Voelkel, Jon

When his archaeologist parents go missing in Central America, fourteen-year-old Max embarks on a wild adventure through the Mayan underworld in search of the legendary Jaguar Stones, which enabled ancient Mayan kings to wield the powers of living gods.

When his archaeologist parents go missing in Central America, fourteen-year-old Max embarks on a wild adventure through the Mayan underworld in search of the legendary Jaguar Stones, which enabled ancient Mayan kings to wield the powers of living gods. Includes cast of characters, glossary, facts about the Maya cosmos and calendar, and a recipe for chicken tamales.

"While awaiting his parents' release from jail, fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is sucked into yet another scheme of the Maya Death Lords that sends him on a quest to the United States. Failure could mean the end of the world... again"--.

"In the ancient city of Itzamna, Lord Six-Rabbit wakes up screaming. A great warrior king of the mighty Maya, he has dreamed he was a lowly, flea-bitten monkey. How could this be? Was this some sorcery sent by his half-brother, Tzelok, the evil priest? 1200 years later, in Boston, Massachusetts, 14-year-old Max Murphy is looking forward to a family vacation. But his parents, both archaeologists and Maya experts, announce a change in plan. They must leave immediately for a dig in San Xavier, the tiny Central American country where his father grew up. Max will go to summer camp. Max is furious. He's always suspected that his parents cared more about the Ancient Maya than about him and this proves it. When he's mysteriously summoned to San Xavier, he thinks they've had a change of heart. But he's met at the airport by one of their colleagues, who explains that his parents have gone missing at the remote Maya temple of Ix Chel. He also tells Max the legend of The Jaguar Stones, the five sacred stones of Middleworld (the Maya name for the world of men) which enabled Ancient Maya kings to wield the powers of living gods. And so begins Max Murphy's wild adventure in the tropical rainforests of San Xavier. During his journey, he will unlock ancient secrets and meet strangers who are connected to him in ways he could never have imagined. For fate has delivered a challenge of epic proportions to this pampered teenager. Can Max rescue his parents from the Maya Underworld and save the world from the Lords of Death, who now control the power of the Jaguar Stones in their villainous hands? The scene is set for a roller-coaster ride of suspense and terror, as the good guys and the bad guys face off against a background of haunted temples, zombie armies and human sacrifice" -- from author's web site.

The Death Lords are still after Max Murphy even after all this time. He knows they are after him because a giant octopus tried to drag him down to the underworld. Escaping the octopus, Max finds himself once again in Central America having to team up with Lola and the howler monkeys Lord 6-Dog and Lady Coco to save the world.

Max Murphy owes the ancient Maya Lords of Death a favor and when it is called in, he is given only seven days to find and return the long-lost Yellow Jaguar to the Maya underworld. As he seeks to deliver the Jaguar Stone, he encounters many unusual and frightening other-worldly situations.

Fourteen-year-old city boy Max, along with a Mayan girl named Lola, searches the tropical rain forest for the ancient Jaguar Stones and clues about the disappearance of his parents, who were last seen working at an archaeological dig in San Xavier.

With the end of the Mayan calendar fast approaching, fourteen-year-old Max Murphy and his friend Lola, the Maya girl who saved his life in the perilous jungle, race against time to outwit the twelve villainous Lords of Death, following the trail of the conquistadors into a forgotten land steeped in legend and superstition.

When his archaeologist parents go missing in Central America, fourteen-year-old Max embarks on a wild adventure through the Mayan underworld in search of the legendary Jaguar Stones, which enabled ancient Mayan kings to wield the powers of living gods.