Cover of City Spies

City Spies

by James Ponti

Widely assigned — 4 curriculum lists · 4 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' AwardMaryland Black-Eyed Susan Book AwardCharlie May Simon Children's Book AwardNēnē Award (Hawai'i)

City Spies by James Ponti is assigned in US schools at grades 4–6. It appears across 4 curriculum references and 4 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

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.

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Grade range
Grades 4–6
Age range
Ages 9–11
Pages
384
Reading time
about 7 hours (est.)
First published
2020
Genre
Realistic Fiction
ISBN-13
9781534414914

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

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About this book

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. Smith’s 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. Smith’s Spy School for Girls. Sara Martinez is a hacker.

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Why widely assigned

This Realistic Fiction title, typically at grades 4–6. Written in the 2020s; cited across 4 curriculum frameworks.

Where this book is assigned

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Common questions

What grade level is City Spies?
City Spies is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–6. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
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, Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, Nevada Young Readers' Award, and 1 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 state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 4 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 4 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (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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