Katherine Rundell

Left stranded in the Amazon jungle when their plane crashes on their way back to England from Manaus, Brazil, four children struggle to survive for days until one of them finds a map that leads them to a ruined city and a secret hidden among the vines.

The Explorer

David Sheley

The Explorer is a decent middle-grade read. The sentences are short, just shy of being terse. I know that sounds negative, but it should be an easy read for your younger readers.

I found this book at Half Price Books and was intrigued by the cover art and synopsis. But, when it came right down to it, I had a hard time making it through the first half of the book. Even though the story begins in medias res, it takes a while for anything interesting to happen. An impatient reader might not last too long with this book. I do feel like it had a nice payoff at the end of the book.

One thing that bugged me about this book was the attempt at - I don't even know what to call it - metaphorical language. The author was always making comparisons between things, colors, or concepts that are extremely difficult to relate. This type of writing was throughout the book. I'm sure the author thought of this as expertly creative and something that would help to set her book apart from all the others. I found it irritating and distracting from the actual story. For example:


  "Then the fin dipped, disappeared, and out from the water leaped an arc of pinkish-gray body, curving against the rain and the thunder-colored sun."
  p.136


Thunder-colored sun? What does that even mean? As an adult, I can deduce that this means that the sun was obscured by a thunderstorm. Would an 8-10-year-old understand that?

Here's another one:


  "He had never been so frightened in his life. But they were alive. He held that thought in his fist, tight against his skin."
  p.141


Obviously, you can't hold a thought in your fist.

The book becomes a little more thoughtful about half-way through.


  "The greatest threat to living things is man, which is not a thought to make one proud."
  p.195


I don't believe the author is suggesting that humanity is a blight to the Earth, and the planet would be better off with us. I know that's a theme that seems to be popular in today's society. She is reminding the readers to be responsible. It is important to interact with our environment thoughtfully and respectfully and not to engage in needless destruction.

The characters in this story are reasonably well-developed, considering the intended audience of this book. Fred struggles with his relationship with his father, who seems to have very little time for him. Fred is concerned that if they do make it out of the jungle, his father will not have the time to be bothered with coming to meet him, but will instead send one of his employees. This part of the story cut deeply into my heart. I know I am guilty of the same type of behavior as Fred's father. It's not because of a lack of love for my children. It is a difference in priorities - priorities that need to reevaluation. As I write this, my youngest is asking to play a game with me…

Con lives with her great-aunt, who wants very much for Con to learn to live as a proper lady. Con is a knowledgeable and independent young lady who bristles at the thought of being told what to do. She rather enjoys exploring, running, and climbing trees. At first, being in the jungle seemed awful to her, but she learned to appreciate the freedom. When thinking of home, her thoughts grow dark. She admits that she secretly wishes that the people around her were dead. I believe, as dark as this sounds, it is a normal part of growing up. It's not so much that the child wishes others to die, but that they strongly desire to be apart from those who would impose their will upon them: parents, teachers, other adults, or older children. They are looking for independence. Con wants to make up her own mind - make her own choices.

Lila has a strong heart. She is fiercely protective of her little brother, Max. At only five years of age, he faces many more risks than the other members of their party. Lila does her best to watch out for him, but he has so much energy, and he is continuously trying to wander off into the jungle without supervision. She really has her hands full with him, but she never gives up on trying to protect him.

If you can make it past the weird descriptions in this book, it's actually a pretty good read. I would recommend this book for any middle-grade reader that is looking for an adventure.

Nickie Mohler

This is a fantastic adventure story about four children that have to learn to survive in the jungle after their plane crashes. 
I really enjoyed this. It's an adventure story, but it also has themes that make you think. I loved these characters. I listened to some of it and the narrator is fantastic. I especially liked his voice for Max. 
If you like middle grade, give this one a shot.

Lynn Braden

The Explorer is the story of four children who are on a plane leaving Brazil and bound for England. Reminiscent of the novel, Hatchet, the pilot has an attack and dies while trying to save the plane from crashing. After the plane explodes, the four are on their own in the Amazon Jungle. They survive for several days using their wits and their knowledge but have no idea how they will get home. The longer they are in the jungle, the more evidence they find that someone has been there before them. Their only hope is to find someone who can help them get to the nearest city so that they can get home.

The Explorer isn't all that unique as a survival story, but backstories of the main characters are well-developed. There is some humor and lots of adventure making this story an enjoyable read. Overall, a good book for middle grade readers.

Eilidh 

Lisa Beasley

While I did enjoy this I think it's on the younger scale of middle grade than I usually read. It had a good premise and the characters of the kids are good. The Explorer himself was a strange one, I couldn't decide if I liked him or not. And it wrapped up a little too easily and quickly. However I was pleased with the epilogue and the brief glimpse of how the kids developed into young adults.

3 stars.

The Explorer

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