For fans of the award-winning SECRET AGENT JACK STALWART series comes a must-read new chapter book series! Now Jack teams up with his older brother, Max, to solve new international mysteries, using their special training as secret agents. Secret agents Jack and Max Stalwart are sent to the Amazon jungle to investigate the disappearance of an important Global Protection Force scientist. Soon, they discover that the scientist's disappearance is no accident. A greedy outlaw is illegally mining for gold and he'll stop and nothing to keep his secret safe. Can Jack and Max save themselves and the scientist from almost certain death? 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 Praise for the new Secret Agents Jack and Max Stalwart series: "Piles of these books make great summer reading... a great motivator for children to stretch their brains over the summer." ― Ms. Yingling Reads "Reads like an action movie...A thrilling little adventure."― Manhattan Book Review Praise for the original Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series: "Extremely exciting." ― The Guardian "Kids looking for adventure series now have even more options... [Secret Agent Jack Stalwart] is action-heavy..." ― Publishers Weekly "Informative, action-packed, and great fun." ― The Children's Book Review "This page-turner series... takes readers on a wild adventure while they learn a bit about world history and geography." ― Lincoln Journal-Star "The[se] page-turners intrigue their intended audience with plot twists and exotic settings." ― Florida Times-Union "The best element of the series are the geographic locations--from China to Italy--that readers get to explore while on the wild ride with [Jack Stalwart]." ― Parent Map Elizabeth Singer Hunt is no stranger to the world of espionage. She's the granddaughter of a former spy and author of the award-winning Secret Agent Jack Stalwart chapter book series. The series has been named a "must read" for boys by the British Education Secretary, serialized by BBC Radio, and developed into an animated TV show. She's also the creator of the Secret Agents Jack and Max Stalwart chapter book series, The Secret Agent Training Manual , and The Secret Agent Jack Stalwart iPad app.