Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather BLOG TOUR!

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Greg Pattridge
I’ll soon have a review of this new book in the Explorer Academy series. For now enjoy Day Three of the Blog Tour… (And don’t forget to enter the huge GIVEAWAY through the link near the end of the post!)

Welcome Back to the Explorer Academy!

Welcome to Day #3 of the Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather Blog Tour!

 

To celebrate the release of Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather by Trudi Trueit on March 19th, blogs across the web are featuring special content from Trudi and the Explorer Academy team, as well as 5 chances to win an Explorer Academy DRONE Prize Pack!

Test Your Codebreaking Skills

WHAT IS CODEBREAKING?
People have been sending secret messages for thousands of years. Whether to outsmart an enemy or to communicate private data or just to swap for-your-eyes-only notes with their pals, clever code-makers have created lots of different types of cipher—ways of transforming information to hide its true meaning. Coded letters, numbers, and symbols often look familiar, but their precise arrangement is used to conceal a hidden message.
As you journey through the Academy, you’ll become familiar with all kinds of ciphers—from the ancient Greek Polybius square to the cool clicks of Morse code. Some ciphers can be cracked with only a little bit of effort and some creative thinking. Others, however, need special knowledge of the steps taken to create them. No matter the challenge, instructions and helpful hints will point you in the right direction along the way.
CAN YOU CRACK THIS CODE?
Each letter of the paragraph below has been replaced by the letter that comes immediately after it in the alphabet. So, in the sentences below, B has replaced A, C has replaced B, D has replaced C, and so on and so on throughout the entire alphabet.
KPJO DSVA BOE IJT GSJFOET BT UIFZ BUUFOE FYQMPSFS BDBEFNZ BOE GJOE PVU XIBU TFDSFUT BSF XBJUJOH GPS UIFN UP EJTDPWFS. DIFDL PVU UIF OFYU DPEF GPS B TFDSFU.
Answer (highlight to reveal): JOIN CRUZ AND HIS FRIENDS AS THEY ATTEND EXPLORER ACADEMY AND FIND OUT WHAT SECRETS ARE WAITING FOR THEM TO DISCOVER. CHECK OUT THE NEXT CODE FOR A SECRET.
OKAY, SMARTY PANTS. HOW ABOUT THIS?
This next code is different. This is a cryptogram. There is no pattern, and no hints either. Can you figure it out?
LKX KYYPVYCSV! UAPV XSB DPKN PILRSDPD KEKNPTX, QPPL XSBD PXPW SLPV ZSD YAP WXTMSRW, YAP ESNPW, KVN YAP LBHHRPW ACNNPV YADSBOASBY YAP MSSQ YAKY TCOAY APRL XSB WSRGP YAP TXWYPDX MPZSDP CY’W YSS RKYP!
OKAY, SOME HINTS IF YOU MUST: look for letters that stick together, and short words that repeat. Those will help you get started.
Answer (highlight to reveal): PAY ATTENTION! WHEN YOU READ EXPLORER ACADEMY KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR THE SYMBOLS, THE CODES, AND THE PUZZLES HIDDEN THROUGHOUT THE BOOK THAT MIGHT HELP YOU SOLVE THE MYSTERY BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!

 

Answer (highlight to reveal): UNDER THE STARS
Now that you’re a code-cracking master, try your hand at this interactive cipher game!

*****

Blog Tour Schedule:

March 18th – BookTrib

March 19th – Big Shiny Robot

March 20th – Always in the Middle

March 21st – Novel Novice

March 22nd – From the Mixed Up Files

“A fun, exciting and action-packed ride that kids will love.”  
—J.J. Abrams, director of Star Trek, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lost and Alias
 
“Explorer  Academy  is  sure  to  awaken  readers’  inner  adventurer  and  curiosity  about  the  world  around  them.”
—LeVar  Burton,  host  of  “Reading  Rainbow”and “LeVar  Burton  Reads”
 

Buy: National Geographic | Amazon | Indiebound

Follow Trudi: Website | Twitter | Facebook | YoutubeFollow National Geographic Kids: Website | Twitter | Books Twitter | Facebook | Youtube

It’s an adventure of a lifetime when Cruz Coronado sets sail for the shores of Iceland and Norway aboard the Explorer Academy ship to continue his studies at sea. But, things take a turn while exploring the icy north, when he embarks on a dangerous mission to uncover the first piece of an important puzzle his mother left behind.In the exciting follow-up to The Nebula Secret in the 7-book Explorer Academy series, Cruz, Sailor, and Emmett, along with their new ally Bryndis, embark on their first globe-trotting mission aboard the ship Orion. Cruz jumps right back into school and starts using the latest technology in submersible underwater dives, but is soon reminded of the dangers of exploration when his equipment fails and he almost drowns. Determined to keep his eyes on the prize, Cruz sneaks away to try to find answers, but unknowingly lures his friends into bigger trouble. When a friend of Cruz’s mom meets an untimely end, Cruz’s luck really seems about to run out and the questions multiply. What does the message mean? Where will it lead? Who is following him? And why?

This captivating book is the sequel every Explorer Academy fan is waiting to read!

 

 







About the Author: Author Trudi Trueit is a gifted storyteller for middle-grade audiences. She has written more than 100 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction, including The Sister Solution, Stealing Popular and the Secrets of a Lab Rat series. Trueit lives in Everett, Washington.

GIVEAWAY

  • One (1) winner will receive SIGNED copies of Explorer Academy books 1 and 2, an ADVANCE copy of Explorer Academy Codebreaking Activity Adventure (not otherwise available to the public until May!), an Explorer Academy pin, baseball cap, t-shirt, and bag, and a Quadcopter DRONE!
  • US/Canada only
  • Ends 3/31 at midnight ET

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One lucky family of four will embark on a spectacular ship-based adventure, just like the students at Explorer Academy. Experience the remarkable beauty of Alaska’s famed Inside Passage on this thrilling 8-day voyage, courtesy of National Geographic Expeditions. Get up close to icebergs and calving glaciers. See orcas and humpback whales, then listen to them with the ship’s hydrophone. Visit Glacier Bay National Park, learn about Alaska’s rich Native American heritage, and pass islands teeming with wildlife, including brown bears, sea lions, sea otters, and perhaps the world’s highest density of nesting bald eagles. Visit natgeoexpeditions.com to see a detailed itinerary for Alaska’s Inside Passage Cruise. Enter here!

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Hicklebee’s

1378 Lincoln Ave.

San Jose, CA

Event details: 

3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. — Talk by author Trudi Trueit and National Geographic Explorer Erika Bergman, followed by book signing

Friday, March 22, 2019

Kepler’s Books

1010 El Camino Real

Menlo Park, CA

Event details:

6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.— Public event with talk by author Trudi Trueit and National Geographic Explorer Erika Bergman, followed by book signing. Purchase tickets in advance.

About Greg Pattridge

Climbing another mountain...always striving to reach the next peak in my life and career.
This entry was posted in Blog Tour, Giveaways, Middle Grade News, New Release and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

10 Responses to Explorer Academy: The Falcon’s Feather BLOG TOUR!

  1. Denise Vega says:
    March 20, 2019 at 7:24 am

    Fun code breaking activity though I had to peek at the highlighted answers. The giveaway is fantastic!

    Reply
  2. Danielle Hammelef says:
    March 20, 2019 at 10:55 am

    I love to crack codes as well as create them for others to solve. My dream exploration spot would be Australia.

    Reply
  3. rosihollinbeck says:
    March 20, 2019 at 1:12 pm

    Wow. This is quite the giveaway! Cracking codes is a fun activity and good for the brain. Thanks for the post.

    Reply
  4. Calvin says:
    March 20, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    Wonderful would go explore some nature in costa rica, probably all over the world too

    Reply
  5. Traveler says:
    March 20, 2019 at 7:45 pm

    Would explore Asia

    Reply
  6. Elle says:
    March 21, 2019 at 8:53 am

    I’d like to explore beautiful Alaska.

    Reply
  7. Patricia Tilton says:
    March 22, 2019 at 3:47 pm

    What a great giveaway for teens who love a challenge. Coding would be fun to learn. But, I flunked everything — too impatient. I even tried highlighting and didn’t see the answers.

    Reply
  8. Angie Wolfe (@angiewofe) says:
    March 24, 2019 at 8:06 am

    I loved the code breaking activities.

    Reply

  9. Pingback: THE LAST LAST-DAY-OF-SUMMER | Always in the Middle…

  10. Pingback: THE MAGIC OF MELWICK ORCHARD | Always in the Middle…

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