The City Spies are adjusting to life in a new home, satisfied that criminal mastermind Le Fantome is in a high security prison. But then MI6 intercepts messages that discuss bombing high level targets across Europe with the goal to win Le Fantome’s release.

The messages are all in code, and this is where the City Spies show their strength. Working together, the team deciphers targets in Rome, Paris, London, and Amsterdam. Then they split up and travel to each city so they can identify all the precise locations and prevent the attacks. It’s a fast-paced adventure with high stakes that shows personal growth for each member of the team.

City Spies: Europa is the seventh installment of this bestselling series from author James Ponti. While this is my first read in the series, it captivated me right away and kept me turning pages until the end. Ponti does a great job of making the story accessible to those who know the characters as well as those who don’t.

And who wouldn’t love a squad of five young sleuths working with the same organization that housed James Bond. Because of their age, no one suspects them of surveillance or having skills like defusing bombs. All of their personalities come into play as they look for clues and solve codes. It’s a lot of fun to follow along while also learning about some of the major cities of Europe. I highly recommend it for ages 8 to 12.

The publisher provided a copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.