Christopher Cool
Encyclopedia
Christopher Cool: TEEN Agent was a series of children's novels produced between 1967 and 1969 by the Stratemeyer Syndicate
and published by Grosset & Dunlap
. While the author is given as Jack Lancer, this is actually a pseudonym for a ghostwriter
working for the Syndicate. In a 1989 interview published in Comics Interview #69, Jim Lawrence disclosed that he was the author of the series. Lawrence went on to write the long running newspaper strip adventures of James Bond
.
The series was created to capitalize on the marketing potential of the spy genre of the era. Six novels were published. The series pitted Christopher and other agents of TEEN against TOAD, an international criminal conspiracy.
Indian and Christopher's partner; Spice Carter, a student at Vassar University
; Yummi Toyama, a Japanese-American student at Berkley College, and Beauregard Tatum, an African-American student at Harvard.
The novels show the TEEN agents going to various foreign countries. As was typical of the spy genre of the time, they are outfitted with many spy gadgets.
Stratemeyer Syndicate
The Stratemeyer Syndicate was the producer of a number of mystery series for children, including Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift series, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others.- History :...
and published by Grosset & Dunlap
Grosset & Dunlap
Grosset & Dunlap is a United States book publisher founded in 1898.The company was purchased by G. P. Putnam's Sons in 1982 and today is part of the British publishing conglomerate, Pearson PLC through its American subsidiary Penguin Group....
. While the author is given as Jack Lancer, this is actually a pseudonym for a ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
working for the Syndicate. In a 1989 interview published in Comics Interview #69, Jim Lawrence disclosed that he was the author of the series. Lawrence went on to write the long running newspaper strip adventures of James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
.
The series was created to capitalize on the marketing potential of the spy genre of the era. Six novels were published. The series pitted Christopher and other agents of TEEN against TOAD, an international criminal conspiracy.
TEEN agents
Other members of TEEN include Geronimo Johnson, an ApacheApache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
Indian and Christopher's partner; Spice Carter, a student at Vassar University
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
; Yummi Toyama, a Japanese-American student at Berkley College, and Beauregard Tatum, an African-American student at Harvard.
The novels show the TEEN agents going to various foreign countries. As was typical of the spy genre of the time, they are outfitted with many spy gadgets.
The books
- X Marks the Spy (1967)
- Mission: Moonfire (1967)
- Department of Danger (1967)
- Ace of Shadows (1967)
- Heads You Lose (1968)
- Trial by Fury (1969)