Set a Spy to Save the World

Emma Otheguy is the author of the bilingual picture book Martí’s Song for Freedom as well as her middle-grade novel Silver Meadows Summer. Emma’s forthcoming projects include her contribution to author Adam Gidwitz’s Unicorn Rescue Society middle grade fantasy series as well as a picture book, A Sled for Gabo. For centuries, the magnificent Throne of Felipe has stood with two empty spaces beside its famous silver arrow—spaces where the silver castle and lion should have been. And now, with the recent discovery of the silver castle within a secret vault in Seville, Spain, the hunt is on for the third silver icon. With all three pieces in the place, the throne will be enormously valuable—making it a hot item on VILE’s radar. In Secrets of the Silver Lion (HMH Books for Young Readers) Carmen Sandiego and her crew set out to find the silver lion before VILE does, and protect the throne from winding up in the wrong hands

James Ponti was born in Italy, raised in Florida, and went to college in California. He wrote and produced television shows for the likes of Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, PBS, Spike TV, History Channel, and Golf Channel. In James Ponti’s City Spies (Aladdin) we meet Sara Martinez, a hacker. After breaking into the New York City foster care system to expose her foster parents as cheats and lawbreakers she’s facing years in jail and being banned from using computer. Enter Mother, a British spy who gets Sara released from jail and offers her a chance to join a secret MI6 agency. Operating out of a base in Scotland, the City Spies are five kids from various parts of the world. When they’re not attending the local boarding school, they’re honing their particular skills, from sleight of hand, to explosives. These talents allow them to go places in the world of espionage where adults can’t. Before she knows what she’s doing, Sara is heading to Paris for an international youth summit, hacking into a rival school’s 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 dealing with her new team. Publisher’s Weekly called it “A page-turner suited to even the most reluctant readers.”