Book excerpt: “Clarence is gone!” Christine cried, wringing her hands. “Becky has been looking for him, and he’s disappeared!” “Are you sure he’s not somewhere around?” asked Skinny. “He really is gone,” said a very white and trembling Becky, “and it looks like he was killed!” “I’ll go see,” said Skinny, and ran toward the place where Clarence had been chopping their wood supply. Five orphaned children. Mysterious Secrets. The quest for a lost treasure. Danger lurking down every dark alley. Undying love and loyal friendships. Thus begins the amazing adventures of The Company of Secret Kids. Thrown together by chance, five kids experience adventures beyond belief, from the plains of Africa to the streets of Paris. Pitted against evil villains they valiantly fight for their beliefs.