The Battle for the Emerald Buddha: Thailand

August 1, 2017

Gr 1-4-In this new spin-off to the now-concluded, 14-book "Secret Agent, Jack Stalwart," series, nine-year-old Jack teams up with his 11-year-old brother, Max. The seasoned detectives come out of "retirement" to again work for GPF (Global Protection Force), whose mission is to protect the world's most precious treasures from being stolen. Each episode takes the agents to another country, teaching readers about geography and world culture as they enjoy a rip-roaring adventure. Every book begins with information about the assigned country as well as GPF spy data. The Adventure in the Amazon sends the brothers to Brazil to find a missing scientist. In Battle for the Emerald Buddha, the boys are vacationing in Thailand with their parents (who are unaware of their sons' extracurricular activities) when a statue is pinched from a museum. In both books, the nimble boys use their wits and assorted spy-tech gadgets to track down the bad guys and call the GPF to pick them up. There is plenty of action to keep readers interested, but the plots are fairly straightforward with no surprises-the brothers' first hunch is always correct. Although it takes a great leap of faith to believe that a spy agency would send a couple of kids into such dangerous circumstances, the series' intended audience probably won't mind. VERDICT Give these to kids who have finished all the "A to Z Mysteries" and want something more exciting.-Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

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