• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7
• Reading age: 9 to 12

Adam has a good life in Buffalo: great parents, a cute girlfriend, adequate grades. He's not the best at anything, but he's not the worst either. He secretly lusts after Vanessa, the hottest girl in school, and when his dead grandfather's will stipulates that he go on a mission to France, Adam figures he might just have a chance to impress Vanessa and change his life from good to great. When he gets to France, he discovers he has not one but three near-impossible tasks before him. He also discovers a dark and shameful episode from his grandfather's past, something Adam is supposed to make amends for. But how can he do that when he barely speaks the language and his tasks become more and more dangerous? Despite the odds, Adam finds a way to fulfill his grandfather's wishes and, in the process, become worthy of bearing his name.

Adam's adventures start in Separated, part of The Seven Prequels and continue in Double You, part of The Seven Sequels.

Shane Peacock is a novelist, playwright, journalist, and television screenwriter. His first book was a biography of the spectacular Canadian personality “The Great Farini,” his plays have been produced by the acclaimed 4th Line Theatre, and his documentaries have included Team Spirit, aired on the CTV national network. His best-selling series for young adults, The Boy Sherlock Holmes, has been published in ten countries in twelve languages and has found its way onto more than forty shortlists. It won, among other honors, the prestigious Violet Downey Award, The Arthur Ellis Award for crime fiction, the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Award, a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Gold Medal, the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction and The Libris Award. Each novel was also named a Junior Library Guild of America Premier Selection. The Ottawa Citizen said of the series, “More than just right, dazzlingly right for teen readers, is a new series by Ontario writer Shane Peacock. The vitality of Peacock’s creation of Sherlock is so inspired it feels like the writer is possessed, channeling Sherlock’s spirit.”

Shane Peacock's profile page

• Commended, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Quick Picks

"Perfect for reluctant readers, especially male readers who are ready for some mystery and adventure along with an easy to take dose of classic literature and art."

TriState YA Book Review Committee

"The way that Peacock moved the story along was wonderfully unexpected. He didn't reveal too much or too little in any one place...Together with the other books, these make a great series."

YALSA YA Galley Teen Review

"This novel certainly succeeds in motivating readers to continue the series, and discover the assignments given to the other cousins...The adventure elements and the French history hit the target."

Resource Links

"[The] adventures are exciting and readers will be anxious to pick up the next book in the series. Great for middle grade boys who want realistic fiction with action and suspense."

NJ Youth Services

"The missions [Adam is] assigned are amusing and suspenseful...An unusual tale."

Kirkus Reviews

"Part mystery and part adventure, Last Message is a fantastic and thrilling page-turner that is a perfect antidote to the glut of paranormal romance and Hunger Games-esque science fiction that have been flooding the shelves...This series is going to be very popular with older elementary and younger high-school audiences, particularly boys. Last Message is a great crossover series from junior to teen collections, and it would be well-suited to either category. Readers that are fond of action and adventure series like Alex Rider or Young James Bond will find something to like in this series. The "Seven" series is a must-purchase for public and school libraries that are looking to add more action and adventure stories to their collections for older children and teens. Highly Recommended."

CM Magazine