What do you think?
Rate this book
City Spies #6
London Calling
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.
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?
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?
394 pages, Hardcover
Published February 4, 2025
180 people are currently reading
3532 people want to read
About the author
James Ponti
58 books1,483 followersJames Ponti is the New York Times Bestselling author of three Middle Grade book series: the DEAD CITY trilogy about a secret society that polices the undead who live beneath New York City; the Edgar Award-winning FRAMED! series about a pair of Sherlockian tweens who solve mysteries in Washington, D.C.; and the all-new CITY SPIES about an unlikely squad of five kids from around the world who form an elite MI6 spy team.
James grew up in Atlantic Beach, Florida and lives in Orlando. He's a die hard fan of the Boston Red Sox, the USC Trojans, and the Italian National Soccer Team. He loves travel, writing, and spending time with his amazing family.
James grew up in Atlantic Beach, Florida and lives in Orlando. He's a die hard fan of the Boston Red Sox, the USC Trojans, and the Italian National Soccer Team. He loves travel, writing, and spending time with his amazing family.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews
February 26, 2025
Excellent story and audiobook! Full of humor, action and adventures! Smart kids and smart computer. Lots of clues and puzzles. Espionage.
I enjoyed this story and series greatly! I have got my kid, niece and nephew into it.
This story started with Annie, Mother's real daughter. Bad guys were chasing her. She ran and was in hiding. She and her brother used to consider themselves Hansel and Gretel so as she hid, she left bread crumbs along as clues for him to find. Her brother, Robert aka Cairo is currently with Mother and their adopted brothers and sisters. Half of the family went to search for Annie and half of the family went undercover to protect the bride before the royal wedding.
In this story readers finally got some explanations for the mysterious Clementine, which is Annie and Robert's mom who is Mother's wife. Readers also have a view of the bad guy, the leader.
The spy characters are ages ranging from 11 to 16. It seems they stayed the same age in every book. Nevertheless, they are geniuses and it's fun to follow geniuses around.
Thank you SimonKids and Simon Audio for the opportunity to read, listen, and review.
I enjoyed this story and series greatly! I have got my kid, niece and nephew into it.
This story started with Annie, Mother's real daughter. Bad guys were chasing her. She ran and was in hiding. She and her brother used to consider themselves Hansel and Gretel so as she hid, she left bread crumbs along as clues for him to find. Her brother, Robert aka Cairo is currently with Mother and their adopted brothers and sisters. Half of the family went to search for Annie and half of the family went undercover to protect the bride before the royal wedding.
In this story readers finally got some explanations for the mysterious Clementine, which is Annie and Robert's mom who is Mother's wife. Readers also have a view of the bad guy, the leader.
The spy characters are ages ranging from 11 to 16. It seems they stayed the same age in every book. Nevertheless, they are geniuses and it's fun to follow geniuses around.
Thank you SimonKids and Simon Audio for the opportunity to read, listen, and review.
Want to read
July 6, 2024Book releasing February 24 2025
This book hasn't come out yet so I'll re-review but I'm just writing to say how excited I am!! These are my comfort books and London is my favorite city so this is going to be good!
This book hasn't come out yet so I'll re-review but I'm just writing to say how excited I am!! These are my comfort books and London is my favorite city so this is going to be good!
February 6, 2025
"Beny, you are my dear friend and I love you. You have done so many amazing things, but now it is time for you to get some well-deserved sleep. Dream well."
IT WAS AMAZING!!! I got it the day it came out and read it all in one day because it was so good!! This one was definitely one of the best in the series! The writing was great and kept me on my toes, especially the parts with Clementine.
Rio, Kat, and Brooklyn are usually my favorite characters in these books, but I really liked Sydney and Cairo in this one. Annie was sort of a new character in this book and I LOVED her. I really want her to be a spy and live with Mother though so it was a little sad. 😞 But I still really liked her and the Shakespeare/Julius Caesar death clue she left was really cool.
I LOVE CLEMENTINE!!! I have been wanting to know if she's good or bad for soooooo long and I think she's good though I'm not 100% sure...She is so interesting and makes the story really interesting and excellent. Her plan to get Le Fantome arrested was really clever.
I really hope there's a seventh book (with maybe Annie as the main character?). I also think it would be so cool if Mother, Clementine, Annie, Robert/Cairo, Sydney, Paris, Rio, Kat, Brooklyn, and Monty (and Beny) could all live together, spies or not.
The storyline with Beny was also really cool <3 definitely five stars ✨✨✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
IT WAS AMAZING!!! I got it the day it came out and read it all in one day because it was so good!! This one was definitely one of the best in the series! The writing was great and kept me on my toes, especially the parts with Clementine.
Rio, Kat, and Brooklyn are usually my favorite characters in these books, but I really liked Sydney and Cairo in this one. Annie was sort of a new character in this book and I LOVED her. I really want her to be a spy and live with Mother though so it was a little sad. 😞 But I still really liked her and the Shakespeare/Julius Caesar death clue she left was really cool.
I LOVE CLEMENTINE!!! I have been wanting to know if she's good or bad for soooooo long and I think she's good though I'm not 100% sure...She is so interesting and makes the story really interesting and excellent. Her plan to get Le Fantome arrested was really clever.
I really hope there's a seventh book (with maybe Annie as the main character?). I also think it would be so cool if Mother, Clementine, Annie, Robert/Cairo, Sydney, Paris, Rio, Kat, Brooklyn, and Monty (and Beny) could all live together, spies or not.
The storyline with Beny was also really cool <3 definitely five stars ✨✨✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
February 15, 2025
It is so rare for every book in a series to be equally good, but James Ponti has done it once again with this 6th installment in City Spies!
This book did a great job of answering a lot of questions from previous books, some going back as far as the first book, and I really loved how we've gotten to see the characters grow over the course of 18 months in these stories. I'm thrilled that there will be (at least two) more books! I didn't listen to the audio this time because my daughter was listening at the same time as me, but I heard several parts and it's another fantastic narration by Lisa Flanagan.
I really love how these stories can be enjoyed by all ages. I'd have no issues with any kid listening to these as early as they wanted, but my teens are still loving them too. And I loved that when I finished, my kids were dying to talk with me about different things that happened in this one and speculating for what is to come.
These are forever family favorites for us!
This book did a great job of answering a lot of questions from previous books, some going back as far as the first book, and I really loved how we've gotten to see the characters grow over the course of 18 months in these stories. I'm thrilled that there will be (at least two) more books! I didn't listen to the audio this time because my daughter was listening at the same time as me, but I heard several parts and it's another fantastic narration by Lisa Flanagan.
I really love how these stories can be enjoyed by all ages. I'd have no issues with any kid listening to these as early as they wanted, but my teens are still loving them too. And I loved that when I finished, my kids were dying to talk with me about different things that happened in this one and speculating for what is to come.
These are forever family favorites for us!
January 27, 2026
ENGLISH VERSION BELOW
---------------------------
London Calling hat bei mir genau das geliefert, was ich an City Spies so mag: cleverer Humor, viel Tempo, echte Rätsel- und Hinweisarbeit – und dabei Spionage, die sich nicht wie „Kinder tun so als ob“ anfühlt. Richtig stark ist, wie Ponti im 6. Band alte Fäden zusammenzieht (teilweise bis zurück zum ersten Teil) und nebenbei zeigt, wie sehr die Truppe in diesen 18 Monaten gewachsen ist.
Ich hab es wieder als Hörbuch gehört – sie sind so unglaublich gut gelesen!
Diese Reihe bleibt einfach über alle Bände gleich stark. Bald kommt Band 7 und ich freu mich schon sehr darauf.
---------------------------
---------------------------
London Calling gave me exactly what I love about City Spies: clever humor, a fast pace, and real puzzle-and-clue work—plus espionage that never feels like “kids playing pretend.” What really stands out is how Ponti, in book six, pulls old threads together (some all the way back to the first book) while also showing just how much the team has grown over these 18 months.
I listened to it as an audiobook again—and it’s unbelievably well narrated!
This series just stays consistently strong across every installment. Book 7 is coming soon, and I’m really looking forward to it.
---------------------------
London Calling hat bei mir genau das geliefert, was ich an City Spies so mag: cleverer Humor, viel Tempo, echte Rätsel- und Hinweisarbeit – und dabei Spionage, die sich nicht wie „Kinder tun so als ob“ anfühlt. Richtig stark ist, wie Ponti im 6. Band alte Fäden zusammenzieht (teilweise bis zurück zum ersten Teil) und nebenbei zeigt, wie sehr die Truppe in diesen 18 Monaten gewachsen ist.
Ich hab es wieder als Hörbuch gehört – sie sind so unglaublich gut gelesen!
Diese Reihe bleibt einfach über alle Bände gleich stark. Bald kommt Band 7 und ich freu mich schon sehr darauf.
---------------------------
---------------------------
London Calling gave me exactly what I love about City Spies: clever humor, a fast pace, and real puzzle-and-clue work—plus espionage that never feels like “kids playing pretend.” What really stands out is how Ponti, in book six, pulls old threads together (some all the way back to the first book) while also showing just how much the team has grown over these 18 months.
I listened to it as an audiobook again—and it’s unbelievably well narrated!
This series just stays consistently strong across every installment. Book 7 is coming soon, and I’m really looking forward to it.
February 6, 2025
Excellent storyline with lots of twists and turns! Can't wait for the next book in the series.
March 25, 2025
This book was SO GOOD! When i heard that there was a 6th book coming out I was SOOO EXCITED!! And James Ponti did not disappoint! I loved reading more about Clementine and Annie!! After finishing this book, I am already ready for the next!
Read
February 13, 2025I love this series.
February 6, 2025
The brilliant feel good adventure I needed this week
February 18, 2025
hopefully another book comes out although this feels like the ending :/ i just expected it to be a bit more exciting and not so easy but regardless i had fun reading it !
January 23, 2026
Wow, okay so I just binge read this over the last two-ish hours...in one sitting (I rarely read books in one sitting). It's been so cute watching all of the team members grow throughout the series. 🥹 This is the first book I remember finding typos in (I found five, I think 😶), but still it was so gooddd.
I do think that at this rate I'll still be reading these books when I'm thirty (assuming James Ponti continues the series for a very long time). If I have kids someday...oh yeah, they'll be reading these.
I do think that at this rate I'll still be reading these books when I'm thirty (assuming James Ponti continues the series for a very long time). If I have kids someday...oh yeah, they'll be reading these.
February 19, 2025
aahahahahahaah i had really high hopes for this book... I was really excited about it :(((
The first part of the book was really exiting; finding out about Annie, exploring Clementine's personality. Everything was in the perfect conflict-order environment, but then after when Beny was blown up, the book started falling apart. Basically Clementine's arrest, chasing James Fissell, and the end was all done in 20-30ish pages....It just felt like the author just wanted to wrap to up. I really disliked the ending. Please don't let this be how the series end........
The first part of the book was really exiting; finding out about Annie, exploring Clementine's personality. Everything was in the perfect conflict-order environment, but then after when Beny was blown up, the book started falling apart. Basically Clementine's arrest, chasing James Fissell, and the end was all done in 20-30ish pages....It just felt like the author just wanted to wrap to up. I really disliked the ending. Please don't let this be how the series end........
February 7, 2025
I love the bonus ending lining out a possible future for each of our kids. I do hope we can pull the team together for more adventures.
February 6, 2025
This series is one of my favorite series of all time. Did not dissapoint. this one is my favorite now,
January 24, 2026
Pretty good!!! It has been a while since I had read the city spies series but this was a great flash back. I highly recommend if you have read the whole series
March 14, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up.
This is definitely my least favorite of the City Spies books so far, but I still enjoyed it. My main complaint is about the writing style. For whatever reason, this book felt much more distant in style than the other five. The POVs were very distant and there was a lot of head hopping and telling. It should have been much better edited in my opinion. There was also a fair amount of distracting repetition, particularly with the dialogue tag “joked.” I also felt like Cairo, even though he was technically the lead for this book, had very little page time or agency, and I wasn’t particularly surprised by who the traitor was (and I had zero emotional investment in the character). Still, I love the City Spies and I’ll keep reading about them. The plot with Beny was one of my favorite parts of the book, and I liked how Sydney’s passion for fashion was on full display in the studio scene. I now know what a fascinator is because of a bridal shower I went to so I appreciated that part of the story. And I liked Annie’s part of London Calling; her jump was epic, and I appreciated that the book didn’t force her to join the spies. Again, fun story! I just hope the next book is better edited.
This is definitely my least favorite of the City Spies books so far, but I still enjoyed it. My main complaint is about the writing style. For whatever reason, this book felt much more distant in style than the other five. The POVs were very distant and there was a lot of head hopping and telling. It should have been much better edited in my opinion. There was also a fair amount of distracting repetition, particularly with the dialogue tag “joked.” I also felt like Cairo, even though he was technically the lead for this book, had very little page time or agency, and I wasn’t particularly surprised by who the traitor was (and I had zero emotional investment in the character). Still, I love the City Spies and I’ll keep reading about them. The plot with Beny was one of my favorite parts of the book, and I liked how Sydney’s passion for fashion was on full display in the studio scene. I now know what a fascinator is because of a bridal shower I went to so I appreciated that part of the story. And I liked Annie’s part of London Calling; her jump was epic, and I appreciated that the book didn’t force her to join the spies. Again, fun story! I just hope the next book is better edited.
March 24, 2025
This is the sixth book in the City Spies series and like the other books in the series, it is really good. There's a lot going on: the team is working on security for a royal wedding, their computer is being connected to all the computers in the Five Eyes countries, and Mother and Clementine's daughter is missing. This is an energetic, action packed page-turner. Some major stuff happens that impacts the whole team but overall they do what they do best: use all their talents and resources to work together seamlessly. It was wonderful to finally meet Annie and to learn more about Clementine. Is this the last book? I don't think so and I really hope not, but whatever the case, it is a truly fine series. Great fun!
March 27, 2025
This book was literally OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! It was so good, but they left it at an awful clip-hanger! I’m SO mad because they don’t have anymore books (currently) for me to read. I wonder what C will give them for a house (still a mystery). I really enjoy reading about Annie, and I hope that she will stay and make up her mind about being a spy. The other thing is, which side is Clementine on? That will be discovered in the next book! Cannot wait!!
August 21, 2025
This installment was great because we finally learned more about Mother's wife and why she took off with Annie and Cairo in the first place. The missions are always fun, but it was nice to get answers on the personal plot line and have everyone come together. The found family aspect of this is the best part for me and it feels like we're nearing a happy ending for the group.
December 11, 2025
Het was weer superspannend met De Wereldspionnen. Deze keer in Istanbul, Rome en Londen. Natuurlijk met een cliffhanger, dus deel 7 komt er vast ook aan. Thomas en ik kunnen niet wachten...
Want to read
July 7, 2025OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THIS EXISTED *HYPERVENTILATING WITH EXCITEMENT TO READ THIS SOON*
February 24, 2025
I loved this book! WE NEED ANOTHER ONE!!!!!! James Ponti, if you are reading this, could the next book be about C getting abducted by Umbra, and the City Spies having to find him? Also, can Clemmie be helping them?
November 11, 2025
Echt. Deze serie. Zoooo goed! Ik heb ze geluisterd via de Online Bibliotheek, dikke aanrader!
Kom maar op met de volgende! James Bond voor kids. En dan beter, want ik kijk helemaal geen James Bond. ;-)
Kom maar op met de volgende! James Bond voor kids. En dan beter, want ik kijk helemaal geen James Bond. ;-)
March 16, 2025
AI propaganda :(
they went to Rome :)
they went to Rome :)
March 13, 2025
What happened, James Ponti????
First 90% of the book was spectacular as usual, 5 stars no notes. And then we went off the rails.
RIGHT as we are about to hit the big epic action showdown, omniscient narrator steps in to tell us "what he DIDN'T know was that other characters had already secretly done this and that!" and then we suddenly fast forward a week later and everyone is reminiscing about how everything went down. What in the world??
I literally had to go back and check if I had accidentally skipped some chapters somehow.
Not sure why the author gave up at the literal finish line but this was the biggest ending letdown I can remember.
2 stars
First 90% of the book was spectacular as usual, 5 stars no notes. And then we went off the rails.
RIGHT as we are about to hit the big epic action showdown, omniscient narrator steps in to tell us "what he DIDN'T know was that other characters had already secretly done this and that!" and then we suddenly fast forward a week later and everyone is reminiscing about how everything went down. What in the world??
I literally had to go back and check if I had accidentally skipped some chapters somehow.
Not sure why the author gave up at the literal finish line but this was the biggest ending letdown I can remember.
2 stars
July 16, 2025
I’m obsessed - it’s creative, adventurous, funny, and wholesome!!!! I need the next book out yesterday
November 7, 2025
“When it came to espionage, nothing was elementary.”
I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: kidnapping, confinement, violence
Another fantastic addition to the City Spies series! Just like in books 1 through 5, London Calling was action-packed. Filled with dramatic plot twists. high-speed chases, and impressive codebreaking, this story grabs your attention and does not let go! James Ponti intricately weaves multiple side plots and clues throughout the story in an easy-to-follow, but also subtle way. I'm always impressed by the settings and descriptions in this series, you easily feel as though you are right beside the City Spies as they travel around the world. The characters are by far my favourite aspect of this series. The found family ragtag team is so well-developed and complex that they feel as if they are real people! In London Calling, we focus more on Mother's biological family, including Clementine, as well as Cairo and his sister Annie. Clementine has been an elusive character throughout this series, so getting to see her point of view and explore her history was very interesting. Since many of the recurring plot points throughout the series were wrapped up, I was worried that this would be the end of the City Spies. But I'm very excited to hear that book 7 will be coming out next year! I can't wait to see what it has in store. London Calling did not disappoint, a great continuation to one of my favourite middle-grade series!
I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I've also posted this review on Instagram and my blog.
Instagram Post
Blog Post
Content Warnings: kidnapping, confinement, violence
Another fantastic addition to the City Spies series! Just like in books 1 through 5, London Calling was action-packed. Filled with dramatic plot twists. high-speed chases, and impressive codebreaking, this story grabs your attention and does not let go! James Ponti intricately weaves multiple side plots and clues throughout the story in an easy-to-follow, but also subtle way. I'm always impressed by the settings and descriptions in this series, you easily feel as though you are right beside the City Spies as they travel around the world. The characters are by far my favourite aspect of this series. The found family ragtag team is so well-developed and complex that they feel as if they are real people! In London Calling, we focus more on Mother's biological family, including Clementine, as well as Cairo and his sister Annie. Clementine has been an elusive character throughout this series, so getting to see her point of view and explore her history was very interesting. Since many of the recurring plot points throughout the series were wrapped up, I was worried that this would be the end of the City Spies. But I'm very excited to hear that book 7 will be coming out next year! I can't wait to see what it has in store. London Calling did not disappoint, a great continuation to one of my favourite middle-grade series!
July 23, 2025
Is this the last book in this series?? If so, I’m going to be so sad.
City Spies is literally one of the best middle grade spy series I have ever read. The team is so tightly knit together that, despite their different backgrounds and whatever conflicts they may have, they remain loyal to the team. Not for the sake of the mission, but for the sake of their team, their family.
This book was no different. Although Annie is new to the team (and insists that she does not want to be a spy, ever), the rest of the City Spies treat her with the same respect and closeness as they treat the others — not because they trust everyone, but because she’s the family of their family, Mother and Cairo.
I really loved reading this (if you couldn’t tell so far haha), so I’d definitely recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable read about spies! I learned a far amount from this book about the world of espionage, and as someone who programs for a hobby, Beny… let’s just say that I wish I had one too.
Content: CLEAN. Nothing gruesome, no curse words, no explicitly violent (or violent at all) scenes. Great morals that aren’t questioned: even when people have shady or gray backgrounds, that isn’t used as an excuse or reason for their behavior, whether good or bad.
City Spies is literally one of the best middle grade spy series I have ever read. The team is so tightly knit together that, despite their different backgrounds and whatever conflicts they may have, they remain loyal to the team. Not for the sake of the mission, but for the sake of their team, their family.
This book was no different. Although Annie is new to the team (and insists that she does not want to be a spy, ever), the rest of the City Spies treat her with the same respect and closeness as they treat the others — not because they trust everyone, but because she’s the family of their family, Mother and Cairo.
I really loved reading this (if you couldn’t tell so far haha), so I’d definitely recommend to anyone looking for an enjoyable read about spies! I learned a far amount from this book about the world of espionage, and as someone who programs for a hobby, Beny… let’s just say that I wish I had one too.
Content: CLEAN. Nothing gruesome, no curse words, no explicitly violent (or violent at all) scenes. Great morals that aren’t questioned: even when people have shady or gray backgrounds, that isn’t used as an excuse or reason for their behavior, whether good or bad.
February 18, 2025
This is probably my favorite city spies book, until the next one comes out. The research James Ponti puts into his books is massive. There are only a select few books that have made me tear up this is definitely one of them. I was so sad that they had to destroy Beny but overjoyed to that he is back. I'm really, really mad a Tru, two whole years! No wonder Clemmie was reluctant to give more help, i would've quit entirely The fact that Mother wouldn't divorce her was beautiful. I really hate the cliff hanger. In the end this book answered a lot of questions, and was an amazing journey.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2025
I so enjoyed this book and the series just seems to get more interesting as parts of it come together and we even get to "meet" a new character in this one that has only been mentioned in the series to this point. I won't give away anything, but this is another great adventure for the City Spies kids and an opportunity for the reader to put more pieces of the story together as well! So much fun! This was a one sitting book for me!
Hoping there will be more in this series!!!
Hoping there will be more in this series!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 247 reviews