Intrigue, puzzles, and forming friendships run high in an exciting race to solve the code and travel the world in the process. I love how each of these characters have their own backstory but they all mesh and are a team. This is book 3 in the series and I definitely recommend reading books one and two before reading this one.

Action-packed as usual, this third book gives us our favorite spies, nuclear missiles, and espionage with themes of friendship, identity, and family. The City Spies need to help a North Korean nuclear scientist defect to the UK before he’s stolen by Umbra. It’s a group effort but Paris takes the lead. He competes in a chess tournament with the scientist’s son, hoping to communicate with chess moves and help them escape during a pop concert with Sydney’s insider help. Of course, it doesn’t go as planned — and it makes for an exciting twisty-turney adventure.

Another fast and exciting read by James Ponti! I really love how all the kids have distinct personalities and you can really tell who’s talking. I love the deepening relationship that Mother is cultivating with the kids since their adoption. This was an amazing romp into Russia and China all while playing chess. Chess was never this scintillating! I’m hooked on this series and waiting for the sequel with much anticipation.

Fabulous series...can't wait for more! James Ponti is my new favorite middle grade author because of his likable characters and non-stop action.

Brooklyn, Sydney, Paris, Kat, and Rio are off on another adventure that will take them to Moscow and Beijing as they set themselves for a chess match of their own against Umbra. Paris is tasked with playing at a top international chess tournament so that the team can make contact with a North Korean scientist who MI6 hopes to persuade to defect before Umbra can get to him. He not only must play at the tournament, but he needs to win, so that he can continue to be a part of the competition. As always, the team has to again rely on the talents and skills that each person brings with them to be able to be victorious in the end.

I fell in love with this series when I read the first book. When I had the opportunity to review this book, I immediately bought the second book in the series so that I could read it before diving into this one, Forbidden City, the third installment of the City Spies series. These are great middle-grade adventures. The plot lines are creative, yet credible, and the characters are endearing, capturing your attention. The stories also contain a fair amount of humor, and I think middle-grade readers will really enjoy them.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley for a providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is the third book in the City Spies series. Even though it is a standalone adventure, there are lots of details and character nuances that would have made it a way better read if I had read the other two books first. I also think that since this book is geared to middle grade, children should read the first two books to help them better understand the story and the characters personalities.

A group of young spies are on another adventure. They use their age to help them complete missions where an adult would fail. But the villainous bad guy, Umbra, wants to get his hands on nuclear information. One spy is sent to watch his son at a chess tournament, hoping to get valuable information. Her mission takes her to Moscow and Beijing. Spy Sydney goes undercover in London as a junior reporter for a teen website and follows the daughter of a rich music label owner as she tours with one of the popular bands.

There are thrills, adventure, mystery and intrigue. Suspense and action will keep readers engaged. The kids are written as kids too. They deal with emotions, hurt feelings, normal teen stuff, all while trying to save the world. This makes them so relatable despite their unrealistic jobs. They each have flaws, make mistakes and work hard to make things right.

A must read series for middle grade readers.

James Ponti never fails to blow me away! The latest in the City Spies series sees our protagonists in amazing new settings and situations, and the story is PERFECT for middle grade readers.

These City Spies have the greatest adventures. It is also a lesson about jealousy, friendship, and building up those around you. It is a good pick for middle grade reluctant readers and any looking for an exciting book with spy kids.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.

The City Spies series is one of the best middle grade series and I cannot keep them on my shelves!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series, and this third book was just fantastic. the team/family dynamics feel realistic and relatable. The mystery and action are featuring teen spies, so you have to be ok with that, but the whole thing is so fun. I loved the chess elements in this one especially.

This is the 3rd in the City Spies series and it's a lot of fun and full of adventure and mystery. This is another well-written and engaging installment in this series and it's got more going on now that we've gotten to know most of the characters so we can watch them grow, learn and see what happens on their adventures. It's a simple yet complex storyline and series that can be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike. It's great to watch the kids develop and use their talents and skills in the story for their missions and this is a good example of a found family story, which is always a favorite for me. I can't wait to hopefully read more or reread this series and introduce it to my kids also.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing/Aladdin for letting me read and review this enjoyable book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After discovering the mole, the City Spies are back in action and ready for another mission. This time, they're set to stop Umbra from recruiting a North Korean nuclear physicist by protecting his son during chess tournaments. At the same time, Sydney follows a billionaire's daughter to see why an old Soviet missile base is threatening them.

Forbidden City is the third book in the City Spies series, following City Spies and Golden Gate. These are children from all over the world that have various skills that make them indispensable in various cities as spies. We open the book with an infiltration at the billionaire's daughter's birthday, a massive event including an exclusive concert for the wealthy and privileged of the UK and embassy staffers' children. As good as they are, however, they're still kids and still apt to make mistakes. We wouldn't have a novel otherwise! Paris' slip up with our opening salvo means that other people know something is up and are on the lookout, making their later jobs harder to do.

I like how the kids, for all their smarts and skills, really are just kids. Brooklyn feels left out when she can't be part of the multi-pronged mission. Paris is good at a lot of things but not necessarily confident when missions go sideways. Kat is as blunt as ever but has a good heart and is eager to help the rest of the team. Sydney can get starstruck by social media influencers but still learn how to connect and speak with others. Rio is effortlessly charming and willing to teach others. I love how these lessons flow naturally in the beginning and ease the rising tension of the mission throughout the novel.

While the stars are preteens, all of the main characters and side characters feel fully fleshed out. The spoiled Tabatha has her own story within the scope of the novel and her father's villainy, and I actually got to like her as Sydney got to know her. The history of the different locations in the novel was sprinkled in and gave nice clues to the endgame of the story. Overall, this is a great continuation to the series, and it'll be fun to read further books starring the City Spies.

I Loved book 3 even more than 1 and 2! I think I know the characters better which makes a difference. Once again the 5 teens are spying for The British M16 and this time go to Moscow and Beijing. In the midst of a billionaire and his villainous scheme involving nuclear warheads and a brilliant nuclear scientist and a chess championship the spies have their hands full.

I love how complicated and yet simple this series is. It could continue for a while. I love the travel aspect too and have to stop and google for images of the places they visit. I personally think it would make great television!

This third installment of the City Spies series was really fun! Not only was it action packed, but the mystery and setup was clever and intriguing. Junior spy novels are extremely readable and this one is fast paced and full of adventure. As someone who has not read the previous installments in this series, I was still able to follow along and understand the backstory and premise of the characters. I enjoyed getting to know the kids and how the operation works. I also love that this story takes place internationally - they go from London to Russia to Beijing.

Fun book and I'll for sure be recommending to my fifth grader, along with the previous books in the series.

The review is my own thoughts in return for a free copy from NetGalley.

I have loved all the City Spies books and this is no exception. This is the third book in the City Spies series. As expected it is full of intrigue and action. This book is focused mainly in Moscow and Beijing as the City Spies dive into a mission with Paris being the main person to solve mysteries.

This book is full of action with the spies working together to turn another group to MI6. It includes placing an expensive piece of art back in its home to competing in major chess tournaments. Each of the books are clean and have no questionable material. It is exciting and intense. For students in 4th-8th grade this an action packed addition that should be placed in middle grade libraries. Each books takes students to other countries and give students opportunity to research many various ideas within the book. I would recommended this to anyone wanting to read both mystery and action.

Is it possible that this is my favorite book in this series to date? Yep.
We know all the characters and can sit back and enjoy their adventures and travels. I'd love to set up a class around these books and mix geography with our Lit studies!

This is a super fun continuation of the City Spies series. I think this book was a bit less action packed than the first two, but there was still plenty of spying, mystery, and adventure to keep me reading past my bedtime.

The diversity of the characters in this series is great, and the author does a wonderful job of weaving it into the story and creating great characters with interesting relationships.

This series is great for fans of the Alex Rider, Spy School, and Urban Outlaws series! Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of the City Spies series and this installment did not disappoint. I enjoyed getting to "travel" to new places with the City Spies crew and following their adventures, twists, and turns. I love that with each book of the series we've gotten to new the kids a bit better and better and learn more about who they are, which is also a journey they are on. I also love the variety of interests of the kids to appeal to a wide range of readers. What a beautiful story of found family.

Another really solid book in this series. The main reason I did not give it 5 stars is that I was able to predict the ending on several points. As of this book, my favorite of the series is probably the second book. Still, despite the predictability (or strongly foreshadowing?), I still enjoyed this book and I continue to love this family of spies. One of the things that would make it better is if the kids were to age from book to book, but from what I can tell, Brooklyn is still 12, the same age she was in the first book and the others are the same age as well. Allowing them to age would also help them show a bit more growth over the course of the books. This one took place in Scotland, their home base and where Brooklyn has to take summer school, Russia, and China. I enjoyed the cryptography part of this and how it took several of them to puzzle out the code. Overall, I'd say this was a very solid story and if you liked the first two books, you'll likely enjoy this adventure as well. I'm already anticipating the fourth book!

This book is being released on February 1, 2022. I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The third book in the City Spies series, City Spies Forbidden City: Fun, dangerous, adventurous, and filled with intrigue! The more we get to know these characters and the more missions we get to experience with them, the more time we want to spend with them. Love to see them incorporate their individual personalities and skills into the things they do. Love to see how their brains work to figure out things along the way. Some of the gems\special touches Ponti cleverly includes in this installment are “charm school”, chess, KB5 concerts, “All Roads Lead to Audrey” and the codes they need to use and break.

Ponti’s books are a definite recommend when students are looking for their next read. Framed! Is currently on our Battle of the Books list, and it is touted as a favorite among the 29 titles anytime I ask which books they are absolutely loving right now.