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Secret Agent Jack Stalwart #10
The Quest for Aztec Gold: Mexico
Destination: Mexico. The Global Protection Force has summoned Secret Agent Jack Stalwart to Mexico to hunt down a stolen map leading to hidden Aztec gold. Suddenly, he finds himself trapped in the hands of one of the most treacherous treasure hunters in the world. Can Jack stop Callous Carl and his band of thieves before they plunder again?
128 pages, Paperback
Published May 12, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 7, 2021
Nine year old secret agent Jack Stalwart is called to action (Mexico) when a map leading to ancient Aztec treasure is stolen! With the aid of several super cool spy gadgets, his training with the GPF (Global Protection Force), and his own wits and intelligence, Jack must solve the crime before the dastardly treasure hunter, Callous Carl, gets to the gold!
Full review of the book/series is below, but the TL;DR is this: Great book series for introducing young readers to longer chapter books with engaging characters and action-packed plots. Bonus - good educational value in helping youngsters start to learn about world geography.
CAUTION: From book two on, the books get a bit violent. There is always a villain, and they are often actively trying to kill Jack or someone else. There are guns, knives, and even threat of death by Komodo dragon. One book talks about beheadings (that was a fun conversation I wasn't expecting to have). This particular book sees the villain pull a large knife on Jack (complete with an illustration) and threaten to get him "piece by piece." So just a word of warning to those who may not want their kids exposed to things like that yet.
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This is the tenth book in the Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series (14 books in all). I originally discovered this series as a way to explore geography with my 6 year old son who loves learning, but not being taught (if that makes sense). He also loves reading, so finding engaging books that also have accurate educational value cleverly mixed in is key in our home. This book series seems to fit the bill nicely.
This was another fun addition to the Jack Stalwart series. My son would undoubtedly give every book is this series an enthusiastic 5 stars, so take that into consideration. As the mom, I gave the first book 4 stars (a pretty solid rating from me), and subsequent books have gotten 3 star ratings (the drop in stars is entirely due to the fact that from book 2 on, there is, in my opinion, too much violence for this age group - guns, knives, assault with a baseball bat, someone always trying to kill Jack (a 9 year old boy!) - it just seems excessive and unnecessarily violent).
Overall, this book series is entertaining and engaging - each book catches my 6 year old son's attention very quickly and holds it. At around 120 pages, we can usually finish one of these books in 1-2 sittings (it was difficult getting my son to bed the first night because he wanted just one more chapter..one more page..one more sentence!). I had initially checked out books 1-3 from the library, and we finished them within a week. I immediately logged back onto the library website and requested all of the remaining books.
There are lots of things I'm loving about this book series. As stated, my son loves reading, or more accurately, being read to. He can read at a 2nd grade level currently, but prefers someone else to read to him. This series is helping to change that. When picking what to bring on a car ride, he now chooses whatever Jack Stalwart book we're currently reading. When I have to put his baby sister to bed, he'll sit in his room patiently for quiet reading time and read, what else, Jack Stalwart of course! At this point, he's reading more of the book than I am (so unfortunately I'm missing a lot of the plot and action...haha).
I also really appreciate the geographical focus - each book takes place in a different country. At the beginning of every book, there are a couple of pages devoted to fun facts about whatever country Jack is going to be visiting, along with a map showing where the country is located. Admittedly, my son does groan a bit when I read those pages to him (see above regarding his dislike of being taught), but if I give big reactions ("Oh, wow, I didn't know this!" "This is so cool, listen to this..."), he instantly becomes more interested. Again, the whole reason I even found these books is because I was looking for a way to introduce my son to world geography in a fun and engaging way. Success.
Overall, this book (and series) are a great segue into chapter books for young readers. It does a great job of really fostering a love of reading-for-pleasure by featuring a relatable main character (young boy) doing heroic and adventurous things, being independent, and exhibiting creative problem solving. It's also simple enough that young readers can follow along and start to read them independently. The fact that each book focuses on a different country with lots of great educational tidbits about that country peppered throughout is a huge bonus.
There is an underlying subplot of these books wherein Jack is trying to discover what's happened to his older brother, 11 year old Max. His family has been told that Max (who also works for the GPF) has been accepted to a fancy boarding school in Switzerland but Jack knows it's all a farce. There is always some mention of the mission to find Max, and in I think two of the eight or so books we've read so far there have been clues found, but I would still say you don't necessarily need to read these in chronological order. Though ideally I would prefer to read them that way, we have skipped around a bit based on what the library has had available and it hasn't been a problem. When mentioning a clue found in a previous book, a thorough enough recap is given that you don't feel like you're missing anything.
Full review of the book/series is below, but the TL;DR is this: Great book series for introducing young readers to longer chapter books with engaging characters and action-packed plots. Bonus - good educational value in helping youngsters start to learn about world geography.
CAUTION: From book two on, the books get a bit violent. There is always a villain, and they are often actively trying to kill Jack or someone else. There are guns, knives, and even threat of death by Komodo dragon. One book talks about beheadings (that was a fun conversation I wasn't expecting to have). This particular book sees the villain pull a large knife on Jack (complete with an illustration) and threaten to get him "piece by piece." So just a word of warning to those who may not want their kids exposed to things like that yet.
************
This is the tenth book in the Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series (14 books in all). I originally discovered this series as a way to explore geography with my 6 year old son who loves learning, but not being taught (if that makes sense). He also loves reading, so finding engaging books that also have accurate educational value cleverly mixed in is key in our home. This book series seems to fit the bill nicely.
This was another fun addition to the Jack Stalwart series. My son would undoubtedly give every book is this series an enthusiastic 5 stars, so take that into consideration. As the mom, I gave the first book 4 stars (a pretty solid rating from me), and subsequent books have gotten 3 star ratings (the drop in stars is entirely due to the fact that from book 2 on, there is, in my opinion, too much violence for this age group - guns, knives, assault with a baseball bat, someone always trying to kill Jack (a 9 year old boy!) - it just seems excessive and unnecessarily violent).
Overall, this book series is entertaining and engaging - each book catches my 6 year old son's attention very quickly and holds it. At around 120 pages, we can usually finish one of these books in 1-2 sittings (it was difficult getting my son to bed the first night because he wanted just one more chapter..one more page..one more sentence!). I had initially checked out books 1-3 from the library, and we finished them within a week. I immediately logged back onto the library website and requested all of the remaining books.
There are lots of things I'm loving about this book series. As stated, my son loves reading, or more accurately, being read to. He can read at a 2nd grade level currently, but prefers someone else to read to him. This series is helping to change that. When picking what to bring on a car ride, he now chooses whatever Jack Stalwart book we're currently reading. When I have to put his baby sister to bed, he'll sit in his room patiently for quiet reading time and read, what else, Jack Stalwart of course! At this point, he's reading more of the book than I am (so unfortunately I'm missing a lot of the plot and action...haha).
I also really appreciate the geographical focus - each book takes place in a different country. At the beginning of every book, there are a couple of pages devoted to fun facts about whatever country Jack is going to be visiting, along with a map showing where the country is located. Admittedly, my son does groan a bit when I read those pages to him (see above regarding his dislike of being taught), but if I give big reactions ("Oh, wow, I didn't know this!" "This is so cool, listen to this..."), he instantly becomes more interested. Again, the whole reason I even found these books is because I was looking for a way to introduce my son to world geography in a fun and engaging way. Success.
Overall, this book (and series) are a great segue into chapter books for young readers. It does a great job of really fostering a love of reading-for-pleasure by featuring a relatable main character (young boy) doing heroic and adventurous things, being independent, and exhibiting creative problem solving. It's also simple enough that young readers can follow along and start to read them independently. The fact that each book focuses on a different country with lots of great educational tidbits about that country peppered throughout is a huge bonus.
There is an underlying subplot of these books wherein Jack is trying to discover what's happened to his older brother, 11 year old Max. His family has been told that Max (who also works for the GPF) has been accepted to a fancy boarding school in Switzerland but Jack knows it's all a farce. There is always some mention of the mission to find Max, and in I think two of the eight or so books we've read so far there have been clues found, but I would still say you don't necessarily need to read these in chronological order. Though ideally I would prefer to read them that way, we have skipped around a bit based on what the library has had available and it hasn't been a problem. When mentioning a clue found in a previous book, a thorough enough recap is given that you don't feel like you're missing anything.
March 28, 2018
The book I read is called Secret Agent Jack Stalwart The Quest For Aztec Gold the author is Elizabeth Singer Hunt. I really liked this book a lot because there is a lot of action. For example jack chases around a gang for quite some time just to try to get them away from the gold . The gang ended up getting arrested for trying to steal the gold. Jack gets hurt badly a couple of time once he fell down a cliff and couldn't hardly stand up. It is also a pretty quick read and a very good book I am looking forward to reading more books like this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2015
This book is really good. I recommend that you read it.
July 22, 2015
Boys loved this!
August 2, 2020
We picked this up as part of our Mexico and Aztec units and discussed how things we had read about in our research was being represented in fiction (and also if we learned anything new). I liked that there was a learning dossier at the beginning of the book and we had fun practising some Spanish phrases again. Miss 6 really enjoyed the adventure plot and insisted I read aloud the entire book in one sitting. It's a fun cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond with a 9 year old hero that uses both fun tools (like a hoverboard and teleporter) with such wisdom as patience, planning, and calling in the Police.
Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.
January 1, 2022
A search revealed I have previously read another if this series. There is enough exposition at the start of this to make the story work as a standalone or as part of the series.
The author does add a lot of historical fact and geography into the story. It is possible to learn things without realising you are from this story.
The language is suitable for a new reader and there aren't many words that might need help on (aside from place names). The plot is not the most complicated and all peril is usually resolved in a page or two.
The author does add a lot of historical fact and geography into the story. It is possible to learn things without realising you are from this story.
The language is suitable for a new reader and there aren't many words that might need help on (aside from place names). The plot is not the most complicated and all peril is usually resolved in a page or two.
October 14, 2020
I did read that book last time it was fun read this book its so nice
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2016
Good for engaging young boys in books:
'The Quest for Aztec Gold: Mexico' is my son's favourite (although there's a certain amount of fickleness following a re-read) from a collection of fourteen 'Secret Agent Jack Stalwart' stories. He really did love this series of books. The recommended age for the series is 7+, but I would suggest that any adult check the stories for suitability for their child (and I didn't): although the vocabulary is easily manageable by a fluent reader - and text large and clear, with sentences simply structured - some of the content is arguably contentious, with a certain amount of aggression and lack of sensitivity towards others evidenced in comments such as "kill 'em" and "shut your traps". Perhaps this is no worse than a PG version of the original A-Team TV series from the 1980s (which my son also loves) when stories (book, TV and film versions) were generally more innocent, and I didn't object then. Perhaps because girls generally respond indifferently to the violence, whereas boys tend to grab the nearest object that works as a weapon and start to re-enact what they have just experienced.
These are not stories to inspire perfect English writing from a technical perspective (syntaxes, vocabulary and grammar in particular - here OUP's Project X stories would be better), however the stories are full of adventure, touching on world geography, history and foreign languages; furthermore, each has a creative introduction with engaging images of gadgets, maps and character profiles that inspires conversation. I would imagine that most boys would love them, so this would certainly be a series to try for young boys who are less keen readers. Author Elizabeth Singer Hunt has a website with downloadable teacher guides for some of the books in the series. They use the stories to inspire readers to be creative in certain curriculum subjects, for instance designing their own gadgets in Art, and creating a pamphlet or PowerPoint presentation on a particular city in a Geography lesson.
'The Quest for Aztec Gold: Mexico' is my son's favourite (although there's a certain amount of fickleness following a re-read) from a collection of fourteen 'Secret Agent Jack Stalwart' stories. He really did love this series of books. The recommended age for the series is 7+, but I would suggest that any adult check the stories for suitability for their child (and I didn't): although the vocabulary is easily manageable by a fluent reader - and text large and clear, with sentences simply structured - some of the content is arguably contentious, with a certain amount of aggression and lack of sensitivity towards others evidenced in comments such as "kill 'em" and "shut your traps". Perhaps this is no worse than a PG version of the original A-Team TV series from the 1980s (which my son also loves) when stories (book, TV and film versions) were generally more innocent, and I didn't object then. Perhaps because girls generally respond indifferently to the violence, whereas boys tend to grab the nearest object that works as a weapon and start to re-enact what they have just experienced.
These are not stories to inspire perfect English writing from a technical perspective (syntaxes, vocabulary and grammar in particular - here OUP's Project X stories would be better), however the stories are full of adventure, touching on world geography, history and foreign languages; furthermore, each has a creative introduction with engaging images of gadgets, maps and character profiles that inspires conversation. I would imagine that most boys would love them, so this would certainly be a series to try for young boys who are less keen readers. Author Elizabeth Singer Hunt has a website with downloadable teacher guides for some of the books in the series. They use the stories to inspire readers to be creative in certain curriculum subjects, for instance designing their own gadgets in Art, and creating a pamphlet or PowerPoint presentation on a particular city in a Geography lesson.
July 29, 2014
it was the best book ever
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews