Agent Z facts for kids
Agent Z is a fictitious character in a series of four comical children's books written by British author Mark Haddon, better known for his 2003 novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. In the first published versions of the books Haddon also did the artwork for the covers and a number of illustrations inside (the cover pictures were changed for later editions). The Agent Z series is set in the present day in an unnamed British city.
- Agent Z Meets the Masked Crusader (1993)
- Agent Z Goes Wild (1994)
- Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars (1995)
- Agent Z and the Killer Bananas (2001)
Agent Z is not an actual living person in the books but a 'front' used by three schoolboys, Ben, Barney and Jenks, who have been friends for years, and who also call themselves the Crane Grove Crew. The mission of Agent Z is to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting and the deserving in a battle against boredom. The missions take the form of practical jokes, and with the culprits usually leaving a Z mark (like Zorro) on the scene of the prank. The Crane Grove Crew have their own secret base in a boarded-up, derelict park-keeper's cottage on the edge of the park near where they live. With a few exceptions that emerge in the stories, no-one knows of the identity of Agent Z, and the boys say they have made a pledge of secrecy never to reveal the identity of Agent Z.
In 1996 Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars was adapted for television by the BBC.
Contents
Main characters
The three main characters are 12-year-old boys.
- Ben Simpson, the only child of Trevor and Jane Simpson, living in Crane Grove. The 'handsome' one of the Crew. Ben is always day-dreaming, and the adventure stories are interspersed with Ben's wild fantasies. He says that his mum reckons that his "fertile imagination" is an indication that he'll grow up to be a writer or artist.
- Barney Hall, an only son, living with his parents. Overweight, the brains of the crew, treated by teachers with respect due to his intellect. Has the ability to wrap adults around his little finger by means of flattery.
- Ian "Jenks" Jenkinson, with so many brothers and sisters that one can't remember how many there are.
Secondary characters
- Trevor Simpson, Ben’s dad; a practical sort; confesses to having been a bully in his school years; relieves his boredom by listening to Elvis Presley and Rock 'n’ Roll music in a shed at the bottom of the garden, and attends Rock 'n’ Roll nights at the local pub.
- Jane Simpson, Ben's mum, relieves her boredom by watching TV soap-operas, eating chocolate liqueurs, and attending night classes at various times in various subjects: Life-drawing, history, Spanish, Turkish… The brains and disciplinarian of the family.
- Fisty Morgan, the school bully, “shaving already at the age of 8”, bullies children out of their lunch money, lets everyone know that his father is in prison and that he comes from a rough neighbourhood. He stays clear of the Crew ever since he found out that they found out that he in fact comes from a wealthy family, lives in a smart house and that he is mollycoddled by his parents, his mother calling him ‘poppit’.
- Mrs. Block, the headmistress at the school attended by the members of the Crew; known by everyone as ‘Breezeblock’.
- Badger, the Simpson family dog, an Old English sheepdog, already very old, deaf, half-bald and with breath that smells of rotting Brussels sprouts.
Agent Z secret code language
The Crane Grove Crew use a secret code language known as Pig Latin, which involves simply shifting the first letter from every word and then adding that letter to a suffix 'ay' that follows the word: Thus, the word ‘Ready’ becomes ‘Eady-ray’; ‘Done’ becomes ‘One-day’ and ‘Yes’ becomes ‘Es-yay’, etc.
Agent Z and British culture
The Agent Z books are set in Britain, and the language and 'lifeworld' understandably make no allowances for any international readers. Thus the books are scattered with references to British culture that can prove problematic to anyone from elsewhere. On the other hand, contemporary British culture contains plenty of borrowings from American popular culture, of super-heroes and action movies (the books contain references to, for instance, Star Trek). The adventures of Agent Z might be said to follow a tradition of children's adventure stories first popularised in UK with the writings of Enid Blyton, such as The Famous Five books.
Images for kids
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Book cover for Agent Z Goes Wild
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Cover for Agent Z and the Penguin From Mars
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Book cover for Agent Z and the Killer Bananas
A selection of references to British culture in the Agent Z books: Sainsbury’s; Tescos; the Co-op; Arsenal; The Brownies; "knocked for six"; "playing Oranges and Lemons"; "half-chewed Penguin"; "robbing Barclays"; Horse of the Year Show; "sent back to Dartmoor"; "FA Cup Final"; "Match of the Day"; ICI; Max Bygraves.
