The 'Ping' - Anne Walsh - Bog

Imagine you could go anywhere in the world with just a press of a button. One second, you could be in your living room, and the next, on top of the Eiffel Tower!
Well, thirteen-year-old Charlie Sor doesn't have to imagine-because that's what his life is like! When his clumsy young neighbour accidentally invents a teleportation device called the Ping, egomaniac Lorcan Ulysses Natic soon sets out to take it. Charlie helps thwart a kidnapping and meets an old man named Ted Ious.
Now Ted's name may sound boring; however he's anything but. His quiet life at the Golden Years Old Folks' Home is simply a cover. Ted is one of the world's greatest (and probably oldest!) secret agents, but as his mission progresses, he finds he needs Charlie's help to stop Natic once and for all.
Charlie and Ted's adventure takes them to the wilds of South Africa and the busy city streets of Marrakech. They must outwit Natic's bungling henchmen and thwart his devious plot. Along the way, Charlie learns that becoming a secret agent isn't all just flashy gadgets and cool code names. He and Ted will put their lives on the line to keep the Ping out of Natic's clutches!