Thirteen-year-old Rob, a painfully shy wallflower, receives a series of mysterious text messages challenging him to leave his comfort zone as he tries to impress new student Destry Camberwick.

Twelve-year-old Ben, who aspires to be a police officer, struggles to do the right thing when his parents suddenly take him and his little sister "on vacation, " and he learns they took a large amount of money that was mistakenly deposited in their bank account.

Bick, Beck, Storm, and Tommy have one week to traverse the Australian Outback, locate Charlotte Badger and her pirate cronies, and find evidence to prove their parents innocent of stealing rare opals.

"Though Henry Khoo is twelve years old, he's still treated like a baby. He's forbidden from going anywhere without his sister/chaperone/bodyguard. And he definitely CAN'T take a journey halfway around the world all by himself! But that's exactly his plan. After his family's annual trip to visit his father in Singapore is canceled, Henry decides he doesn't want to be cooped up at home with his overprotective family and BFF turned NRFF (Not Really Friend...