IT’S ANOTHER EDITION OF MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY!

A big splash was made in the fiction world last year when National Geographic Explorer Academy series began with THE NEBULA SECRET. Known for their non-fiction titles this was a bold move and a welcome one based on the results. The second installment has arrived. and the adventure continues for 12-year-old Cruz Coronado and his classmates at the Explorer Academy.

The first book was set at the school in Washington D.C., but this one takes us out into the world on the academy’s ship— Orion. A perfect base since Explorer Academy is inspired by the real explorations of the National Geographic Society.

When reviewing a series I often comment it would be all right to jump in with the second or third book. Not so much here. Although you’ll get snippets of what happened in The Nebula Secret, I’d go back and read it first to get the full inside look at the characters and plot points.

In the Falcon’s Feather, Cruz is searching for a piece of the puzzle his mother left for him and the only way to find it is to decipher a clue. She was killed when Cruz was just five, and now the pharmaceutical company she exposed is out to get her son and the journal he keeps close by.

Technology fills the pages both in the present and with future possibilities. There’s also Cruz’s evolving relationships with crew mates Emmett, Sailor, and Bryndis. The instructors on board include Cruz’s aunt, who is always on the lookout to make sure Cruz is safe.

The exciting climax ends too abruptly (and easily), but the unsolved plot points are dangled for us to ponder until the release of Book 3 due out later this year, THE DOUBLE HELIX. Take the plunge and join the Explorer Academy. If you love science and adventure, there’s no better place to immerse yourself in its wonders.

PUBLISHED: 2019   PAGE COUNT: 208

FIVE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT—

EXPLORER ACADEMY: THE FALCON’S FEATHER (Book 2)

1. Colored images and frequent maps keep you current as to where the crew is located along with a few of the puzzles they solve. The Orion ship map starts things off.
2. Third person narration stays close to Cruz most of the way with an occasional few pages devoted to the bad guys. They’re easy to find with white text on dark pages.
3. While reading you learn about conservation, wildlife, and Nordic culture. They’re woven into the story so well you barely notice the lessons.
4. The book ends with a Truth behind The Fiction section with real life National Geographic Explorers giving their take on what is included in the story. Great stuff to connect with STEM concepts.
5. The diverse cast of characters are growing closer and first crushes are surfacing. It will be a fun sidelight as the series continue for five more books.

FAVORITE LINES

Everyone was lining up to get their uniforms. Cruz stood, too, and waited behind Emmett. However, while his 22 classmates were bubbling with excitement, Cruz remained quiet. He was worried. Fanchon had said their uniforms were every kind of “proof” imaginable: waterproof, sunproof, bugproof, reptileproof, even germproof. But she had left one very important “proof” off the list.

Bulletproof.

THE OFFICIAL PLOT (From Amazon)