Nathaniel Wyckoff
Author of the Peretz Family Adventures Series
Author of the Peretz Family Adventures Series
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The Chronicles of Simon Mendez
A Time for Vengeance
Most people fear the Spanish Inquisition. Simon Mendez will make the Inquisition fear him.
Pretending to be Catholic, the Mendez family secretly practices their Jewish faith. Their trick works until the Inquisition captures Simon’s father and sentences him to death.
Outraged, 17-year-old Simon is determined to rescue his father before he’s burned at the stake. To do it, he’ll have to take on the overwhelming power of the Inquisition.
Simon’s sure he’s got what it takes. From his secret base in the forest, Simon will strike back hard against the Inquisition’s troops and their allies. He’ll use whatever weapons he has to protect his family.
But at night, he is haunted by dreams of a holy ancestor, who urges him to seek a different kind of revenge – physical violence may not be the best way to fight back.
The Inquisition’s informants and allies are everywhere. Everybody is after Simon, eager to see both him and his father burn. It’s only a matter of time before the Inquisition tracks him down.
Join Simon Mendez in an epic battle that will grip you until the very end.
Available at Amazon.com.
Peretz Family Adventures
Book 1: Yaakov the Pirate Hunter
Buried treasure, old-school pirates, and an international race against time will make this summer vacation a thrill to remember.
When the Peretz kids discover a mysterious map inside their family’s robot, there’s no telling where it may lead. Digging up a box of priceless gems in the Mojave Desert is a fun way to spend a hot afternoon, but returning a billionaire’s stolen loot is no simple feat.
Yaakov Peretz and the others will have to get past Pete Weasel and his pirate gang. And even if they do, they’ll soon learn that foiling a bunch of thieving pirates is just the beginning.
Yaakov will have to put together the clues, and gather all of the wit and grit that he can muster, to stop a dangerous crook before it’s too late.
Available at Amazon.com.
"The story, itself, moves along at a cracking pace and will be easy to read for any middle grade reader. It is a marvellous story that all children will find entertaining and enjoyable." --Susan Day, Author/Illustrator of Astro's Adventures
Book 2: Yaakov and the Treasures of Timna Valley
Summer is almost over, but the heat is suddenly rising for Yaakov Peretz and his family.
A neighborhood bully and another shady character are planning something sneaky at a Southern California airshow.
Yaakov knows. He overhead them plotting. And it’s time to take matters into his own hands.
But soon his hands are really tied! Before they know it, the Peretzes find themselves hostage to a mysterious stranger known only as “Raul,” a man with something more devious up his sleeve.
Escaping capture is only the beginning. Yaakov and family soon uncover Raul’s conspiracy to wreak disaster in Israel’s Timna Valley Park, the site of King Solomon’s ancient copper mines.
The stakes are high! Yaakov will take nothing lying down. In a daring race against time, he’ll plunge into unfamiliar territory, battling live and robotic foes and more to defeat this evil scheme.
Available at Amazon.com.
A neighborhood bully and another shady character are planning something sneaky at a Southern California airshow.
Yaakov knows. He overhead them plotting. And it’s time to take matters into his own hands.
But soon his hands are really tied! Before they know it, the Peretzes find themselves hostage to a mysterious stranger known only as “Raul,” a man with something more devious up his sleeve.
Escaping capture is only the beginning. Yaakov and family soon uncover Raul’s conspiracy to wreak disaster in Israel’s Timna Valley Park, the site of King Solomon’s ancient copper mines.
The stakes are high! Yaakov will take nothing lying down. In a daring race against time, he’ll plunge into unfamiliar territory, battling live and robotic foes and more to defeat this evil scheme.
Available at Amazon.com.
Book 3: Yaakov and the Secret of Acra Fortress
Nominated for the 2017 Cybils Award!
The Peretz kids are up against a new kind of enemy.
After battling pirates, kidnappers and other scoundrels this past summer, all that the Peretz family wants is a quiet Chanukah vacation in Israel. But on the last day, things start to get strange.
The Peretzes spend their last day visiting the Acra in Jerusalem, a fortress built centuries ago by a Greek tyrant named Antiochus, who was defeated in the story of Chanukah.
Resolved to avenge his great ancestor's loss, the egomaniac manager, Rutvij Rao, has trapped all of the museum's visitors. Nobody leaves until the world acknowledges Rutvij Rao's kingdom.
Yaakov Peretz and his siblings must now find a way to escape from the Acra and to stop Rutvij Rao in his tracks.
Join them on their latest daring adventure, as they race to free the mad dictator's hostages - especially their parents!
Available at Amazon.com.
The Peretz kids are up against a new kind of enemy.
After battling pirates, kidnappers and other scoundrels this past summer, all that the Peretz family wants is a quiet Chanukah vacation in Israel. But on the last day, things start to get strange.
The Peretzes spend their last day visiting the Acra in Jerusalem, a fortress built centuries ago by a Greek tyrant named Antiochus, who was defeated in the story of Chanukah.
Resolved to avenge his great ancestor's loss, the egomaniac manager, Rutvij Rao, has trapped all of the museum's visitors. Nobody leaves until the world acknowledges Rutvij Rao's kingdom.
Yaakov Peretz and his siblings must now find a way to escape from the Acra and to stop Rutvij Rao in his tracks.
Join them on their latest daring adventure, as they race to free the mad dictator's hostages - especially their parents!
Available at Amazon.com.
Book 4: Yaakov and the Jewel of Jamaica
Jamaica is a land of discovery and adventure, and Yaakov Peretz is about to encounter both.
The Peretz kids know the story of Christopher Columbus’s legendary gold mine on Jamaica. It’s a family tale going back generations, to an ancestor named Simon Mendez, from the time of the Spanish Inquisition. They hear stories of the pirates who once inhabited Jamaica and turned looting Spanish ships into a national sport. So, when their mother’s former teacher invites everyone to Jamaica for an art show, the trip seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Better still, Yaakov, Yosef and Rachel find an old letter from Simon, a letter that will show them the way to the mine… if they can figure out what it means.
There are dangerous people on Jamaica, though, people with dangerous secrets. Yaakov is determined to bring them all down and to solve the mystery of Columbus’s gold mine, once and for all.
Why not? He’s a Peretz. You don’t mess with a Peretz.
Available at Amazon.com.
