Secret Agent Jack Stalwart Book 1: The Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur

My 11-year-old reluctant reader can read at grade level, but hates to, and his comprehension isn't always great due to some language processing delays. These books are the only ones he'll willingly read. His comprehension is fantastic with these, and there are PLENTY of opportunities to expand vocabulary. He reads aloud to me so I know whether he's "getting it." We pause often to check comprehension and to be certain he is following the sometimes fast-paced action (fast-paced for elementary school), and he nearly always can follow it. There is danger, adventure, and a dose of learning about people, geography, and science skillfully woven in so that he doesn't even know he's learning. These books really should be getting way more attention in the US than they are. And don't worry, there aren't a lot of UK spellings to confuse early readers (at least not in the 2 we've read so far). In fact, I'm pretty sure there aren't any. Perhaps these are US editions. Either way, they are fun for action-driven kids. There are lots of gadgets, a gadget guide, maps, and engaging plots. One library website lists this as Lexile score 750. I would love to find more info on reading level for all the books in the series. There are challenging words and phrasing - enough to make it educational, but not so much that it feels like work (else my son would be reluctant to read it). The books are a non-intimidating length, but still chapter books. The chapters run from 4 pages to 9; also not intimidating. I highly recommend these, and hope they sell well so that they will stay in the market long enough for us to get through them all!

My 7yr old son loves this book. He gets extremely excited with every chapter he finishes. What really impresses me about this book is how much my son is able to retain. A lot of what he reads at this age he immediately forgets - he's reading it for sure (I make him read out loud) - he simply doesn't retain it. The Jack Stalwart books, for some reason, he retains. That's a huge plus in my opinion.

This was just the right book to get my son interested in reading. He's always wanted to read books much older than his level, but gets lost too quickly and looses interest fast. This was just the right level to get him engaged yet still feel like he was reading a book comparable to his older siblings. But I would recommend having quick access to the second book - not because it's a cliff-hanger, but because the desire to keep reading is intense! :)

I give this four stars only because my six year-old son has gained so much from this series. The Jack Stalwart books are a great way to engage children in reading. The language is simple, the stories are interesting, and the book format is easy for children to handle and read. However, after reading through four Jack Stalwart books (specifically, Books 7, 8, 9, and 11), Book 1 was a *huge* disappointment. The other books we read had lots of implausible gadgets and situations, but at least they were realistic. The science in Book 1 is so implausible, it's mere magic. Children really shouldn't be exposed to such nonsense unless it's made clear that the story is about magic. Anyway, we remain big fans of Jack Stalwart books, but we can't recommend Book 1. Book 8 is our favorite so far.

My 8 year old found this book in a second hand store, purchased it and loved it. So when we needed a gift for a book exchange for school he picked this one. Plus I have purchased books 2-9 for him for Christmas presents. He is going to love them. And his little brother will too in a year or two.

I ordered this for my DGS as he finished second grade. He really enjoyed it, and asked me for the second in the series, so naturally I am now buying the entire series for him. As he finishes one, I order the next. I especially like that it encourages a love of reading in him, and that each book is set in a different country also helping him to broaden his horizons as he builds his reading skills.

Magical, fun, and an inspiration to a child,s imaginatio: a magic globe, a wall map of the world you can vanish into and arrive with a mission in a popular city in a country afar, and in this case, reclaim the dog within the dinosaur . I read it as a means of extra connection to my grandson, and will continue to read more titles in this series to keep up with him.

My 7 year old loved this book and thought it was Neat that Chapter one of the 2nd book was included. He reads about 20 minutes a day and most of the time it's more like a chore to him. It started out the same way with this book but about 3/4 of the way he was hooked and read the entire book as well as Chapter one into the 2nd book. He immediately asked if he could get the 2nd book since this one was a gift during Christmas. I love that I found a Chapter Book for him that he's looking forward to, ordered Books 2 and 3 and hoping that it keeps his interest.