City Spies

The British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) is a real international covert operations agency. How does using their name and history add to the realism of the novel’s plot, setting, and characters? What other aspects of the novel add to its realism?

What does it mean to fight for justice? How do Mother, Monty, and the children strive for a more just world, and how did their shared values for justice bring them together as a team?

How do Brooklyn and the other children demonstrate their resilience and ability to Prevail Through Adversity? Consider both their back stories and the ways each character demonstrates these traits through their actions as a spy.

In what ways does the spy team showcase the power and beauty of diversity?

Why does Brooklyn love hacking and computers? How do her abilities as a hacker shine through in other areas of her life?

What literary devices does author James Ponti draw on to keep his reader intrigued, asking questions, and making predictions? How does Ponti’s narrative act as a teaching tool for various skills such as deductive reasoning and understanding differences between people?

How do the City Spies challenge societal norms around gender, definitions of family, and the potential of youth?

What does it mean to be a spy, and how does each character showcase a specific value in relation to spy work?