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Agent Z is a fictitious character in a series of four comical children’s books written by British author Mark Haddon, better known for his 2003 novel ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time''. In the first published versions of the books Haddon also did the artwork for the covers and a number of illustrations inside (the cover pictures were changed for later editions). The Agent Z series is set in the present day in an unnamed British city.〔The exact town in which the stories are set is never specified. However, in ''Agent Z Meets the Masked Crusader'' it is mentioned that the school had played a football match against another school from Grimstead. In England there is a West Grimstead (a village) and an East Grimstead (fairly large town) but no Grimstead; of the two options East Grimstead in West Sussex, south of London, would seem the most likely. But of course that would only mean that the stories are situated in a town near East Grimstead.〕 *''Agent Z Meets the Masked Crusader'' (1993) *''Agent Z Goes Wild'' (1994) *''Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars'' (1995) *''Agent Z and the Killer Bananas'' (2001) Agent Z is not an actual living person in the books but a 'front' used by three schoolboys, Ben, Barney and Jenks, who have been friends for years, and who also call themselves the Crane Grove Crew. The mission of Agent Z is to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting and the deserving in a battle against boredom. The missions take the form of practical jokes, and with the culprits usually leaving a Z mark (like Zorro) on the scene of the prank. The Crane Grove Crew have their own secret base in a boarded-up, derelict park-keeper's cottage on the edge of the park near where they live. With a few exceptions that emerge in the stories, no-one knows of the identity of Agent Z, and the boys say they have made a pledge of secrecy never to reveal the identity of Agent Z. In 1996 ''Agent Z and the Penguin from Mars'' was adapted for television by the BBC. == Main characters == The three main characters are 12-year-old boys. *Ben Simpson, the only child of Trevor and Jane Simpson, living in Crane Grove. The 'handsome' one of the Crew. Ben is always day-dreaming, and the adventure stories are interspersed with Ben’s wild fantasies. He says that his mum reckons that his "fertile imagination" is an indication that he’ll grow up to be a writer or artist. *Barney Hall, an only son, living with his parents. Overweight, the brains of the crew, treated by teachers with respect due to his intellect. Has the ability to wrap adults around his little finger by means of flattery, saying things like “How's the new Escort, Mr Lanchester? I hear the ABS braking system works like a dream” – and they'd lap it up. *Ian "Jenks" Jenkinson, with so many brothers and sisters that one can't remember how many there are. In Ben's estimate, "a total prat most of the time… sometimes hilarious, sometimes a complete wind-up… he looks like a rat… he moves like a rat." In the teacher Mr. Lanchester's estimate: "If his brain was dynamite, there wouldn't be enough to blow his head off." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Agent Z」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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