AUTHOR INTERVIEW & REVIEW: London Calling (City Spies #6) by James Ponti
ABOUT THE BOOK
In this sixth installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies stage a rescue in Rome in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Charlie Thorne.
Cairo, the newest member of the City Spies, takes the lead when his sister disappears in Istanbul. Determined to save the family of one of their own, the team risks discovery as their search leads them to Rome. Meanwhile, there’s been intel that seems to threaten the royal wedding about to take place in Westminster, bringing the team back to the UK on an official case for MI6. With so much security all over the city, it’s harder than ever for the City Spies to go unnoticed. Will their skills be up to the task?
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by Elena Seibert Photography
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Ponti is the New York Times bestselling author of four middle grade book series: The Sherlock Society following a group of young detectives; City Spies, about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 Spy Team; the Edgar Award–winning Framed! series, about a pair of tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, DC; and the Dead City trilogy, about a secret society that polices the undead living beneath Manhattan. His books have appeared on more than fifteen different state award lists, and he is the founder of a writers group known as the Renegades of Middle Grade. James is also an Emmy–nominated television writer and producer who has worked for many networks including Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, History, and Spike TV, as well as NBC Sports. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida. Find out more at JamesPonti.com.
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
What is the best thing about writing for children?
I LOVE writing for kids for so many reasons. My favorite part is how committed young readers are to the books they love. They don’t just read them. They inhabit them. I’m amazed by how often kids will tell me that they’ve read one of my books multiple times and how invested they are in the characters and story lines.
What is the most interesting question a child has asked you?
This one is a stumper because there are so many amazing questions that I get asked, but I am at a loss to
pluck out a single one. (I think my brain is fried because I’m in the middle of writing City Spies 7.) So, I’m going to cheat and talk about a favorite comment. I once had a kid write to me to tell me that he loved my book but thought the ending was bad. Fair enough. But he went further to say that he was writing a better ending and would send it to me as soon as it was done. What I loved was not only the confidence and the passion, but also the implication that once I received it, I would republish the book with his ending fixing my mistakes.
If I could travel anywhere, I would go ....
This is funny because I get to travel to so many places that I’ve always wanted to go. In the last couple
years, I’ve been to London, Paris, and Rome. I’ve travelled all around the United States on book tours.
But there is one place that I have been dying to go for ages. I never have because it’s not close to
anything and no one else in my family is interested – the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New
York. And I’m going this March! My wife gifted me with the trip as my Christmas present and she is
going with me and I am so excited.
What do you enjoy the most about doing a series?
The Sherlock Society is my fourth series and I’m currently writing it and City Spies at the same time, so I guess it’s safe to say that series writing is what I like to do. One positive is the thought that rather than wrap things up, I can really dig in and play around with characters – resolve some aspects and leave others hanging. But the best part is that writing a series allows me to interact with young readers who grow along with the characters. There is a girl who lives down the street from me and always gives me great feedback as I’m writing. She was in elementary school when City Spies started; and now she’s in high school. I also love it when young readers ask me about upcoming titles because they can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen.
I hope my book will ....
Find a home in the hearts of young readers. I don’t need a bunch of them, but if there are a
handful of kids who really get into it and love it, then I am more than satisfied. (Of course, if
more than a handful get into it, I’m fine with that too!)
REVIEW
As in the previous books in the series, London Calling opens with a bang. Annie finds herself being followed by a man she calls Musclehead, who she quickly realizes is following her. After jumping off a bridge, Annie disappears. Meanwhile, some of the city spies are on assignment, helping protect the British prince's bride-to-be in the lead-up to the wedding. When Mother and Cairo find out that Annie's disappeared they immediately head off with Paris and Rio to find her. But as usual, there is more going on than they know and before they realize it, they are in trouble up to their eyeballs. Both groups of spies find themselves facing new and old threats and struggling to stay ahead of the game. And this time, the threat may strike a little too close to home. As in the other books in the City Spies series, the book combines clever, but flawed characters who use their cool tools and their wits to save the day. The action keeps the book moving and both characters and reader on their toes. Another exciting installment of a thoroughly engaging, entertaining series.
Note: As a geography aficionado I have especially enjoyed the use of city names to identify the kids and all the traveling they get to do. It feels a bit like traveling myself, from the comfort of my own home.
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