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Here you will find a bunch of stories about a boy in Paris who has had a very exciting time growing up. Early in his life he showed himself to be smart, courageous, and curious, and very quick to figure out what was going on in a confusing situation. He lived with his mother and father, who were minor diplomats for the French government and who traveled quite a lot. Pierre went to ordinary schools and learned the normal subjects — literature, math, science, geography, and the lot. He was quick to learn all the required subjects. But he also had the unexpected opportunity as a boy to meet some senior members of the French secret service, who quickly recognized his talents. Increasingly they saw the value in asking Pierre to take on a covert assignment or two in other countries. And they provided opportunities for advanced education in the skills and tradecraft of spying. They even offered the occasional piece of equipment — a one-time pad for secret messages, a pen with invisible ink.

These stories are just a few of the adventures that Pierre had. The earliest adventures came before his relationship with the secret world of spies, when he was eight or nine years old. (When he was only six years old he worked out a plan to demonstrate to his Maman and Papa that Santa Claus was a fraud!) As he grew in his teenage years he gained skills, knowledge, and talent, and was increasingly called upon for secret assignments — gathering information, disrupting the plans of the enemies of France, and contributing to the safety of all French people.

Pierre’s parents live in a nice old apartment near the Jardin de Luxembourg — one of the most appealing districts of old Paris. Their apartment can be found on a small and ancient street, Rue de Racine, named after the seventeenth-century playwright Jean Racine who briefly lived on this alleyway. The apartment is on the quatrieme etage — the fourth floor, but in the French system that means really the fifth floor. There is no elevator, so bringing home the groceries and the suitcases from a long trip — mon dieu, this is an undertaking in the broad stairway of the ancient building.

But enough about the background, the history, and the geography of Pierre and his circumstances! You can find the stories on the menu above.