SECRET AGENT JACK STALWART: TEACHER S GUIDE Book Three: The Mystery of the Mona Lisa By Elizabeth Singer Hunt Join Jack Stalwart an ordinary kid by day and secret agent by night as he thwarts evil all over the world while searching for his missing brother, Max. In his third adventure, Jack discovers that the Mona Lisa, the world s most famous painting, has been stolen and it is up to the GPF s finest agent to find it. Can Jack navigate the streets and museums of Paris in time to save the invaluable painting before it s lost forever? PRE-READING: Before beginning chapter one, read the informational section about France. What city will Jack visit in this adventure? Name the famous artifact mentioned in this section. How old is it and where is it kept? Did you learn anything else interesting about it? DISCUSSION GUIDE: 1. With what event does the story open? Who reported the Mona Lisa as missing? 2. What did Jack find on the museum s floor? How is this an important clue? 3. Who is Jean Paul? What does Jack learn from his description of the crook? 4. Who does is Denis Dupré? Describe his attitude towards Jack s questions. Why do you think he acts this way? 5. How does Jack discover who Carl Ponte is? What does he specialize in? How does this help him steal the Monet painting? 6. What do Jack and Henri find in the van? Where did they come from? Discuss how they are all similar. How do you think they got there. 7. Describe Carl s attempts to thwart Jack. How does Jack escape them? What tool does Jack use to capture Carl? In the end, why do you think Jack spares his life? Ages 6-9 Grades 1-3 978-1-60286-001-8 $4.99 / 128 pp 8. Why does Carl say he steals art? How much is Carl going to receive from Denis Dupré for his crimes? How much is Monsieur Dupré going to receive for the Mona Lisa? Do you think this is fair? Explain why or why not. 9. What does the word invaluable mean? What makes something invaluable? Do you think that art is invaluable? 10. Name the famous places Jack visits in Paris. Which would you like to visit?
Art: Paris is home to many museums and famous works of art. In this story Jack must save one of the most important paintings in the world, the Mona Lisa. Turn to page 71 in the book and read about the painting. Now, be creative and color your own Mona Lisa in the box below.
Math: The Eiffel Tower is one of the tallest structures in the world. But how tall is it? Look at the chart below to learn how tall these buildings really are and where they are located. Eiffel Tower Sears Tower Petronas Twin Towers Empire State Building Name of Building Country City Height (in feet) Eiffel Tower France Paris 1,063 Sears Tower United States Chicago 1,730 Petronas Twin Towers Malaysia Kuala Lumpur 1,486 Empire State Building United States New York 1,472 Now make a bar graph in the space below. Starting with the tallest, draw a bar for each of the five buildings heights. Discuss your results. 1,800 1,700 1,600 1,500 1,400 1,300 1,200 1,100 1,000
Geography: Look at the map of Paris and locate the sites where Jack went with an X. Discuss which places you would like to visit and map your route.
History: Using an online database like Encarta or Wikipedia, research one of the following artists and create a presentation about what you have learned. Be sure to talk about the years during which they lived, what country they are from, and what kind of art they are known for. Leonardo Da Vinci Claude Monet Auguste Rodin Frida Kahlo This guide was created by Emily Wilkinson at Weinstein Books, the publisher of the Secret Agent Jack Stalwart series and other books for children. For other Teacher s Guides or to lean more about Jack Stalwart, please visit: www.weinsteinbooks.com & www.jackstalwart.com
SECRET AGENT JACK STALWART: A Young Readers Series By Elizabeth Singer Hunt BOOK ONE: THE ESCAPE OF THE DEADLY DINOSAUR Destination: NYC, USA In this first book of this new adventure series, an eager young scientist has brought to life a dangerous flesheating dinosaur by crossing its DNA with that of his pet dog, Freddie. Can Secret Agent Jack Stalwart capture the dinosaur before it destroys New York City? SEPTEMBER, 2007; 978-1-60286-004-9; $4.99; 128pp BOOK TWO: THE SEARCH FOR THE SUNKEN TREASURE Destination: AUSTRALIA In the second book of this new adventure series, a diver has vanished from the Great Barrier Reef, along with an unknown treasure from the wreck of the HMS Pandora. Can Secret Agent Jack Stalwart find the diver and defeat a deadly band of pirates before they sail away with the treasure forever? SEPTEMBER, 2007; 978-1-60286-002-5; $4.99; 128pp BOOK THREE: THE MYSTERY OF THE MONA LISA Destination: FRANCE In the third book of this new adventure series, The Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the world, has been stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris. Can Secret Agent Jack Stalwart find it before an evil thief takes it out of the country, never to be seen again? NOVEMBER, 2007; 978-1-60286-001-8; $4.99; 128pp BOOK FOUR: THE CAPER OF THE CROWN JEWELS Destination: ENGLAND In the fourth book of this new adventure series, some of England s most prized possessions, the Crown Jewels, have been stolen from the Tower of London. Can Secret Agent Jack Stalwart triumph in his battle against a master magician to save the jewels before they go missing? JANUARY, 2008; 978-1-60286-013-1; 44.99; 128pp To know more about the JACK STALWART series, visit Jack online at: www.jackstalwart.com or www.weinsteinbooks.com or email Emily.Wilkinson@weinsteinco.com