After their hair-raising, time-traveling adventure in Professor Atlas and the Summoning Dagger, Tyler Gerard and his best friend, Brandon Giles, thought they'd seen everything. In Professor Atlas and the Jewel of Enlightenment, though, Tyler and Brandon quickly learn that the excitement is far from over. They, along with Professor Fielding Atlas, soon find themselves on a mission to retrieve an ancient mystical jewel that is thought to endow remarkable powers on its holder. To accomplish their task, they must infiltrate the Tiger of Alecto, a sect populated by a group of bloodthirsty extremists. Leading the Tiger of Alecto is the murderous Vijay Verma, a remorseless killer who will stop at nothing to achieve his hateful goals. The new journey is, of course, filled with narrow escapes and heart-pounding action, but such things seem to be typical of life with Professor Atlas!

PAUL MAGUIRE lives with his wife and three children in New York City, a place he has called home since 1990. After working on the New York Stock Exchange for more than two decades, he decided to shift gears dramatically and pursue his lifelong dream of writing. He started with Professor Atlas and the Summoning Dagger, the adventure story about two boys who join up with their hero, renowned explorer Professor Fielding Atlas, and embark on a roller-coaster ride of fun and excitement. Maguire's next book was Kid in Chief, a beginning chapter book reader's story about a third-grader who finds himself sitting in the Oval Office. Maguire followed up with Professor Atlas and the Jewel of Enlightenment, the second installment in what he hopes will be a long series.