Operation – serie

A class clown and brainiac cook up the ultimate operation when they swap identities at their elementary school in this laugh-out-loud funny graphic novel, perfect for fans of Cat Ninja, Dog Man, and Big Nate. Nick’s a straight-A student. Sy’s a class clown.But when they start at a new school, misunderstandings cause everyone to think Nick’s the class clown and Sy’s the brainiac. Eager to fit in, they make a pact: Nick will teach Sy how to be a convincing brainiac, and Sy will help Nick pose as a jokester. But the two soon learn it’s not easy to fake your way through fifth grade, and the longer their charade goes on, the harder it is to come clean. When the two impostors meet a girl with a secret of her own, the three form an unlikely friendship that challenges everything they thought they knew about what it means to “be yourself.”This debut graphic novel series by cartoonist Tate Godwin is teeming with fun, hijinks, and embracing who you are—and all the many facets of what makes up your identity.“Charming and colorful and cleverly told. Operation Cover-Up is full of humor and characters that any kid can relate to!” — John Patrick Green, New York Times bestselling author of the InvestiGATORS series“Featuring a lively, nonstop narrative arc and precise pastel cartoon art, this humorous graphic novel conveys complex truths about loyalty, identity, and honesty. Godwin employs a split screen–style format early on as Sy and Nick embark on parallel storylines that eventually converge—an inspired way to introduce the protagonists and to help readers realize that everyone, no matter how outwardly confident, feels self-doubt and uncertainty. Hilarious, perceptive, and thoughtful—just like its protagonists.” — Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review “The kids’ world bursts with vibrant color that brings the characters and their surroundings to life with dynamic, youthful exuberance. Playful banter and touching moments of self-discovery showcase the challenges of navigating adolescence—and the importance of having a friend to do it with.” — Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

At the end of the Malayan Emergency Jason Rance visits the orang asli hill tribes in Malaya and only the skill of a Gurkha saves him from being killed by four poisoned blowpipe darts.

The story of what would become the tipping point of the Malayan Emergency in favour of the security forces is retold against a background of events in Moscow, Darjeeling, Delhi and Calcutta, where senior communist party members plot to infiltrate Gurkha units and destabilise Malaya.

In 1938 Malaya, a young English boy named Jason Rance rescues Siu Tse, a Chinese girl, from a vicious assault. Their paths diverge before she learns his name, leaving her to idolise the memory of her unknown saviour. Fast forward to 1953, and the height of the Malayan Emergency, where tensions and conflicts engulf the region. Siu Tse discovers she is pregnant by a British officer who is planning to join the Malayan Communist Party. In the process of defecting, he is tracked down and killed by British security forces. Misinformed and believing a ‘Jason Rance’, an officer in a Gurkha batallion, to be responsible, Siu Tse is consumed by a burning desire for vengeance. Unaware of their past connection, she is prepared to join the communist guerrillas to seek her revenge. In this complex tapestry of loyalty, betrayal and unresolved pasts, the paths of Jason Rance – saviour or foe – and Siu Tse – lover or avenger – are destined to cross again. Operation Hunter is the ninth in a series of books involving Gurkha military units that may be read in any order. The author, JP Cross, a retired Gurkha colonel, old ‘jungle hand’ and counter-insurgency expert, draws on real events he witnessed during his time fighting in the Malayan Emergency.

Throughout the Operation series, which currently extends to ten novels, Jason Rance and Ah Fat’s lifelong bond is central to British and Gurkha success in the postwar Malayan Emergency and Indonesian Confrontation. Fluent in English, Chinese and Malay, their shared upbringing and intertwined family histories forge an unbreakable connection. In this prequel to the series, spanning three generations from the 1860s to the 1930s, Rance and Ah Fat’s ancestors take centre stage. From a dying queen in Abyssinia and a big-game hunt in Nepal to tin mining and triad conflicts in Malaya, the story of Rance and Ah Fat’s parents and grandparents unfolds against a rich and complex backdrop. These disparate threads – encompassing tea planters in Darjeeling, Chinese coolies in the Great War, and even attempted murder in Singapore – culminate in a remarkable final mission that only a young Rance and Ah Fat can undertake. Operation Link is the tenth in a series of books involving Gurkha military units that may be read in any order. The author, JP Cross, a retired Gurkha colonel, old ‘jungle hand’ and counter-insurgency expert, draws on real events he witnessed during his time fighting in the Malayan Emergency.