Cover of City Spies

City Spies

by James Ponti · Grades 4–6 · Realistic Fiction

City Spies by James Ponti is on US reading lists at grades 4–6. It appears on 6 lists: 6 book-award lists, across 6 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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Before you buy: Ages 9–11 · Grades 4–6 · 384 pages. The button opens the print edition (ISBN 9781534414914). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

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City Spies boxed set: City Spies, Golden Gate, Forbidden City

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Among the most widely assigned — 6 curriculum lists · 6 states

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:Nevada Young Readers' AwardCharlie May Simon Children's Book AwardMaryland Black-Eyed Susan Book AwardHawai'i Nēnē Award+2 more

This page shows where City Spies is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Reading level at a glance

Grade range
Grades 4–6
Listed most for
6th grade (6 of 18 cited list rows)
Age range
Ages 9–11
Pages
384
Reading time
about 7 hours (est.)
First published
2020
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9781534414914

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

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About this book

Book facts and sources (6)
On award reading lists

and 2 more in where it is taught

Catalog record
First published 2020 · 384 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

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Why widely assigned

This realistic fiction title is typically read at grades 4–6. Written in the 2020s; cited on 6 lists: 6 book-award lists.

Where this book is recommended

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Common questions

What grade level is City Spies?
City Spies is listed for grades 4–6. It appears on 6 state book-award lists across 6 states, from grade 4 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read City Spies?
It takes about 7 hours to read City Spies (384 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 420 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign City Spies?
City Spies appears on reading lists for Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award, Hawai'i Nēnē Award, Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, and 3 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is City Spies banned in schools?
City Spies does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 4–6 — drawn from the state book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 6 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
On state book-award lists in 6 states (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club.

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