The Explorer by Katherine Rundell Book Review

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Book received at no charge in exchange for an honest review.

When their plane crashes in the Amazon rain forest on their way back to England, Fred, Con, Lila and Lila's brother, 5 year-old Max fight to survive. Finding shelter and edible fruits poses proves challenging for the inexperienced children. Through their resourcefulness, the children find things like mixing ground up grubs and cocoa give them a paste and the protein they need for survival.

Max stumbles onto a map and convinces the other children to follow it to the X. The course of their adventure presents new dangers from predators and the elements. They manage to build a makeshift raft and travel down the river where they discover the remnants of an ancient city. To their surprise, a mysterious lives amongst the ruins. He refuses to give the children his name but Max assumes he is the missing explorer from 1925. Does the explorer hold the key to the children's chance at rescue?

Rundell captures the beauty of the Amazon through vivd description of everything from the lush vegetation to the smells of the rainforest. Both the setting and adventure will captivate the reader and perhaps motivate further exploration. It may also inspire the reader to gain further understanding of the effects of imperialism in the Amazon. Despite the lack of depth in the characters, the suspense will hold interest to the end.

Rating ★★★★☆

Publishing Information

Publisher: Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers (Sept. 12, 2017)

ISBN: 9781481419451

Ages: 8-12

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Middle Grade Book Review: The Thief's Apprentice (Master Duplexito and Mr. Scant #1) by Bryan Methods

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Book received at no charge to facilitate review.

A stunning discovery about his father's butler, leaves Oliver Diplexito fearing for his safety. The butler, Mr. Scant is the infamous thief known as the Ruminating Claw and to Oliver's dismay, he wants to enlist him as his apprentice in his notorious crime sprees. In a surprising twist, Oliver learns that Scant doesn't want the museum artifacts that disappear but rather has desires to find and return them to their proper place. With nighttime jaunts to the British Museum and other places where valuable art has disappeared, Oliver encounters members of an elitist society who want the priceless artifacts and will fight to get them.

A thrilling plot with lots of action make this a promising series. A few of the fight scenes are a little far fetched but easy to overlook in Method's debut novel. A fun adventure sure to appeal to those who love secret missions.

Rating ★★★★☆

Publishing Information

Publisher: Carolhoda Books (10/1/2016)

ISBN: 978-1512405798
Hardcover: 272 pages
Ages: 8-12

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The Somewhat True Adventures of Sammy Shine by Henri Cole: BOOK REVIEW

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Sammy Shine is perfectly content living in a shoebox in Hank's room. All of that changes when Hanks' brother sends Sammy on an accidental adventure in a remote control airplane.

No matter how hard he tries, Sammy can't avoid crashing into the Great Woods. He's totally unprepared to face life in the wilderness and he has no idea how to get home. To top it off, his plane disappears. Luckily, he meets some new friends, including a mouse named Phoebe, who agree to help him find his plane. The evil weasel, Mustela, and his band of rats try to thwart their plan.

It's hard to resist Sammy, the adorable mouse from the black and white illustrations. They convey so much more than the lacking in suspense plot. Though the character development falls short at times, young readers will still manage to fall in love with the adorable Sammy
even if they have to slowly skip along instead anxiously running ahead.

Ample illustrations and short chapters lend itself to a great read aloud book or a step up from the first chapter book for the early reader. I'm splitting my review on this one for a 5 star on the illustrations to a 3 star on the story.

Rating ★★★★☆

Publishing Information:

Publisher: Peachtree Publishers

ISBN 978--56145-866-0

Ages 8-12

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