With a mysterious tablet, an eight-year-old hero and a world waiting to be explored, Sandra Jackson-Trench is creating a children’s adventure built on imagination, representation and curiosity.
THE STORY BEGAN IN A CLASSROOM
Long before The Secret Adventure Machine became a published children’s book, Sandra Jackson-Trench was standing in a classroom being asked to create a story.
The Birmingham, England–based educator was working as a supply teacher when she developed an original storytelling resource for a lesson. The teachers loved it so much they continued using her material.
Jackson-Trench had always wanted to write a book. Suddenly, she realized she might have something worth developing.
“I thought, I’ve got something here,” she recalls.
She began thinking about the ingredients children love: travel, adventure, family, friendship—and, of course, technology.
She fused them together and created The Secret Adventure Machine.
MEET TYRESE
At the center is Tyrese Thompson, an eight-year-old Black boy from Birmingham who receives something he has always wanted for his birthday: a tablet.
But this is no ordinary device. Hidden inside is a powerful microchip containing a top-secret code.
Soon, the tablet begins communicating with Tyrese through a scientist connected to its creation in China. He discovers that the device can transform into SAM—the Secret Adventure Machine.
Once Tyrese enters the code, his world opens.
There’s just one problem: an evil scientist wants the microchip back.
Suddenly, an ordinary kid is thrust into an extraordinary adventure involving travel, danger, new friendships and discoveries far beyond Birmingham.
Tyrese is also refreshingly normal. He has siblings, gets into mischief and even retaliates against his older sister Karen by putting salt in her orange juice. He’s a middle child, a prankster and, as readers will discover more in the next installment, crazy about football.
Jackson-Trench wanted him to feel like a child young readers could actually know.
PUTTING A BLACK BOY AT THE CENTER
Making Tyrese Black was intentional.
“We need more Black books,” Jackson-Trench says. “There aren’t enough positive stories out there.”
His family is loosely inspired by her own. Tyrese’s father reflects Jackson-Trench’s father, a retired truck driver, while his mother was inspired by her mother, who worked as a nurse.
But Tyrese himself could be any child growing up in Birmingham.
That accessibility matters. Jackson-Trench wanted children of color to see themselves at the center of the adventure—not standing on the sidelines while someone else explores the world and saves the day.
THE WORLD BECOMES THE CLASSROOM
Jackson-Trench currently works with students ages 11 to 16 in a special educational needs and disabilities school and has also taught drama and English.
That educational background naturally finds its way into her storytelling.
The Secret Adventure Machine is meant to entertain, but every destination gives Tyrese—and the reader—something new to discover.
During one adventure, he meets Chad in New York City and experiences the city’s fast-paced energy, yellow taxis, food, language and slang. Future books will send him to new destinations, including Jamaica.
As the series expands, Tyrese will meet children from different backgrounds, experience new cultures and build friendships along the way.
For Jackson-Trench, that is especially meaningful for children who may not have the opportunity to travel themselves.
“They can be entertained and educated at the same time,” she says.
LOOK UP FROM THE SCREEN
There’s also a clever contradiction at the center of SAM. Technology launches Tyrese’s adventure, yet one of the book’s biggest messages is that children shouldn’t allow technology to prevent them from experiencing the real world.
Jackson-Trench sees children—and adults—constantly absorbed in phones and tablets, sometimes missing what is directly in front of them.
She wants young readers to remain curious. To notice their surroundings. To talk to people. To experience different cultures. To appreciate the places they visit.
The tablet may open the door, but the real adventure happens when Tyrese steps through it.
ACTOR. TEACHER. NOW AUTHOR.
Jackson-Trench’s path to becoming an author has been anything but linear.
She has spent roughly two decades working as an actor and supporting artist in television and film. When acting work became inconsistent, education offered another path, eventually leading her to teach English and drama.
In many ways, The Secret Adventure Machine brings those worlds full circle.
Acting gave her a love for character and performance. Teaching gave her firsthand insight into how children learn and engage with stories. Writing allowed her to combine both.
Now she’s thinking beyond the page.
BUILDING THE SAM UNIVERSE
Jackson-Trench envisions The Secret Adventure Machine becoming an entire children’s entertainment property.
More books are planned, with each installment taking Tyrese on another adventure. She has already created a game design document and sees possibilities for merchandise, coloring books, clothing and other extensions.
The ultimate dream is television.
She would love to see SAM become an animated series and is developing short visual content to demonstrate what Tyrese’s world could look like on screen. Jackson-Trench is actively looking to connect with producers, media companies, agents and creative partners who can help take the property to its next stage.