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Small World Global Protection Agency #1
Down Under Thunder
Star athlete Josh and computer prodigy Madison are recruited by the mysterious Mr. Crux to attend a special summer camp. The two elementary school kids then begin the adventure of a lifetime. They discover that the Small World Global Protection Agency is a network of talented and skilled children in countries all over the world. Their mission is to help other kids and save the day when adults can’t.
Down Under Thunder, Case File: 001-B, is the thrilling conclusion to Josh and Madison’s first mission. They have teamed up with Mick and Kim to confront Record Producer Feeble Bix. Will they make it in time to save the world from his evil plan? To find out, they have to go from the city streets to the top of the Sydney Opera House!
The Small World Global Protection Agency is an adventure serial aimed at third through fifth grade readers. Each volume will take Josh and Madison to a different country. The stories will be entertaining, sometimes suspenseful, sometimes humorous. Each story will introduce facts about other countries and cultures, educating the reader through the eyes of children their own age while having fun.
Down Under Thunder, Case File: 001-B, is the thrilling conclusion to Josh and Madison’s first mission. They have teamed up with Mick and Kim to confront Record Producer Feeble Bix. Will they make it in time to save the world from his evil plan? To find out, they have to go from the city streets to the top of the Sydney Opera House!
The Small World Global Protection Agency is an adventure serial aimed at third through fifth grade readers. Each volume will take Josh and Madison to a different country. The stories will be entertaining, sometimes suspenseful, sometimes humorous. Each story will introduce facts about other countries and cultures, educating the reader through the eyes of children their own age while having fun.
17 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2011
96 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Mark Miller
66 books118 followersAfter spending almost 15 years in Florida, Mark has returned home to Kansas. He has achieved some success as a Kindle Best Seller and having one of his short stories selected as a winner in the Florida Writer's Association Short Story Collection.
Growing up in Kansas, Mark graduated from Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences and received his Bachelor's in Film from the University of Kansas.
Mark has written numerous novels, screenplays, short stories and digital series. Inspirational stories with positive messages are his goal with everything he writes.
Growing up in Kansas, Mark graduated from Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences and received his Bachelor's in Film from the University of Kansas.
Mark has written numerous novels, screenplays, short stories and digital series. Inspirational stories with positive messages are his goal with everything he writes.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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December 26, 2011The author of this short story (I actually read both "Volumes" 1 and 2, which together form a whole story; it was divided by the publisher because of its length, which is relatively long for short fiction, so I'm reviewing the two as a whole here), is a Goodreads friend of mine, and I got my copy (at my own request) as a gift from him. (He's also a brother Trestle Press author, which is why I refrain from rating the work.)
It should be stated at the outset that this is probably not the sort of kid's fiction that would also interest most adults. I liked Madison and Josh well enough; and I'd say that Miller does a good job of presenting some details of local color in his Australian setting (I've been to Australia and have family there, so I know something about this) and reproducing idiomatic Aussie speech, especially in Mick's dialogue. (Good on ya, mate!) And he handles his prose well. But by adult standards, the plot is shallow, and the premise and the villain fairly cartoonish. (That the SF elements --the Star Trek-style matter transporters and James Bondish gadgetry-- are "soft" science-fiction is no criticism in itself, but their role in the story is sometimes not the most plausible.) And despite the claim that in some instances kids can do jobs that adult agents can't, I don't see that as being true here.
All of that said, though, adults aren't the target audience here; kids are. And I could definitely see pre-teen kids eating this up with a spoon! The inherent wild implausibility of the premise won't bother them; kids often like to identify with child protagonists in heroic roles, and they tend to feel that they're more capable of handling difficult challenges than adults give them credit for. (Sometimes they actually are.) There are no objectionable language or sexual elements, or excessive violence, here that would disturb kids (or their parents). The physical and mental challenges the hero/heroine face are actually within the capability of smart kids with athletic and martial arts training to meet (of course, it helps that they're dealing with particularly cretinous and careless bad guys; otherwise, they'd be in more trouble :-) ). It's a nice touch that we have both a male and a female co-protagonist, to appeal to kid readers of both genders. And the discussion questions at the end are a plus, IMO. In short, I'd say this promises to be a series that could be quite popular with kids in this age bracket! The one operative question is whether the Kindle format is the optimum one for reaching this age group. Hopefully, the publisher will eventually bring these stories out in a paperback edition; school and children's librarians would definitely want to consider it in that event.
It should be stated at the outset that this is probably not the sort of kid's fiction that would also interest most adults. I liked Madison and Josh well enough; and I'd say that Miller does a good job of presenting some details of local color in his Australian setting (I've been to Australia and have family there, so I know something about this) and reproducing idiomatic Aussie speech, especially in Mick's dialogue. (Good on ya, mate!) And he handles his prose well. But by adult standards, the plot is shallow, and the premise and the villain fairly cartoonish. (That the SF elements --the Star Trek-style matter transporters and James Bondish gadgetry-- are "soft" science-fiction is no criticism in itself, but their role in the story is sometimes not the most plausible.) And despite the claim that in some instances kids can do jobs that adult agents can't, I don't see that as being true here.
All of that said, though, adults aren't the target audience here; kids are. And I could definitely see pre-teen kids eating this up with a spoon! The inherent wild implausibility of the premise won't bother them; kids often like to identify with child protagonists in heroic roles, and they tend to feel that they're more capable of handling difficult challenges than adults give them credit for. (Sometimes they actually are.) There are no objectionable language or sexual elements, or excessive violence, here that would disturb kids (or their parents). The physical and mental challenges the hero/heroine face are actually within the capability of smart kids with athletic and martial arts training to meet (of course, it helps that they're dealing with particularly cretinous and careless bad guys; otherwise, they'd be in more trouble :-) ). It's a nice touch that we have both a male and a female co-protagonist, to appeal to kid readers of both genders. And the discussion questions at the end are a plus, IMO. In short, I'd say this promises to be a series that could be quite popular with kids in this age bracket! The one operative question is whether the Kindle format is the optimum one for reaching this age group. Hopefully, the publisher will eventually bring these stories out in a paperback edition; school and children's librarians would definitely want to consider it in that event.
October 29, 2011
I enjoy sharing stuff to read with my younger kids. This is such a story. In fact this is something that besides being an enjoyable read is also educational, and we can all use a bit of that on occasion can’t we? I like the mix, and it fits right in, it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Mark Miller has introduced some nice characters, doesn’t speak down to a soul, and carries off a very difficult high wire act. That for me is a bargain at any price, this just happens to be $.99.
Check out what is inside:
“Another in the Trestle Press Digital Short Story Cliffhanger Series:
Star athlete Josh and computer prodigy Madison are recruited by the mysterious Mr. Crux to attend a special summer camp. The two elementary school kids then begin the adventure of a lifetime. They discover that the Small World Global Protection Agency is a network of talented and skilled children in countries all over the world. Their mission is to help other kids and save the day when adults can’t.
In Case File: 001-A, New Kids on the Rock, Josh and Madison start their adventure with the Global Protection Agency. Their first mission takes them to Australia to help teen pop singer Ja-Naya and discover what her evil manager, Feeble Bix is up to. Their counterparts, Mick and Kim, are ready for action as they head across the Outback.
The Small World Global Protection Agency is an adventure serial aimed at third through fifth grade readers. Each volume will take Josh and Madison to a different country. The stories will be entertaining, sometimes suspenseful, sometimes humorous. Each story will introduce facts about other countries and cultures, educating the reader through the eyes of children their own age while having fun.
Mark currently resides in Florida with his family. He strives to follow in the footsteps of his namesake, Mark Twain.
Mark’s father was a newspaper writer and editor for both the Kansas City Star and Kansan. Mark received his Bachelor’s Degree in Film from the University of Kansas. He has been influenced by great stories from C.S. Lewis, and Tolkien and Star Wars.
Mark is the author of The Empyrical Tales. Book I: The Fourth Queen and Book II: The Lost Queen are available now. Book III: The Secret Queen is coming Spring 2012. Mark is also the creator of the spiritual eBook series “Mark Miller’s One”. The first story, “Meant To Be”, tells how he met his wife.
Mark believes being a father of four makes him uniquely qualified to write his stories. He also has spent time in the classroom with third, fourth and fifth graders.”
May 31, 2012
The first thing to say about this is that I am not sure about this marketing plan. This selection only cost $0.99, but it is only one chapter's worth of story. The second thing to say is that, in general, I am not a fan of short stories I just get into them - and they are over.
Now, for the story (I can't quite refer to it as a book, since it really isn't). The premise is interesting, but there isn't nearly enough development for me. So far, everyone seems like a stereotype, from the kid-jock and the other kid-computer geek to the threatening-secret agent, the out-back-kid, the nondescript out-back girl place-holder, the aboriginal jeep driver, and quite a few other minor characters. For such a short excerpt, there just isn't enough of a hook there. I can't really care about any of the characters yet - and the problem has just barely started.
It is an interesting idea and it may appeal to its target audience - middle grade kids who like action and adventure, but I will need to debate with myself long and hard, before I commit too much to it. There are so many good books out there. But I am a sucker for things that have to do with geography and, in this instance, Australia, so who knows, maybe I will try at least the rest of this story.
Now, for the story (I can't quite refer to it as a book, since it really isn't). The premise is interesting, but there isn't nearly enough development for me. So far, everyone seems like a stereotype, from the kid-jock and the other kid-computer geek to the threatening-secret agent, the out-back-kid, the nondescript out-back girl place-holder, the aboriginal jeep driver, and quite a few other minor characters. For such a short excerpt, there just isn't enough of a hook there. I can't really care about any of the characters yet - and the problem has just barely started.
It is an interesting idea and it may appeal to its target audience - middle grade kids who like action and adventure, but I will need to debate with myself long and hard, before I commit too much to it. There are so many good books out there. But I am a sucker for things that have to do with geography and, in this instance, Australia, so who knows, maybe I will try at least the rest of this story.
May 31, 2012
So, yeah, I did read the second part of this adventure - just for completeness' sake and I stand by my earlier review. The characters are stereotypes, the adventure is predictable, the writing is straightforward and not especially compelling. This might be redeemed, if some of the other promised elements were worthwhile, but the geography is even faulty. If you land at Uluru, it is around 1,778 MILES to Sydney. You can't expect to cover this much territory in one nap (the drive to Sydney) or one brief conversation (the drive back from Sydney). And, there is very little water along the way, so the chances of meeting that crocodile are pretty slim.
Sigh. I will try something else.
Sigh. I will try something else.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews