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NEXA ASCEND | ENTER NEXA VALLEY | CHARACTERS | SENTIS | PARENTS | TEACHERS | BOOKS
FOR PARENTS
Big adventures. Big questions. Stories written for children.
Nexa Ascend is a science-fiction adventure series about friendship, curiosity, courage and growing up in a future that isn't always easy to understand.
The stories combine futuristic technology, mystery and adventure with experiences children already recognise, starting somewhere new, making friends, getting things wrong, speaking up and learning when to trust yourself and others.
AGES 7–11 | SCIENCE-FICTION ADVENTURE | FRIENDSHIP, COURAGE & CURIOSITY
MORE THAN AN ADVENTURE
The biggest lessons in Nexa Ascend aren't taught in a classroom.
Across the stories, the children make mistakes, disagree, take risks, repair friendships and learn more about themselves and the people around them. The lessons emerge through what happens to them rather than being explained to the reader. That fits the writing approach we've deliberately established for the series: growth through choices, mistakes, changed behaviour, apologies, hesitation and consequences.
COURAGE
COURAGE
Brave doesn't mean fearless.
Ethan often worries about getting things wrong or what other people might think. His courage isn't about suddenly becoming fearless. It grows through small decisions, trying again, speaking up and taking the next step even when he still feels uncertain.
Across Nexa Ascend, children see that courage can be quiet. You don't have to be the loudest or most confident person in the room to be brave.
“One brave step,” he whispered. “One brave step.”
FRIENDSHIP
FRIENDSHIP
Good friends don't always agree.
Friendship in Nexa Ascend isn't about everyone getting along all the time. Luna, Ethan, Isla, Rowan and their friends have different personalities, different strengths and different ways of seeing the world.
They disagree. They compete. They sometimes misunderstand one another or say the wrong thing. But they also learn to listen, apologise, support each other and rebuild trust.
The stories show children that a strong friendship isn't one without difficult moments — it's one that can grow through them.
“Then we finish this together,” Isla called.
CURIOSITY & RESPONSIBILITY
CURIOSITY & RESPONSIBILITY
Ask questions. Look closer. Think about what comes next.
Curiosity drives many of the adventures in Nexa Ascend. The children notice things that others overlook, ask questions and use technology to investigate the world around them.
But curiosity also brings choices. When should you keep looking? When should you stop? Who should you tell? And what happens when discovering something new carries consequences you didn't expect?
The stories encourage children to be curious while recognising that good judgement, evidence and responsibility matter too.
“But what if they’re trying to show us something?” Ethan asked.
BELONGING & DIFFERENCE
BELONGING & DIFFERENCE
Being different doesn't mean you don't belong.
Nexa Ascend begins with Luna and Ethan being the new children. They have left behind the place they know and must find their way through a new school, new friendships and a world that sometimes feels unfamiliar.
As the stories grow, they meet people with different personalities, strengths, backgrounds and ways of seeing things. Not everyone fits in immediately, and understanding one another doesn't always happen straight away.
Through those relationships, the series explores belonging as something that grows through openness, acceptance and making room for people who may not be exactly like us.
“You’ll fit in.” Isla said.
WHY THESE STORIES MATTER TO ME
For almost 25 years, I have worked with children in schools around the world.
During that time, I have seen just how powerful stories can be. Children look for themselves in the characters they meet — the confident child and the worried one, the child who speaks first and the one who needs a little longer, the one who makes mistakes, the one who feels different, and the one still trying to work out where they belong.
That was important to me when creating Nexa Ascend.
I wanted to write exciting science-fiction adventures, but I also wanted the children at the centre of them to feel real. They don't always make the right decision. They worry about what other people think. They fall out, get things wrong, apologise, try again and gradually discover more about who they are.
Because for children finding their way in the world, recognising a little of themselves in a story can be incredibly powerful.
Mark Symmonds
Author of Nexa Ascend • Educator for almost 25 years
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