- Author: James Ponti
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: Adventures , Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Aladdin
- Publication date: February 1, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 448
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: April 21, 2022
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