City Spies: London Calling, Book 6

What works: The City of Spies is a six-book middle-grade series about young adults who are spies for opportunities when adults would stick out like a sore thumb. They remind me a lot of the Spy Kids movies I grew up watching and give you the same thrilling connection of having a family and doing whatever it takes to get the job done while leaning on the support of your family. I also love how we have the original team members but now have the addition of Annie and Cario, the mother’s actual children, who now have a whole group of siblings with whom they can connect. Many questions are wrapped up in this book from the previous books in the series, and it almost feels like the author is going in a new direction with the story, which would make for a refreshing change of pace after six books. I also love how middle-grade readers can explore places like Istanbul, Scotland, Paris, Rome, and London through the thrilling lens of a spy adventure. 
Final Verdict: The spy aspect of this book is more of a hunt, this time, with clues to follow (before it unfolds into more later on), so mystery fans will appreciate that end. While this involves spies, the technology and abilities don't stretch the imagination too far, and the characters expand their capabilities and trust in themselves, which adds a nice touch. The family aspect is inspiring and makes this group golden, as they are a bit of a hodge-podge mix but still hold together wonderfully.

London Calling is a nice addition to the series. It keeps everything exciting and tension-packed while still leaving an option for another thrilling adventure in book seven.

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

The City Spies are still in a tizzy over the revelations about Mother's family history, and have integrated his son, Cairo, into their group in Mission Manhattan. Now, the group finds out that not only is Clementine, Cairo's mother, back in the edges of the picture, but his sister, Annie, has gone missing after swim practice in Istanbul, Turkey. The group is also working on security for an upcoming royal wedding, since their teacher, Sophie Weir, is set to marry Prince Frederick, who is sixth in line for the British throne. Annie is seen leaving practice, but followed by a burly man dubbed Musclehead, and also jumping off a bridge into the river. Since she is a strong swimmer, Cairo believes she has survived, and surveillance shows that she has gone back to the gym. Cairo tells the team that she has started "Operation Breadcrumb", something the siblings had talked about when they were living on the run with their mother. He's sure that she has left clues about when to meet up, and finds them everywhere from the bottom of a container of licorice for sale in Paris to mixed messages in Rome. The computer at FARM, Beny, has been making big strides in interpretting aerial maps and communicating with Kat, but when Musclehead is seen a a local restaurant, the security of FARM is compromised, with devastating consequences. Clementine's history, and her involvement in Project Viola, is finally shared with Cairo and Annie, so that they can understand their mother's actions. After retrieving Annie, the group reconvenes at a safe house in London, where they need to work fast to protect the royal wedding. Without their safe haven to return to, how will the City Spies move forward on the next mission.

The City Spies work on missions closer to the heart in this latest addition to the series. Annie escapes a kidnapping but is missing. Clementine finally meets Mother again when she comes to the team for help. After six years of searching Mother gets to spend time with his daughter. Annie is surprised to learn that all the city spies are now her adopted siblings. She may hate the espionage world but is surprisingly adept at it and manages to help with the mission.
We finally get answers about Clemmie’s actions and whether she is a traitor or a double agent working deep undercover in Umbra. This book sees the kids work seamlessly and with expertise to stop Umbra in their latest plot. There are great changes for their future that leave room for more character growth and future books.
This book continues to hold my attention for both the character interactions and growth and the neat facts about London and Istanbul that are explored. The fast-paced plot and neat spy work plus the uncertainty of Clemmie’s role in everything makes for a book that is hard to put down. Overall, this is another smooth read in the City Spies series that makes me ready to read the next one.