THINGS YOUâLL FIND IN EVERY BOOK
Watch Phone: The only gadget Jack wears all the time, even when heâs not on official business. His Watch Phone is the central gadget that makes most others work. There are lots of important features, most importantly the C button, which reveals the code of the dayânecessary to unlock Jackâs Secret Agent Book Bag. There are buttons on both sides, one of which ejects his life-saving Melting Ink Pen. Beyond these functions, it also works as a phone and, of course, gives Jack the time of day.
Global Protection Force (GPF): The GPF is the organization Jack works for. Itâs a worldwide force of young secret agents whose aim is to protect the worldâs people, places, and possessions. No one knows exactly where its main offices are located (all correspondence and gadgets for repair are sent to a special PO Box, and training is held at various locations around the world), but Jack thinks itâs somewhere cold, like the Arctic Circle.
Whizzy: Jackâs magical miniature globe. Almost every night at precisely 7:30 PM , the GPF uses Whizzy to send Jack the identity of the country that he must travel to. Whizzy canât talk, but he can cough up messages. Jackâs parents donât know Whizzy is anything more than a normal globe.
The Magic Map: The magical map hanging on Jackâs bedroom wall. Unlike most maps, the GPFâs map is made of a mysterious wood. Once Jack inserts the country piece from Whizzy, the map swallows Jack whole and sends him away on his missions. When he returns, he arrives precisely one minute after he left.
Secret Agent Book Bag: The Book Bag that Jack wears on every adventure. Licensed only to GPF secret agents, it contains top-secret gadgets necessary to foil bad guys and escape certain death. To activate the bag before each mission, Jack must punch in a secret code given to him by his Watch Phone. Once heâs away, all he has to do is place his finger on the zipper, which identifies him as the owner of the bag and it immediately opens.
THE STALWART FAMILY
Jackâs dad, John
He moved the family to England when Jack was two, in order to take a job with an aerospace company. As far as Jack knows, his dad designs and manufactures airplane parts. Jackâs dad thinks he is an ordinary boy and that his other son, Max, attends a school in Switzerland. Jackâs dad is American and his mum is British, which makes Jack a bit of both.
Jackâs mum, Corinne
One of the greatest mums as far as Jack is concerned. When she and her husband received a letter from a posh school in Switzerland inviting Max to attend, they were overjoyed. Since Max left six months ago, they have received numerous notes in Maxâs handwriting telling them heâs OK. Little do they know itâs all a lie and that itâs the GPF sending those letters.
Jackâs older brother, Max
Two years ago, at the age of nine, Max joined the GPF. Max used to tell Jack about his adventures and show him how to work his secret-agent gadgets. When the family received a letter inviting Max to attend a school in Europe, Jack figured it was to do with the GPF. Max told him he was right, but that he couldnât tell Jack anything about why he was going away.
Nine-year-old Jack Stalwart
Four months ago, Jack received an anonymous note saying: âYour brother is in danger. Only you can save him.â As soon as he could, Jack applied to be a secret agent, too. Since that time, heâs battled some of the worldâs most dangerous villains and hopes some day in his travels to find and rescue his brother, Max.
Chapter 1:
The Magic Break
It was a rainy day on the 9th of May and Jack Stalwart was sitting at his desk in his bedroom doing his homework. His fourth-grade class was studying the history of the British Empire. In front of him was a long list of British kings and queens who had ruled the country since the time of