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Secret Agent Jack Stalwart #11
The Theft of the Samurai Sword: Japan
Sacred Japanese treasures are being stolen, and Jack must investigate. Can he defeat the shady geisha Madame Minori and her band of ninja thieves?
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 7, 2021
Nine year old secret agent Jack Stalwart is called to action (in Japan) when 4 different priceless Japanese treasures, including an ancient katana, are stolen in the same night! 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 these ancient artifacts are lost forever!
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 deals with someone trying to poison Jack by serving him poisonous fugu (pufferfish), and then talking about "cleaning up his body later." 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 eleventh 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 deals with someone trying to poison Jack by serving him poisonous fugu (pufferfish), and then talking about "cleaning up his body later." So just a word of warning to those who may not want their kids exposed to things like that yet.
************
This is the eleventh 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 24, 2012
This would be a great book for a 2nd - 4th grade boy who is a reluctant reader. Although the writing is watery, the cool gadgets and adventures will keep boys interested in this James Bond type adventure. Didn't care for the anime-type illustrations, nonetheless a great way to introduce various places around the world to young kids.
May 11, 2014
pranav loved it....like cid
January 3, 2016
This book was interesting because it was about Japanese culture
July 19, 2015
I thought this book was awesome! Just make sure you read it after book #10.
May 23, 2016
Very entertaining
October 19, 2016
Amazing story!
I liked all of the description, the action and how the story took place. It was a very a a
I liked all of the description, the action and how the story took place. It was a very a a
June 12, 2019
My seven-year old loved this. We read it together, then moved straight onto another book in the series as soon as we finished. The protagonist is a nine-year-old boy and the book is full of action and gadgets. What more could you want?
I would recommend this series for kids between 6 and 9.
One point to note: each book is a story in its own right and can be read as such out of order (we are). However, there is a sub-plot involving the older brother which would work best if they are read in order (I think older kids in that age range would prefer this).
I would recommend this series for kids between 6 and 9.
One point to note: each book is a story in its own right and can be read as such out of order (we are). However, there is a sub-plot involving the older brother which would work best if they are read in order (I think older kids in that age range would prefer this).
September 16, 2020
Miss 6 thought it was okay. She liked the wax statue powder.
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.
November 26, 2019
Oversimplified use of language but the story was engaging and I know my 7 year old will love it.
July 8, 2025
My 8 year old is loving this series. This one seemed a bit more stereotypical than the others and the ninjas are rather ridiculously poor at fighting, but it's still a good, fun book.
June 2025
June 2025
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews