Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret (Book 1)

Wow. Explorer Academy is my favorite new kids' series this year, and I am recommending it to everyone. Parents, this is a series that will keep kids completely engaged and on the edge of their seats, and you can rest assured that the messages in the book are 100% kid appropriate. Here are a few things I love about this series:1- The places in the adventures are real. The young explorers visit the seed vault, an amazing ice cave in Iceland, and they go to archeological digs. And it's exciting because they are running from the evil Nebula and trying to solve a 3D hologram puzzle that could cure all illness in the world... My 10-year-old has enjoyed looking up the real places and learning more about them along the way.2- The kids who attend Explorer Academy are from all over the world. Cruz, the main character, is from Hawaii. His best friends are from all over the world, giving readers more of a worldwide view of things.3- Cruz has a wonderful family. His mother died as a scientist at Explorer Academy, which was tragic and as the story unfolds we learn not actually accidental. His dad, who runs a surf shop in Hawaii, is loving and supportive. Cruz' Aunt Marisol is a professor at Explorer Academy, and watches out for him. I see this as a significant plus because so many kids' books for middle grades wind up either killing off all of the responsible adults or the kids are members of terribly dysfunctional families. It's nice to have a true adventure book with a happy and healthy family at the center of it, even if that family has experienced tragedy.4- The science behind the fiction - This section at the end of each book profiles National Geographic scientists from all over the world and does a compare and contrast with the science fiction in the book and the real science. For example, when Cruz wore this amazing device that allowed him to talk with whales so that the Explorers could cut them out of fishing nets, that was fiction. But at the end of the book, National Geographic profiles a scientists who studies whale language and gives a bunch of super interesting information about it.I hope that this series goes on forever. I will be purchasing every book and making sure my kids enjoy reading them. I'll probably get them for every classroom in the school too!Highly Recommend!!!

The Explorer Academy is a special training school for elite explorers who are also somewhat special agents.....The Nebula Secret is perfectly written for its intended age group. My 10 year old grandson loves to read, but never came across this book in the library. I found this series by accident, and he simply enjoys them. The words are easy to understand, everything is clearly explained, and there's all the action and adventure that a middle-grader would want to enjoy.This book is a wild action-packed adventure that kids (and parents) will love. It has secret codes, action, adventure and danger around every corner.I also loved the art in the book which is very captivating and draws you right into the story itself. My kids also love the end notes that feature real science and real scientists doing cutting-edge work today. This series is a must for your middle grade list!

My daughter & I listened to an audiobook of this from the library and enjoyed it—full of adventure, mystery, and a nice intro to sci fi.We decided to get a copy for her home room teacher for an end of the year gift. The print copy is beautiful. I was very impressed.

a gift

Review by my nine-year-old daughter:"It's a super good book. I give it a thumbs up! The paperback book smells good (like a new book). The cover feels good, and I like the pictures in the book. The words are not super small. I like that the main character has two adventures, and he has a remote control bee. His friend has cool glasses that change. The book has a secret message that the character has to figure out. I think this book should be made into a movie!" The book also has interesting bios of real people in it. I'm planning to buy the other books in the series for my kids. I like that they're adventure stories with a bit of educational info thrown in and that the characters travel around the world.

Explorer Academy book 1 was super interesting you would think one person is the culprit and turns out the were with Cruz the entire time, and also Mr.Rook in the middle of the book wasn’t even the main character but at the end... Amazing book you need to read it! I am looking forward to reading book 2

I had high hopes of this book and its doesn't disappoint. Explorer Academy book 1 is a fun read on many different levels.The action in the story is smooth and well paced.Im a fan of geography and world culture and there are many geographic references in the story that are wonderful for kids with an interest in the subject. If your family enjoyed 39 clues this book is right your alley.Its fun,adventurous and smart.If you enjoy reading to your children (I'm thinking 3rd grade and up depending on reading level)this book is a joy to read and share. I'm awaiting book 2 which I just ordered and cant wait to read.

My 9-year old daughter loved this book. Here's her "review" in her own words: "The book is the best book I have ever read. The book is very gripping, and makes me sit on the edge of the seat. I especially like when Cruz’s team goes on missions. I like missions because they are thrilling and something unexpected happens. For example, when Bryndis said that she knew that Renshaw had hacked into Cruz’s iPad! My favorite mission was when the team went to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. In the mission, I enjoyed when Sailor and Cruz fell from the waterfall and actually landed on the bean bags. Overall, the writing is very creative."

Good to improve variety of vocabulary (11+ preparation) for children..fun to read too

Questo libro negli U.S.A. è destinato ad un pubblico che può andare dai 6 agli 11-12 anni.Io l'ho acquistato per regalarlo ad un cuginetto di mio figlio che frequenta la seconda media, e quindi studia inglese da 5+2 anni (anche se sappiamo che alle elementari l'inglese che si studia è molto basic).Leggendo alcune pagine del libro, confermo che è sicuramente "tarato" per dei giovani lettori con buone competenze linguistiche ed un vocabolario abbastanza esteso; la scrittrice scrive in modo molto chiaro, con un inglese correttissimo ed una grammatica perfetta. Posso quindi consigliarlo per studenti italiani a partire dalla seconda/terza media a patto che abbiamo buone competenze in inglese e passione per la lettura in una lingua che non è la loro. Sicuramente porterà un arricchimento nel vocabolario e nelle competenze generali di chi lo legge.Come nota in calce, aggiungo che la scrittrice è davvero brava!!

Interesting to read

Bought for 8 year old son and he really enjoyed it. Book is well written and the story is very compelling and exciting. It features lots of technology and gadgetry giving it a very futuristic flavour. One of the nicest things I found about the book is that it is so multinational. It features a lot of different characters of many differing nationalities. It also references a variety of very unusual places/phenomenon which I wouldn't have previously heard of. We are currently half way through the second book in the series.

I personally really liked all of the advanced technology and also the language that the writer chose. I am very into this kind of thing, but I suppose some people aren’t. Each to their own! I recommend this to people who take pleasure in reading fiction, although there are lots of facts to keep you learning! I haven’t read the next one yet, but I’m really excited to have a look!