Max Carter
Puzzle-solver · Guardian
Cracks codes faster than he can tie his shoes — and never says no to a midnight mission.
Global Guardians
Global Guardians · Book One
The Tower
Thief
The Eiffel Tower vanished overnight. Two twelve‑year‑old agents have until the world wakes up to steal it back.
Ages 8–12•A globe‑trotting mystery•by K.J. Allen
BOOK1
Global Guardians · Book One
THE TOWER
THIEF
The Eiffel Tower vanished overnight. Two twelve-year-old agents have until the world wakes up to steal it back.
The making of
Every adventure starts
as a scribble.
Before the Eiffel Tower ever shimmered out of sight, it lived in a notebook — rough thumbnails, midnight ideas, and pencil storyboards. Here's the road from first sketch to finished cover.
From pencil to full color
Meet the man who stole a tower.
Dr. Aldric Noir began as a few loose pencil lines — a top hat, a trench coat, a smirk. Watch him sharpen into the thief the whole world is hunting.
↔︎ Drag the handle to reveal
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And these scribbles came alive.
Each storyboard rough became a full-color spread. Here are two, sketch beside finish:
The cast
Meet the Guardians
Twins by day, secret agents by night — the two Guardians at the heart of the mission.
Lila Carter
Historian · Guardian
Max's twin and the team's walking history book. If it happened, Lila remembers the date.
…with help from Camille, lead agent of the Paris division.
The series
Book one of many.
The Global Guardians protect the world's monuments from those who'd erase them. Paris was only the first stop — the world is full of treasures worth saving.
PARIS BOOK 1 ✓
LONDON
BARCELONA
AGRA
more on the way…
one badge. one team. every landmark on Earth.
A note from the author
Dear Reader,
Have you ever wanted to travel the world, solve ancient mysteries, and outsmart villains—all before homework is due?
That's exactly what Max and Lila Carter do in The Tower Thief. On the surface, they're just regular kids. But when history is in danger, they're activated by a secret kid-led network that protects the past. Whether they're racing through the catacombs of Paris, decoding clock codes in Venice, or chasing myths through Aztec temples, their mission is always the same: save the world, one landmark at a time.
I created Global Guardians for readers like you—kids who love adventure, crave clever puzzles, and want to learn real things about real places while having a blast. These stories are full of codes, challenges, and cultural clues from around the globe. And just like Max and Lila, you'll never look at a famous monument the same way again.
So grab your backpack, your brain, and your bravery—because the Guardians need you.
Let's protect the past together.
Your fellow adventurer,
K.J. Allen
Get your copy
The clock is ticking.
When siblings Max and Lila stumble upon a hidden network of kids operating across the world, they discover an incredible truth: some of Earth's most famous landmarks aren't just historical treasures — they're targets.
Armed with quick thinking, teamwork, and a love of puzzles, they're sent on a globe-spanning mission that blends adventure with real-world history.
Get your copy →
Ages 8–12 · Paperback
ISBN 979-8-9964287-0-0
ISBN 979-8-9964287-0-0
Author
K.J. Allen
K.J. Allen writes adventure stories that smuggle real history into the fun — secret codes, world landmarks, and kids who are smarter than the grown-ups give them credit for. The Tower Thief is the first Global Guardians mission.
Illustrator
Marian Domínguez
Marian drew every Guardian, gadget, and getaway in this book — from the first pencil thumbnail you saw above to the finished cover. The look of the Global Guardians is hers.