About the Author
James Ponti is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of four middle grade book series, including City Spies and The Sherlock Society. He is a two-time Edgar Award nominee, winning for Vanished! in 2018. His novels have been named to forty-six state award lists and translated into fifteen languages.
The forthcoming installment in the City Spies series, Europa, follows a group of young spies as they race across the European continent to thwart attacks from a dangerous criminal. The City Spies series has been nominated and won multiple awards from voting bodies across the United States.
Ponti’s New York Times bestselling series, The Sherlock Society, is full of mystery and intrigue as a group of kids start a detective agency to uncover long buried secrets. Together with the kids’ sharp minds and handy gadgets, will the Sherlock Society break the case?
For over thirty years, Ponti worked as a television writer and producer for networks including Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, PBS, ABC, NBC, and Golf Channel. He was a writer on the Mickey Mouse Club, at Disney, and Clifford’s Puppy Days, at PBS.
Ponti studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California. He was born in Pisa, Italy, and now lives with his family in Orlando, Florida.
Raves and Reviews
Praise for the City Spies series
A ingeniously plotted, and a grin-inducing delight”
—People.com
A smashing success!”
—Kirkus Review (Book 4)
A well-paced story, laced with suspense, wit and entertaining dialogue”
—Booklist
Praise for The Sherlock Society series
An engrossing caper with a cerebral tilt.”
—Kirkus Reviews
A winning mix of history, humor, and high stakes sleuthing for returning fans of the series or new readers.”
—School Library Journal
Entertaining, educational, and exciting.”
—Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)
Praise for the Framed! series
The real draws here are the two resourceful leads’ solid, realistic friendship, bolstered by snappy dialogue, brisk pacing, and well-crafted ancillary characters—not to mention behind-the-scenes glimpses of the FBI. More escapades are promised in this improbable but satisfying series starter.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Mystery buffs and fans of Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider series are in for a treat. . . . With elements of Alex Rider, James Bond, and Sherlock Holmes stories, this is likely to be popular with mystery and action/adventure fans.”
—School Library Journal
What stands out is the portrayal of Florian’s and Margaret’s intelligence, their close friendship, and athlete Margaret’s sports prowess. Refreshingly, the adults aren’t portrayed as completely clueless; they are respectful of the kids’ crime-solving abilities, even though the preteen sleuths, as they realize themselves, are not infallible. Young readers will enjoy this first caper in a projected series.”
—Booklist
