City Spies by James Ponti (English) Hardcover Book

Description: City Spies by James Ponti "Sara Martinez is facing years in the juvenile detention system for hacking into the foster care computer system to prove that her foster parents are crooks. But then she gets a second chance when a mysterious man offers her a chance to join a group of MI6 affiliated spies"-- FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description A New York Times bestseller! A GMA3 Summer Reading Squad Selection! "Ingeniously plotted, and a grin-inducing delight." --People "Will keep young readers glued to the page...So when do I get the sequel?" --Beth McMullen, author of Mrs. Smiths Spy School for Girls In this thrilling new series that Stuart Gibbs called "a must-read," Edgar Award winner James Ponti brings together five kids from all over the world and transforms them into real-life spies--perfect for fans of Spy School and Mrs. Smiths Spy School for Girls. Sara Martinez is a hacker. She recently broke into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers. However, instead of being hailed as a hero, Sara finds herself facing years in a juvenile detention facility and banned from using computers for the same stretch of time. Enter Mother, a British spy who not only gets Sara released from jail but also offers her a chance to make a home for herself within a secret MI6 agency. Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When theyre not attending the local boarding school, theyre honing their unique skills, such as sleight of hand, breaking and entering, observation, and explosives. All of these allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults cant. Before she knows what shes doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival schools computer to prevent them from winning a million euros, dangling thirty feet off the side of a building, and trying to stop a villain...all while navigating the complex dynamics of her new team. No one said saving the world was easy... Author Biography 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. Excerpt from Book Chapter 1: A Man Called Mother 1. A Man Called Mother SARA LOOKED AT THE WATER stain on the wall and imagined it was an island. She wasnt sure if that was because it actually looked like one or just because she so desperately wished she were in some tropical paradise far from Brooklyn and this tiny room on the eighth floor of Kings County Family Court. She sat across the table from her public defender, a massive man in a rumpled suit named Randall Stubbs. His bulky frame hunched over as he scanned her file. "This doesnt look good," he muttered, because stating the obvious was apparently something they taught in law school. "Youre lucky theyve made such a generous offer." "They have?" Sara asked, surprised. "What is it?" He looked up from the file and said, "You plead guilty to all charges and get thirty months in juvenile detention." Two and a half years in juvie didnt sound generous to Sara, but it probably wasnt much worse than her last few foster homes. She was tough for a twelve-year-old. She could handle it. "And, of course," he added, "you wont be allowed near a computer." This, however, was unacceptable. "For how long?" "For the duration of your sentence. Maybe longer as a condition of your release. Thatll be up to the judge." "But all I did was--" "What?" he interrupted. "Hack into the computer network for the entire juvenile justice system of New York City? Is that what you were going to say? Because thats not what Id call an all I did situation." "I know, but I was only trying to ..." "It doesnt matter what you were trying to do," he said. "All that matters is what you did. Youre lucky youre twelve. If you were thirteen, they probably wouldve bumped you up to a higher court to make an example out of you." The weight of this hit her hard, and for the first time she regretted her actions. Not because they were against the law. Legal or not, she had no doubt that shed done the right thing. But shed never considered that she could be banished from the one corner of the world that made sense to her. The only time Sara felt at home was when she was sitting at a computer keyboard. "Ill never hack again," she said. "I promise." "Oh, you promise?" he responded sarcastically. "Maybe you can cross your heart and hope to die once we get in court. Im sure thatll fix everything." Sara struggled when it came to controlling her temper, a diagnosis confirmed by multiple counselors and at least two school psychologists. Still, she tried to keep cool as she looked at the man who was supposed to be helping her. She couldnt risk angering him, because he was her only hope for a positive outcome. So she took a deep breath and counted to ten, a tip from one of those counselors whose name shed long since forgotten. "If I cant use a computer," she said, barely masking her desperation, "then I cant do the one thing Im good at. The thing that makes me special." "Yeah, well, you shouldve thought of that before you--" She probably wouldve lost her temper right then and there if the door hadnt suddenly flown open, and into the room stepped a man who was in every way the opposite of her attorney. He was tall and thin with a thatch of unruly black hair. His suit was impeccable. His tie matched his pocket square. And he spoke with a British accent. "Sorry to interrupt," he said politely. "But I believe youre in my seat." "Youve got the wrong room," grumbled Stubbs. "Now, if you dont mind, Im having a conference with my client." "Except, according to this Substitution of Counsel form, shes my client," the other man replied as he showed Stubbs a piece of paper. This brought an instant smile to Saras face. Stubbs eyed the man. "That doesnt make any sense. She cant afford a fancy lawyer like you. She doesnt have any money." "Of course she doesnt have any money. Shes twelve. Twelve-year-olds dont have money. They have bicycles and rucksacks. This one, however, also happens to have an attorney. This paper says Ive been retained to represent Ms. Sara Maria Martinez." He turned to her and smiled. "Is that you?" "Yes, sir." "Brilliant. That means Im in the right place." "Who retained you?" asked the public defender. "An interested party," said the man. "Beyond that, its not your concern. So if youll please leave, Sara and I have much to talk about. Were due before a judge shortly." Stubbs mumbled to himself as he shoveled his papers into his briefcase. "Im going to check this out." "Theres a lovely lady named Valerie who can help you," said the British man. "Shes with the clerk of the court on the seventh floor." "I know where she is," Stubbs snapped as he squeezed past the man into the hallway. He started to say something else, but instead just made a frustrated noise and stormed off. Once Stubbs was gone, the new attorney closed the door and sat across from Sara. "Ive never seen that before," he marveled. "He literally left the room in a huff." She had no idea who might have hired an attorney for her, but she was certainly happy with the change. "Ive never seen it either." "Now tell me," he said as he popped open the latches of his briefcase. "Is it true? Did you hack into the computers of the citys juvenile justice system?" She hesitated to answer. "You neednt worry. Attorney-client privilege forbids me from telling anyone what you say in here. I just need to know if its true." She gave a slight nod. "Yes. Its true." "Brilliant," he said with a wink. He pulled a small computer from his briefcase and handed it to her. "I need you to do it again." "Do what again?" she asked. "Hack into the juvenile justice database," he said. "I need you to make me your attorney of record before Mr. Stubbs gets to the seventh floor and checks for himself." "You mean youre not my attorney?" she asked. "Never set foot in a law school," he said conspiratorially. "So, chop-chop. Ive got an associate whos going to delay him in the hallway, but shell only be able to do that for so long." Saras head was spinning. She didnt know what to think. "Listen, I dont know who you are, but the courts supposed to assign me a lawyer. A real one." "And the chap with the mustard stain on his tie is the one it assigned," he replied, shaking his head. "I dont know about you, but Im not particularly impressed. Over the last nine years, that same court has assigned you to six foster families and nine schools. Its been one botch job after another with them. What do you say we try something new?" She looked at him and then at the computer. She was tempted, but she was also confused. "I dont think--" "What did he say would happen?" he interrupted. "I bet hes already worked out a deal with the prosecutor." "Two and a half years in juvie and Im banned from using a computer." He shook his head. "I can do better than that even without a law degree." For reasons she didnt fully understand, Sara believed him. Maybe it was wishful thinking. Maybe it was desperation. Either way, she trusted her gut and started typing. "Excellent," he said. "You probably wont regret this." "Probably?" She raised an eyebrow. "Shouldnt you be trying to build up my confidence?" "Only fools and liars speak with certainty about things beyond their control," he replied. "But Im optimistic, so Id rate your chances around ... eighty-seven percent." Sara smiled and continued typing. "What kind of computer is this?" "Bespoke," he answered. "I thought I knew all the computer companies, but Ive never heard of that one." "Its not a company," he said. "?Bespoke means something has been tailor-made to the specific needs of an individual." "Someone made this for you?" He nodded. "Well, whoever bespoke it really knew what they were doing." "Wait until you see the massive one," he said. "Youre going to love it. That is, if were not both behind bars by the end of the day." Sara knew computers well, but shed never seen one like this. It was fast and powerful, and she quickly shredded through the firewall that was supposed to protect the juvenile justice portal. "They didnt even fix the backdoor I used the other day," she said in disbelief. "Large institutions move slowly," he said. "Hopefully large attorneys do too." It took her less than two minutes to reach the database for attorney assignments. She happily deleted the entry for Randall Stubbs and asked, "Whats your name?" "Excellent question," he said as he pulled three passports out of his briefcase. "Which sounds best?" He read from the first one. "Croydon St. Vincent Marlborough the Third." He gave a sour face. "Seems a bit excessive, dont you think?" She nodded. "Yes." "Well pass on that." He read from the next. "Nigel Honeybuns." This one made him snicker. "Honeybuns? I quite like that." He tucked it into a pocket in his briefcase. "I think Ill save that one for another time." "Were kind of in a hurry," she reminded him. "Right, right, here we go," he said, reading Details ISBN1534414916 Short Title CITY SPIES V01 Pages 384 Publisher Aladdin Paperbacks Language English ISBN-10 1534414916 ISBN-13 9781534414914 Format Hardcover DEWEY FIC Series City Spies Year 2020 Publication Date 2020-03-10 Series Number 1 Imprint Aladdin Paperbacks Audience Children / Juvenile Author James Ponti Audience Age 8-12 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! 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