Mark A. Cooper

Jason goes undercover in a juvenile detention facility to make friends with Andrew Cho whose father is part of a diabolical plan to get people hooked on drugs by putting them into a popular breakfast cereal. Once Jason has passed all of his tests with Cho's family, it is decided that he can be an asset to them, so Jason begins his undercover work to find out who is behind the drugs and how they can be stopped. Jason's efforts work almost too well, and it isn't long before he is on the run.

Revenge is a very problematic book. There are major issues with pacing and content. For a middle grade book, there are a large number of adult themes and ideas. Action and adventure dominate the story, but the inclusion of so much death is disturbing. Jason once again does amazing things, especially for someone his age, but as in the first book in the series, it would be so much better if Jason was aged up a few years to make the impossible seem a little more within the realm of believability. Overall, the story in Revenge is built on an absurd plot with underdeveloped and underage characters.… (more)

Jason Steed's mother died during childbirth and his father is a remote Naval officer who is never around. Rather than wallow in self-pity, Jason has made himself strong, resourceful, and resilient. At 5 years old, Jason begins martial arts training and becomes exceptional by the time he is 11. When he decides to use his skills to become part of a group called the Sea Cadets, he finds himself in a situation that takes him way beyond a simple training exercise.

Fledgling is the first book in the Jason Steed series. Although the story is exciting and filled with adventure, the book is quite problematic. Much of the dialogue is stilted and sounds unrealistic. The pacing of the story is way off as much of the meat of the plot happens toward the end of the book. In addition many of the situations in the story seem much too far-fetched to be believable. However, even with all of these issues, Fledgling manages to be an exciting read and an intriguing beginning to the Jason Steed series.… (more)

Jason Steed is the son of an officer in the Royal Navy, who he seldom sees and he is raised in Hong Kong by a nanny. On a trip to England when he is five, Jason goes to a ceremony at Buckingham Palace and saves Princess Catherine when she falls in a koi pond. After his return to Hong Kong, he becomes interested in martial arts and becomes adept in many forms. At age 10, he is sent to a prestigious boarding school in England, saves a boy from being bullied by beating them up, and becomes best friends with Scott. He also reconnects with Princess Catherine who attends a sister school. Jason joins the Sea Cadets and goes away to summer training camp. When a nearby mission by Royal Marines goes wrong, many Sea Cadets are killed, leaving Jason to save the day, utilizing his ability to speak Chinese, his experience in flight simulators, and his martial arts prowess, managing to rescue the captured marines and recover a cassette to avert war. Fun, but not as good as the Alex Rider books.… (more)