Smith’s Spy School for Girls by Beth McMullen and a great new non-fiction book by Rebecca Barone called Unbreakable: The Spies Who Cracked the Nazi’s Secret Code.

Some other great spy books I’d recommend are Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Mrs. My buddy Stu Gibbs writes two great spy series: Spy School and Charlie Thorne. What other books would you recommend for young readers who are fans of the City Spies? It’s great when the location adds so much history and a built-in sense of mythology. And, as a setting, Egypt feels the most Indiana Jones-ish. That’s fun for me because she’s the most different from who I am. The main character switches in each book and for this one Kat takes the lead. What excited you most while writing the fourth installment, City of the Dead? It would be neat to feel that way for a little while.

He’s all brains and courage and steadfastness. If I could be any of the kids for one of the adventures, I would probably pick Paris. The character who I most identify with is Mother, (who is actually the father for those who haven’t read the books). The spies in my books have all the skills I wish I had. What role would you play (or wish you could do) if you were a part of the team? Each kid brings a unique skillset to the team. I couldn’t go to Egypt because of Covid, so I interviewed an Egyptologist, watched a slideshow of a family’s trip to Cairo, and practically lived on a website that maps out of the tombs at the Valley of the Kings. I read books, scour YouTube, find websites. I interview people who’ve lived in the cities so I get a local perspective. For example, the New York Public Library is a setting for City Spies 5 and I was able to get a behind the scenes tour to look around the stacks and see things like the automated system that moves books around. If I know that I’m going to include a specific building or landmark, I try to arrange a special tour. When possible, I travel to them and explore. From a geography standpoint, I try to find out as much as I can about a destination, including the off the wall elements. What kind of research do you do for each book? Have you been to any of the cities before? Interview with James Ponti The City Spies series takes place all around the world. I devoured the first three books last year and I am so excited to celebrate the release of the fourth installment this week with an interview with author James Ponti. The City Spies series is so much fun and full of adventure and found family! It’s a great middle grade series, perfect for fans of Ally Carter.

City spies book 3