Jonathan W. Stokes Books In Order

Publication Order of Addison Cooke Books

Publication Order of The Thrifty Guides to History Books

Jonathan W. Stokes is bestselling American author of Children’s, History and Humor and Comedy novels. Apart from book writing, Stokes is also a screenwriter living in Los Angeles and has written for Universal, Paramount, Fox, Sony, New Line and Warner Brother. Stokes is also a screenwriter, director, and a producer. He is the man behind ValueWiki which was purchased by Wikia in 2010.

The author graduated from Weston High School and later joined Claremont Colleges where he majored in Philosophy. The author’s screenplay, El Gringo, produced by Joel Silver was released in 2012. Stokes has also written scripts for assignment for Jeremy Renner, Hugh Jackman, and Will Smith as well as director-producer, Ridley Scott. Warner Brothers acquired his script Murders and Acquisitions in 2011. The author is the only screenwriter who has had his screenplays featured more than three times in three years on the Black List. The Black List is an annual study of Hollywood executives’ favorite screenplays. Stokes also wrote and directed The Last Hurrah a film that features Zack Bennett, Valerie Azynn, Ravi Patel, Kate Micucci, and Randy Wayne which was released in 2010. The author also wrote and directed several other short films like, Men, Interrupted which features Janina Gavankar, Zack Bennett, Jelynn Rodriguez, and Ravi Patel.

Stokes also created ValueWiki.com in 2006 alongside with his high school good friend Zach Greenberger. The finance wiki grew over 200,000 articles which covered stocks and funds from worldwide stock exchanges. It was purchased by Wikia in 2010 in a stock and cash deal.

Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas

This is the first novel in Addison Cooke series by Jonathan W. Stokes. The book introduces, a fine talking, refined 12-year-old Addison Cooke a lover of adventure especially when it involves using his intensive knowledge of archaeology and history, learned from his uncle and aunt, both world-renowned researchers and if that experience involves Arnold Palmer on the rocks and neatly, carefully knotted Windsor tie the better.

Luck for Addison, epic adventures has a way of finding the Cookes, after his uncle discovers an ancient Incan clue that is required to find a lost treasure. His uncle is kidnapped by the members of an evil organization which has an intention of stealing the hidden treasures. As a specialist in Incan ancient traditions, Addison’s uncle is the evil gang key to deciphering the ancient clues and finding the treasure, unless Addison and his good friends can decipher the clues first, outsmart the kidnappers and retrieve the treasure before the kidnappers. So it is off to Peru, across the Amazon, then to Machu Picchu in a journey to recover the riches and learn more about the ancient history.

If you have ever watched The Goonies, a 1985 American adventure comedy movie directed by Richard Donner, then you will find this far more appealing than the film in the best possible way. Since Jonathan W. Stokes is a screenwriter, it fits that his first novel is well plotted. Unlike other adventurous books, this book does not waste any time and gets the readers off to the adventure from the first page to the last as it is sharply written. The characters featured in the story are memorable ones like those of the classic films like Stand By Me and The Goonies.

The story is brilliant, full of compulsive adventure, lots of humor and history. We follow Addison, an amusing bookworm with an unusual perspective on life, and his happy gang of school friends on a journey through Columbian-Cathedral trap, to the infested waters of the Amazon jungle and later to Machu Picchu in search of an Incan treasure. Not only is Stokes writing hilarious and captivating, but also each character is uniquely crafted, and the overall message of the power of positive thinking and self-believe resonates strongly especially with the main character, Addison. Addison is featured as a character with unfading optimism even in the moments of imminent demise or carnage (be it a booby-trapped cave or a hungry Cayman in the waters of Amazon Jungle) and this brings in an interesting interpretation and also a point of difference when compared with many other young adult adventure fiction. The plot moves steadily while the writing is comprehensive and never overbearing; it is perfect for history buffs, school kids or those in need of an undemanding escapade.

Addison Cooke and the Tomb of Khan

Indiana Jones meets The Goonies in the second installment of this laugh-out-loud adventurous series. Fresh off of a successful treasure hunt and a rescue mission in the jungles of South America, but Addison just cannot seem to steer clear of the pesky booby traps, the rogue bandits, and the hidden treasure troves, but it is way better than sitting idle in school all day.

On the other hand, Addison’s Uncle and Aunt are not too happy with their habits of attracting kidnappers. When they find themselves victims in a deadly gang’s plan to steal a highly prized possession of a notorious and lethal Mongolian Genghis Khan, Addison and his gang of school friends soon find themselves again in the midst of a multi-billion international heist. Armed with nothing but their skills and thirst for adventure, Addison, and his friends travel across Asia to attempt to save his family and stop the precious treasure from falling into the hands of the wrong people. Full of round-the-clock tons of laughter and action, Addison Cooke and the Tomb of the Khan is a perfect dessert for the fans of Ancient History, Indiana Jones, and James Peterson’s Treasure Hunter series.

The author has combined the action displaying the heroic courage of Indiana Jones with some genuine archaeological mystery with an addition of cinematic scope to the story. Addison, even though a teenage boy is courageous, brave and prefers the epic adventures instead of spending his entire day in a classroom. However, his lead is most threatened and thus developing a constant tension throughout this narrative. It is evidently clear that Stokes experience in writing screenplays and directing films contributed significantly to writing Addison Cooke series. If you fancy children’s books with lots of adventures then Addison Cooke is the ideal novel for you.